A lot of organizations are using the internet to gain interest and participation in public art and science projects. Most recently, I participated in the Wonderarium where you plant a succulent that came with a UPC like code that allows the plant to be tracked online. That way everyone participating could watch how others were doing and where they were. I found a similiar project while walking around the Green Festival this past weekend only this one involved tracking bees. I spoke to a represetative at the “Your Garden Show” booth.
YourGardenShow.com is a free online platform connecting gardeners of all experience with a wealth of knowledge, tools and resources to inspire environmentally sustainable green spaces, big and small, indoors and out. They are recruiting ‘bee counters’ for one of the citizen science initiatives they are supporting, The Great Sunflower Project. People get a seed packet of Helianthus annuus, Lemon Queen Sunflower, to attract bees to their garden. They are then asked to report online how many bees they count. This would be a great activity for anyone concerned with the bee population, just curious or with a classroom.
PDF Tags: bees, resources
What a great idea! I'm glad you are taking the time to help promote the Sunflower Project. We started keeping bees partly in order to help educate people about the importance of pollinators. Urban farmers grow so much more than just food!
Sounds like a great project! I don't really need any seeds, my rosemary is always just humming with bees.
My favorite thing about Fall is knowing that in just a few short months I will be pouring over the pages of the newest seed catalogs! Oh and Pennsylvania's foliage is pretty spectacular too!
My favorite thing about fall is apples! Big, small, tart and sweet. I love your blog!