It seems like building housing for native bees would be a good thing, but it seems I've created some tiny striped monsters. With so many options available in my garden, they've started to see everything as potential housing. Today I watched a leafcutter bee for thirty minutes as she tried to decide between the holes in an orchid pot and the hole in the handle of my Cobrahead tool. If you're not wondering how I could stare at a bee for 30 minutes, you're my kind of people. Look closely at the hole in the blue handle - that's her butt in there. She must've gone in and out fifty times, trying to envision where to put her things. Can't really see her? Here's a blurry, but full picture of my little friend. It's not her fault, really. The old digs were already buzzin' with new tenants and she had to think fast. That new fancy place with the green bottles may have looked too rich for her taste, and what's a girl to do with k...
If you're particularly interested in rainwater harvesting, see these posts: "900 and Counting" on 4/28/08, "First Crop" on 4/10/08, "Ongoing Saga of the Rain Tank" on 3/2/08, and "The Debate" on 2/7/08. Vermiculture was covered 8/12/08. Pond construction was covered in "The Heart of Our Garden" on January 22, 2008.