Author Topic: The Great Sunflower Project! (Read 10950 times)

MrILoveTheAnts · « **on:** May 27, 2008, 06:42:10 pm »

http://www.greatsunflower.org/en

I believe these people just want you to plant sunflowers and later in the year they'll email asking how many bees are on your flowers. I think they even send you seeds for it. Sounds fun to me.

Jessaboo · « **Reply #1 on:** May 27, 2008, 07:31:33 pm »

Sounds fun to me, too. I'm in. Thanks for the link.

I have done the Cornell Backyard Bird Count in the past. I think it might be easier to ID and count birds than it will be for bees but we'll see!

MrILoveTheAnts · « **Reply #2 on:** May 27, 2008, 07:54:52 pm »

I think they're just asking for a brief description of them. Honey Bee, bumblebee, matalic green bee and so on. I don't think they want or expect you to be precise such as saying it's a Scoliid wasp or Apis mellifera. It's part of the Xerces society so they probably have an expert or two on their forums who can ID them when described.

Moonshae · « **Reply #3 on:** May 27, 2008, 07:56:53 pm »

Last year, I found bumblebees preferred the sunflowers more than my honeybees. Of course, they don't have pollen for very long, but I'd usually only see one or two on them, and bunches of the bumbles. Got lots of seeds, though. :)

MrILoveTheAnts · « **Reply #4 on:** May 27, 2008, 08:05:21 pm »

I had similar results. I'd say two to one bumblebees to honey bees. Somewhere in the middle though there would be the stray solitary native bee too. Because the pollen and nectar are right there on the huge flowers they're open to a wide range of bees. They're also a native plant.

tillie · « **Reply #5 on:** May 27, 2008, 09:40:38 pm »

I got my sunflower seed from the Project last week and have started them in peat pots - putting them in the ground around here is setting the table for the birds - no sunflowers just a rather dirty bird feast.

Linda T in Atlanta

Vetch · « **Reply #6 on:** May 27, 2008, 11:00:30 pm »

Quote from: MrILoveTheAnts on May 27, 2008, 07:54:52 pm

I think they're just asking for a brief description of them. Honey Bee, bumblebee, matalic green bee and so on. I don't think they want or expect you to be precise such as saying it's a Scoliid wasp or Apis mellifera. It's part of the Xerces society so they probably have an expert or two on their forums who can ID them when described.

So what are the metallic green bees? Those are mostly what I see in my backyard (along with wasps and an occasional yellow jacket), although that should change soon. Is the orange bulge pollen, or part of their body?

reinbeau · « **Reply #7 on:** May 27, 2008, 11:15:16 pm »

I got my sunflower seeds on Saturday, I'm going to plant them tomorrow. They want you to count the number of bees that stop on newly opened flowers, using a timer - start the timer, and write down how many minutes pass between bee visits. Stop once you have seen five bees or 30 minutes have passed. Or no bees. If you want to keep track of what kind of bee, do that, too. Then write down the air temperature. Report it to them via their webpage. Sounds like a nice passtime for a lazy summer afternoon :)

MrILoveTheAnts · « **Reply #8 on:** May 28, 2008, 01:15:39 am »

I believe the green (sometimes black or blue) bees are in the genus Agapostemon. They are a form of sweat bee. I know a few (possible a different genus but same look) are actually social parasites of Mason Bees, replacing the eggs in their tunnels with their own. However a few might actually be social, nesting in hollow trees or wood structures and building a mud/clay tube entrance. Halictidae is another one.
Honestly I'm not sure how bee genera is setup just yet, but they're widely beneficial.

Cindi · « **Reply #9 on:** May 28, 2008, 10:16:26 am »

Vetch, I new that I recalled a post made some time ago about my forum friends talking about the green metalic bee. I found some of the posts, I have made a link to them, just some interesting stuff. Have the best of a hugely great day, loving and loving our lives. Cindi

http://forum.beemaster.com/index.php/topic,12315.0.html

Vetch · « **Reply #10 on:** May 28, 2008, 11:19:50 am »

Thanks, Cindi and everyone - it appears to be one of those green metallic bees. Amazing how many different life forms there are on this planet!! They love the Tulsi (holy basil) and also spend time on the blue tubular flowers we put in as a landscaping plant.

reinbeau · « **Reply #11 on:** May 28, 2008, 05:11:32 pm »

I am so upset my holy basil died - and I can't find another one! :'( I absolutely adore the plant in the garden, the scent is heavenly! Oh well, back to sunflowers and bees.

Cindi · « **Reply #12 on:** May 29, 2008, 10:18:31 am »

Ann, you are a gardener. I googled holy basil for you and found a site, the Seeds of Change, and linked it for you. Start some new starts and get that back in your garden. Do you use it for food or just scent. Have that wonderful and beautiful day, lovin' our life. Cindi

http://www.seedsofchange.com/garden_center/product_details.asp?item_no=S10848

annette · « **Reply #13 on:** May 29, 2008, 06:31:19 pm »

The holy basil grows wild around temples in India. In fact the Indians claim that it only grows where the vibration is holy, hence the holy basil name.

I had it planted last year in the garden for the bees and they just loved it. We put the leaves in our chai tea and it gives a wonderful taste and smell.

reinbeau · « **Reply #14 on:** May 29, 2008, 08:10:02 pm »

Cindi, thank you, my mother has seeds, the problem is it is getting late in the season, and the plant I had was nice and started - I'd like to find another plant rather than wait for seeds, I'm impatient! :lol: Actually Mom has started more, we'll have it, we'll just have to wait......

