Birds, Bees, & Bugs
The week of June 23, 2019 - We explore the solutions helping our environment's most productive and important little creatures.
Birdwatchers in Singapore awestruck by sighting of once extinct bird
Bird enthusiasts, rejoice! A rare sighting of the once extinct green broadbill bird in Singapore has created a stir among bird watchers, who have flocked to the offshore isle of Pulau Ubin to see the emerald green creature. The bird, which gets its name for its highlighter-green plumage, was Read More...
These Minnesota solar farms go beyond green energy production
Global renewables company Enel Green Power has installed 16 solar farms across Minnesota, but their arrays look a little different than others you find across the US. Instead of bare earth or gravel beneath the panels, you can find pollinator-friendly plants and grazing sheep. Recognizing the Read More...
This UK city is making its urban space greener with bee-friendly bus stops
About two years ago, we wrote about an amazing bee-friendly initiative in the Dutch city of Utrecht. Looking to make its urban space as accommodating as possible to pollinators, the fourth largest city in the Netherlands decided to adorn hundreds of its bus stops with green rooftops — thus Read More...
Beeflow wants to save the bees and make them stronger
We cannot continue to feed our world without pollinators, namely bees, which is why Argentina-based startup Beeflow is working to not only save the bees, but even make them more productive. Like many other bee cultivators, Beeflow rents out their colonies to farmers to better pollinate the Read More...
Bee-friendly wildflower meadows are blooming across Germany’s biggest cities
Germany is home to about 580 wild bee species, most of which have their habitat in urban areas. More than half of these species are endangered or on the brink of extinction. The increased use of insecticides, exposure to noxious exhaust fumes, and above all a loss of diverse habitats, are the main Read More...
This unusual greenhouse in France is growing insects instead of vegetables
Though it may look like a normal hothouse that grows vegetables, the Savéol experimental greenhouse in Brittany boasts a very different kind of crop — insects. The goal? To breed plant-friendly invertebrates that can enable farmers to produce pesticide-free tomatoes. From bumblebees to wasps Read More...
Save water in your yard with these drought-resistant plants
With 17 countries around the world facing high water stress and drought, you might be asking yourself, what can we do to help save water? In addition to practicing water smart behavior in the home like saving wastewater and repairing leaky faucets, changing the way you look at the outside of your Read More...
Meet Mia: The world’s first “bionic bird”
Mia is a female bearded vulture, the largest type of flying bird in Europe — but that’s not the most impressive thing about her. She is the first bird to receive a permanent prosthetic foot, and is described as the world’s first “bionic bird.” Mia was brought into the Owl and Bird Prey Read More...
New "bee vaccine" can help pollinators become immune to pesticides
Without pollinators, our food security and survival as a species would be seriously at risk. But even with this knowledge, humans continue to perpetuate practices that endanger bees and other pollinators, one of the biggest being the growing use of pesticides in agriculture. Pesticides in large Read More...
Citizen scientists step up to track cicada rising
Citizen science has been booming during the pandemic as curious adventurers seek out new ways to get involved in their local natural environment. As billions of cicadas rise up after their 17-year slumber, teams of citizen scientists are taking on the task of mapping their path and prevalence Read More...