Rain Gardens in our Nation's Capitol

On a recent trip to Washington, D.C., I was suprised to find some of the government buildings had installed rain gardens and displayed information on starting a rain garden in your own backyard. A rain garden is a landscaped mulched garden with water tolerant plants created with a slight depression to allow for water which would otherwise become runoff to infiltrate and permeate to the water table. Cities can benefit from turning green space into rain gardens because there is so much impermeable surface in a city from roofs to streets and sidewalks. Homeowners can also benefit from rain gardens by allowing water which would become run off to reenter the water table.

The process the water goes through allows the water to be cleaned naturally through percolating through the soil. Additionally, baterias which naturally form in these areas, help to break down organic substances.


Additional information:
http://www.uri.edu/ce/healthylandscapes/NKTownhall.html
http://www.bae.ncsu.edu/stormwater/PublicationFiles/DesigningRainGardens2001.pdf

The Great Sunflower Project for Bees

As a barefoot girl growing up in Ohio in the 1960s, I had more than my fair shares of painful encounters with bees. In a Pavlovian way, I saw the stimulus (BEE) and had a definite response (FLEE).

So why now, am I searching for bee friendly flowers and plants which will actually encourage bees to come to my garden? Well, with shoes on my feet, I know that bees are an important partner in my garden playing the role of chief pollinator. As they search for pollen for the needs of their bee society, they effectively and efficiently pollinate crops and plants providing food for man and beast. Bees are the primary pollinators of seed and fruit. True, my little plot of land is small but can be a friendly oasis to bees and other pollinators since I eschew pesticides and try to maintain an organic garden.

With this in mind, I'm ready to participate in the Great Sunflower Project. Run by San Francisco State University Associate Professor Gretchen LeBuhn, this project is requesting citizen scientists coast-to-coast participate in a bee pollination study. With the recent focus on colony collapse disorder, this data will provide the scientists with data needed to help restore bees.

As a volunteer “citizen scientist,” in this project, you participate by

1. Sign up and plant your sunflower (seeds provided when you register)
2. Describe your garden
3. Time how long it takes 5 bees to visit your sunflower plant
4. Enter your data online or send your form.

We all remember the headlines from last year warning us of the disappearing bees. I’m hoping my participation helps.

Reference