Brian D. Bray · « **Reply #15 on:** May 30, 2008, 09:35:55 pm »

Quote from: reinbeau on May 28, 2008, 05:11:32 pm

I am so upset my holy basil died - and I can't find another one! :'( I absolutely adore the plant in the garden, the scent is heavenly! Oh well, back to sunflowers and bees.

Did you use holy water? Non holy water might not have been sufficient nurishment.

reinbeau · « **Reply #16 on:** May 30, 2008, 09:55:03 pm »

Quote from: reinbeau on May 28, 2008, 05:11:32 pm

I am so upset my holy basil died - and I can't find another one! :'( I absolutely adore the plant in the garden, the scent is heavenly! Oh well, back to sunflowers and bees.

Quote from: Brian D. Bray on May 30, 2008, 09:35:55 pm

Did you use holy water? Non holy water might not have been sufficient nurishment.

Brian, you are also a brat. JP has competition! :lol:

Cindi · « **Reply #17 on:** May 31, 2008, 12:00:45 pm »

Ann, I think men are brats, period!!! THey love to tease, they love to see women get that shocked look on their faces :shock: :shock: :shock: AND....I am always shocked by men, hee, hee!!! Yes, I would say that Brian has now joined the ranks of these forum teasers, that be JP, John, Frantz, (I have also seen Brendhan do a little teasing too!!!!) -- and who knows how many more forum dudes will join that band wagon, we women need to increase in numbers...we need to increase our strength to combat these dudes, hee, hee.

Beautiful day, lovin' this great life we live....Cindi

SgtMaj · « **Reply #18 on:** June 12, 2008, 03:09:22 am »

Be careful with the sunflowers you plant... you could end up with some like mine last year... they outgrew the house. The stalks were nearly 3" thick and they were all the way up past the gutters before they bloomed... of course, they very quickly were doubled over with the flowers. Bottom line is... if the seed packet says MAMMOTH... believe it.

reinbeau · « **Reply #19 on:** June 12, 2008, 07:31:32 am »

Did you see the size of the seeds they sent? Those were the tiniest little sunflower seeds I've ever seen. We'll see how big those plants end up!

As for towering sunflowers, I love them.

SgtMaj · « **Reply #20 on:** June 12, 2008, 07:56:59 am »

Quote from: reinbeau on June 12, 2008, 07:31:32 am

As for towering sunflowers, I love them.

Um... about quadruple that size is no longer "fun"... it's downright scarry to stand near them! BTW, the variety in that pic doesn't look like the mammoth's that I planted last year. They were single bloom plants. The blooms were nearly 3ft diameter and heavy as all get out... too bad I didn't get to harvest the seeds from them... they all went to rot before they were ready to be pulled out... but the birds still enjoyed them.

reinbeau · « **Reply #21 on:** June 12, 2008, 08:27:29 pm »

Well, that plant was almost 10 feet tall, it may be multiple blooms but it was still a monster. I like huge sunflowers - the bigger the better! I don't usually plant them, though, they come up from seeds dropped the previous year from a planting I made three years ago or so.

Brian D. Bray · « **Reply #22 on:** June 13, 2008, 02:15:08 am »

Quote from: reinbeau on June 12, 2008, 07:31:32 am

Did you see the size of the seeds they sent? Those were the tiniest little sunflower seeds I've ever seen. We'll see how big those plants end up!

As for towering sunflowers, I love them.

Is that a rising or setting sun flower?

SgtMaj · « **Reply #23 on:** June 13, 2008, 04:44:55 am »

I just signed up for the sunflower project... we'll see how big those sunflowers get... wouldn't mind lining out the back fence with sunflowers... it would definately make the property more appealing to bees.

Cindi · « **Reply #24 on:** June 13, 2008, 11:02:42 am »

Ann, don't worry about the size of the seeds. The cultivar that is one of the ones that I plant (Soreya) is a humdinger in size when it grows, but the seed is tiny, very tiny, I am surprised that the end product is so magnificent. Now the Russian giant, the seeds are big, really big.

I have thousands of sunflowers that came up from the vicinity of one of the sunflower patches. I had to thin out hundreds upon hundreds to get the plants to have at least one foot between each one. They must have room to grow, if they are too crowded they will not produce nice plants. I will have to thin them again, to about 2 feet apart, that gives a beautiful stand. YOu will see my pictures of the beautiful grove of sunflowers come later this summer. They are everywhere!!! Beautiful and most wonderful day, we all be lovin' and sharin' this great life. Cindi

SgtMaj · « **Reply #25 on:** June 15, 2008, 09:51:13 am »

I picked up a few packets of sunflower seeds (most of which I think I'll hang onto until next year) yesterday and set up 24 of them for germination... it's about 15 hours later, and almost half have already germinated and are sticking out their main root by as much as 2mm on the largest ones.

SgtMaj · « **Reply #26 on:** June 27, 2008, 05:46:56 am »

Well, for lack of time, I didn't follow my normal proceedures when I took them from the bag and put them in the soil... and I think I lost a few, though there are a couple still emerging. I think I'll wind up with about 18 out of those 24 I planted. With any luck they'll take off now and bloom before fall. The one I planted earlier is just about to bloom now.