How to Attract Mason Bees and Keep Them in Your Garden by Cheryl Kaumeyer Wethey

 

Note nesting tubes that are being plugged with mud. 
All photos by Cheryl Kaumeyer Wethey

Solitary Bees make up 70% of the bee population in Colorado.   Included in this category are Mason Bees, members of Osmia lignaria species.   The Mason Bee gets its name from its characteristic behavior of incorporating mud like a brick mason in building and sealing their nests. 

Spring Bulb Companion: the Pasque Flower by Nancy Shepard

Photo by Manfredrichter

I’ve been regularly checking a spot in my garden to see one of my most favorite spring flowers – the Pasque flower, Pulsatilla patens. I first saw this flower at the Denver Botanic Gardens one spring and couldn’t get over its odd hairy beauty with its wispy stems and purple blooms. When it decides to push through the cold ground and snow, its delicate flowers look impervious to the conditions.