At the desk, 8:51 a.m.
I've been going out with the husband and Rose in the evenings. They wander the alleys in our neighborhood. It's a great chance to walk, talk, and more recently plant sunflowers.
When we first talked about guerrilla sunflower planting, I wasn't sure we'd ever find a place to plant them. After a few trips out with Rose and the husband, I realize the alleys are perfect places for sunflowers. We plant and walk. It's really quite simple.
Our goal is to plant sunflowers in every alley in our neighborhood. When we're done, we'll go out again. Most likely, we'll get everything planted this year, then go around next year.
Why are we planting sunflowers?
One of the current issues in the death of bees, bats, hummingbirds, and other pollinators in the US, is the loss of flowering plants in favor of grass. As building expands, we continue to take meadow and turn it into what is a pollinator desert - grass.
Further, since the current bee scourge is caused by pesticides, when we remove native fields and flower, we increase the likelihood that the pollinators will come in contact with the pesticide.
A single sunflower has between 2,000 and 3,000 tiny bee feeding flowers in it's center. By guerrilla planting sunflowers, we are not only beautifying the alley's in our neighborhood, but we are also creating more food for local pollinators and our bees.
You'd be amazed. Since our bees died last year, we haven't seen any bees in our neighborhood. None. People ask us about it.
What can you do to help?
Sign every petition. Call you Congress person. Outside of rational legislative action, plant a sunflower. In fact, click the icon below and I'll give you the seeds.
I can't change Congress. I don't own Bayer and can't make them wake up to what they've done.
But I can plant a sunflower. This year, with any luck, our alleys will be filled with their bright sunny faces.
I'd be happy to share them with you.
The icon below will take you to a page that will gather all of your information. If you have a chance, we'd love to see and share your photos of the sunflower you plant. It's that simple.
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