A queen butterfly and a native sweat bee share a meal of goldenrod. (Photo: JA Mustard)
Like so many things, the journey taken by the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley to become a Bee Campus USA affiliate began with a small action, the creation of a pollinator garden. The Rio Grande Valley is a region with a remarkable diversity of butterflies and bees but great pressure on habitat from agriculture and urban development. Recognizing this, a group of faculty and students were awarded a grant to establish a pollinator garden on the university’s Brownsville campus. This group then realized that their goals of sustaining native species while also involving students and the broader community in conservation aligned with those of Bee Campus USA—so they applied and become an affiliate in August 2018.
Bee City USA is now on Instagram! Follow us to learn more about pollinator conservation, our programs, and what Bee City USA and Bee Campus USA affiliates are up to.
As fall approaches many gardeners are starting to think about planting season.
We have responded to many of your requests for information about creating pollinator habitat specific to your region by launching a new webinar series: Building Pollinator Habitat in Towns and Cities. Each webinar will focus on creating habitat in a different region of the country.
Visit Xerces' webinars page to learn more about the series and register for a webinar in your area.
Photo: Students from University of Texas Rio Grande Valley plant trees as part of a butterfly rehabilitation workshop.
OUR NETWORK IS GROWING!
Visit the current Bee CityandBee Campuspages to see the most up-to-date lists of our combined 217 city and campus affiliates in 42 states.
Welcome to the most recent affiliates to join our network:
Gardening for Invertebrates: A Xerces Webinar Series
Join Xerces staff for a summer of gardening. Learn about the important role invertebrates play in our world and how you can support them in your backyard and beyond.
These 1-hour programs are offered every first and third Thursday from June through September at 10:00 am PDT / 11:00am MDT / 12 noon CDT / 1:00pm EDT.
Thursday September 17th Bee City USA Coordinator Molly Martin will present Gardening Beyond Your Yard: Bee City USA, a webinar exploring how you can mobilize your community to support pollinators through joining Xerces' Bee City USA and Bee Campus USA initiatives.
Bee City USA is an initiative of the Xerces Society. Our conservation work is powered by our donors. Your tax deductible donation will help us to protect the life that sustains us.
