The Birds & The Bees
By Patty Lowry
Have a seat…we need to have a little talk. I have some pretty heavy-duty info I need to lay on you about the birds and the bees.
Ahem….
Now I’m no expert, but I do speak from experience – and just so you know, I am currently over the moon in love. It’s an extremely intense affair of the mind, body and spirit that fills me with unbridled passion, coquettish curiosity and undying devotion. It’s elemental, exciting, powerful and all consuming. It’s been a long time developing, a kind of courtship of a lifetime and a relationship I hold very close to my heart. It’s bigger than a single mountain. More fluid than the wildest rapids, and it grounds me to my very core.
Sounds pretty awesome, huh!? Want in on it? It’s ok, I’m willing to share. We’re not exclusive, in fact the more the merrier…there’s just one condition. Once you commit, it’s for life.
Take five and think about it…I’ll fill you in on the 101.
I am in love with nature. It’s a part of my essential being. We are partners. She takes care of me, gives me air, water, trees, earth, food, inspiration, beauty and magic. In return, I need to take care of her. Just like any important relationship, it takes work and requires respect, integrity and attention. And just like human love stories, there are times of heartbreak. We get negligent, take advantage of kindness; use, abuse and deplete each other’s gifts, causing hurt and damage. From pollution and pesticides to climate change and conservation – I’d say it’s time for a little wooing.
Here’s a hint: bring her some flowers. Because nothing says “let’s make up” like a happy, safe place to pollinate.
Creating a beautiful flower garden is like a brothel for birds, bees and other flighty pollinators – the likes of butterflies, moths and hummingbirds. It’s a wild rave of love! Buzzing around in a nectar-infused frenzy, accidently rubbing against stamens and getting pollen all over themselves, only to bump into another plant’s stigma and let the magic begin…naturally spreading the love all around.
So be a good partner, plant the seed, and set the scene for a great romance that is sure to encourage a little one-on-one action that will make Mother Nature smile and get you back in her good books.
Here are a few surefire moves to get her in the mood.
- Best flowers: Milkweed, daisies, sunflowers, butterfly bush, echinacea, columbine, clover, honeysuckle, viburnum shrubs, black-eyed susan, huckleberry, rose, lavender, sage and basil – to name just a few
- Use native plants: Research suggests they are four times more attractive to native birds and bees, and they adapt well to local growing conditions
- Mix up the colour: Bees actually have good colour vision and are particularly attracted to blue, purple, white and yellow
- Plant flowers of different shapes and heights: Birds and bees come in all different sizes, as well as having different tongue lengths
- Plant in the sun – bees favour sun over shade
Birds do it, bees do it
Even educated fleas do it
Let’s do it, let’s fall in love.
–Cole Porter
