September 17 , 2020
Bee Friendly Champions Mikaila Ulmer and Leslie Uppinghouse
Since childhood , fall ’s copious colour , scents , and prosperous visible light make it my favorite time of year . Even before trees don their cloak of many colors , I ’m captivate by American beautyberry ’s glossy , purplish fruits . Although we can corrode them when totally ripe , I leave them for birds and squirrels . This aboriginal repeated shrub for part tone double tariff . In spring , tiny ambrosia - rich flower clusters signal pollinate bees and butterflies . My garden ’s full of multi - tasking shrub and Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree . Native yaupon holly pull back bees to spring bloom while bird snack on gloaming and winter ’s fruits . As I write this on my terrace one muggy evening , shrubby , gangly almond verbena ( Aloysia virgata ) , native to Argentina , waft cooky - scented perfume my fashion , enthrall every bee in the vicinity . I do n’t yet have native bee - brushing ( Aloysia gratissima ) , but it ’s just as bee - loved for its sweetness in late summertime / early descent . My young aboriginal woolly bee - brush ( A. macrostachya ) sports lavender prime , though without odor my olfactory organ detects . This calendar week , take on bee champions Mikaila Ulmer , beginner and CEO ofMe & the Bees Lemonade , and Leslie Uppinghouse , Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Centerhorticulturist . Mikaila ’s commitment began at eld four when she was stung by two bee within a week . Some children carry fear of a particular dirt ball through maturity , but Mikaila ’s parents , D’Andra and Theo Ulmer , avoid that one by encouraging their daughter to memorize everything she could about bees . When Mikaila understood how critical bees are to our food provision by pollenate crop , and that they ’re deeply endangered , she wanted to aid . She decided to make lemonade for then - annual Lemonade Day and the Acton Childrens ’ Business Fair .
With help from her parents ( hey , she was four ! ) , Mikaila adapted a flaxseed honey lemonade formula from her keen - nan Helen as a healthier choice to sugar - drenched refreshment . In just a few years , thanks to funding from local businesses , Me & the Bees Lemonade went from sidewalk lemonade stands to 1500 store across the country . From her first pavement sales , Mikaila donated a percentage of net income to organizations supporting bees . As a young social entrepreneur , she foundedHealthy Hive Foundation , a non - profit dedicated to education , research , and bee protection .
At age 15 , Mikaila document her journeying inBee Fearless : Dream Like a Kid . Although written for a new interview , I extremely recommend it to every adult who wants to turn visual sensation into world . Along with interesting fact about bee , you ’ll get wind a LOT about the complicated business of creating your own brandmark product . Then , I meet with Leslie Uppinghouse about what we can plant for the bee this fall . Like Mikaila ’s audience , we did this via Zoom . At the Wildflower Center , hundreds of bumblebee cavort on gritty gloomy sage behind her . This picture is from one of my travels . Props to K. Angel Horne , Wildflower Center PR , Media & Marketing Coordinator , who wrangled Leslie ’s platter . On my end , I thank Austin PBS videographer Alex Wolff who jumped in as backup Zoom technical school and assistance . Now that fall weather beckons , we can start planting seeds for the bees , include iconic bluebonnets . And Firewheel ( Gaillardia pulchella ): previous spring flowersStanding cypress : belated spring , former summer flowersAmerican Basket - prime : later spring , other summer flowersPartridge pea : summertime , come flowersAbsolutely essential is to keep soil moistened until seeds germinate . Since we can get hot , dry days even into November , keep seedlings watered if we do n’t get adequate rain . myriad CTG TV audience have lost abundant base by not watering when temps soared and the flat coat was ironic .
Perennial superstars include crepuscle - blooming perennial asters for bee and butterflies . Turk ’s cap flow bee and butterfly from late summertime to first frost . This repeated browns on top after freezing weather , returning with vigor in former wintertime . Cover your ground with evergreen frogfruit ; its tiny peak pull bee and butterfly from late natural spring through fall . Spring - flowering trees reinforce us with fragrance and show - break off stunner while feed bees , specially in recent winter when food supply may be low . Majestic huisache embraces bluebonnets at the Mueller wild flower meadow and food forest . Eagerly I await February when my Mexican plum bursts into fragrant blooms , alert with native bee and butterflies sip up on sunny , quick days . Check out these fantastic resourcefulness that Leslie mentions .
The Jha Lab at the University of Texasfor howling bee information and much more !
TheWildflower Center ’s Plant Collectionssite is an incredible plant life tilt imagination for all bees , butterfly , and hummingbirds .
Register now for theWildflower Center ’s extended fall plant sale .
Other plant salesHays County Master Gardeners online and pickup tree and plant sales ( ordering soon ! )
TreeFolks Neighbor Woods free trees for Austin occupant
take in Bee Friendly Champions now !
Thanks for buzz by ! See you next hebdomad , Linda
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