Hurray for Pollinators!

When I was in Maine last Fall visiting my daughter Sara, we took my grandson Cash to the main Lewiston Library to check out the children's area. A treasure, located on a downtown side street, we picked up some books, played with the available toys and had a great time. When we were getting ready to leave I noticed an entire wall filled with wonderful information for parents. Among the free literature available was "Science Websites of the Month". A brightly colored single sheet filled with websites and general resource information, with a single topic chosen for each month. While I think their purpose was to provide these resources for parents of young children, I found most of them fascinating myself.

Preparing for our upcoming visit to them again this spring, I came across a folder that I had put them in when I returned last year. I thought I would include a few sites here that they had chosen for Spring of 2008. (I have checked those listed to make sure the URLs are still active.) With all the BUZZ'zzzzz about home vegetable gardening this year, it seems like the perfect opportunity to educate ourselves about pollinators and the importance they play in our gardens.

Celebrating Wildflowers
http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/pollinators/index.shtml
This colorful and photo-rich U.S. Forest Service site includes games for kids, teacher resources, and sections of general interest about native gardening, wildflower ethics, insects that pollinate, and more.

Pollinator Partnership Home
http://www.pollinator.org/
This site has a wealth of info that includes free educational materials and media resources, downloadable Eco-regional planting guides, a digital library, and bee keeping resources.

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service - Pollinators
http://www.fws.gov/pollinators
Info about endangered butterflies and plants, backyard habitats and pollinator gardens.

Pick the Pollinators Game - PBS / Nova Site
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/flower/pollinator.html
A fun, informative game with nice color photos and interesting tidbits of info.

Have fun browsing through these great sites, and send over any new ones you might find. I will include them in our link list. Happy Gardening, Susan