Around the Bend by Daniel E. Johnson
I shared this photo on August 7, 2017 with the good news that the number of Michigan honeybee colonies was on the rise, reversing steep declines due to colony collapse disorder. Michigan and the world are for sure not out of the woods with Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) that causes the majority of worker bees in a colony disappear and leave behind a queen, food & a few nurse bees to care the queen & larvae. While reported cases of CCD have declined significantly, beekeepers nationwide reported losing HALF of their colonies in the year ending last April.
Because we still have work to do, I’m happy to share ways that we can help keep flowers blooming & crops growing right here in Michigan. MSU Extension answers the question Should Michiganders keep bees by saying that unless you have the resources to keep your hive healthy, it’s better to focus on helping bees by planting flowers and flowering trees that are good sources of nectar and pollen from the spring through the fall. I’m also really happy that St. Joseph has announced its commitment to become a Bee City USA!
Dig into Daniel’s photos on his Flickr!
Michigan in Pictures 
I read today that the Detroit International Wildlife Refuge in Trenton recently acquired 114 acres next to its property and will use it to foster native species. They started a large pollinator garden when they opened in 2021 or 2022 and it covers a huge area. We need to save the bees, butterflies, birds … our climate. Whew! I especially enjoyed Daniel’s squirrel in the snow pics. I have been feeding the squirrels in the same park for 11 years now. I have a regular following. As to the peanut butter, one Winter we put out small peanut butter sandwiches on that party rye you buy around the holidays. It was snowy and cold and the neighborhood squirrel licked all the peanut butter off and threw the bread in the garden. :)
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Very cool!!
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I thought so too!
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