About The Project
The Science Behind the Great Sunflower Project
As you sit at the table today, do you know where the water you are drinking came from? 85% of the drinking water in San Francisco comes from the Sierra. How about the last prescription medicine you took? It probably originated from a natural source. Of the top 150 prescription drugs used in the U.S., 118 originate from natural sources: 74 percent from plants, 18 percent from fungi, 5 percent from bacteria, and 3 percent from a species of snake! And, where did the ingredients for your lunch and dinner come from? One of every three bites you took probably came from a plant pollinated by wild pollinators. This is just the beginning of list of the services provided by healthy, natural ecosystems.
Economists and ecologists have started working together to find a way to place a financial value the contribution of natural ecosystems to human existence. The estimates are eye-opening. For example, the value of pollination services from wild pollinators in the U.S. alone is estimated at four to six billion dollars per year. While these ecosystem services are currently produced for “free”, replacing the natural ecosystem would cost many trillions of dollars. Unless human activities are carefully planned and managed, valuable ecosystems will continue to be impaired or destroyed.
To maintain biodiversity and to meet the increasing demands for ecosystem services, we must move conservation science into cities (Rosenzweig 2003). Cities are important for conservation for two reasons. First, 80% of the United States population already lives in urban areas (United States Census Bureau 2003). Second, cities encompass about 3% of land (59.6 million acres) in the United States and 230,000 additional acres become urban each year. Because of their large human populations, cities are the places where many ecosystem services, such as environmental quality of life, are delivered (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment 2005). Given the growth of the urban population, it is clear that we need to develop the knowledge necessary for maintaining natural habitats in the urban setting and find a way to give urban dwellers access to nature.
We know that pollinators are declining in certain wild and many agricultural landscapes. However, little is known about urban pollinators. Our recent data on bumble bees in an urban setting suggests that urban bees may also be declining (McFrederick & LeBuhn 2006, Fenter and LeBuhn submitted). While the loss of these pollinators is important, it is more important to understand what effect these losses have had on pollinator services.
We do not know much about how healthy bee populations are maintained in an urban environment. Because natural habitats are uncommon in urban landscapes, they may not provide enough resources to support viable pollinator communities. However, if other habitats, such as urban gardens and restored areas, are sufficiently connected to natural habitat, then native populations may thrive.
By finding a way to track and value the goods and services provided by natural ecosystems, we will find a future in which conservation is mainstream, economically attractive and commonplace throughout the world. The data you collect from your sunflower willbe a start. It will provide an insight into how our green spaces in the urban, suburban and rural landscapes are connected as well as shedding light on how to help pollinators. What we need are innovative strategies to maximize the benefits of our wild and semi-wild habitat remnants. The Great Sunflower Project is the first step.
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Comments
Description of project
See the September-October 2008 issue of the American Scientist, p 375-376 for an excellent review, "Of Sunflowers and Citizens" , describing this honeybee project. Your public library is likely to have a copy of the pulication.
Bee Photos
Can you send me your information in a a hard copy - especially the photos and descriptions of the bees and the form for submitting data??
Never lose the Faith!
I am a new member and I can't tell you how thrilled I am about this project! I am currently in college majoring in Ecology and i think it's wonderful that there are people out there willing to make a difference and to save our planet and humanity. It is imperative that we never stop trying to save our ecosystem, we must continue to think of our future and our children! Keep the faith!! :)
Jessica Marie
New Jersey
Pumpkin Plants
My grandgirls and I had already planted sunflowers when I found your site. However, my husband was injured so I haven't been able to devote the time to the Sunflower Project. However, the girls also planted pumpkins in pots since we're urban people and the bright yellow flowers are attracting the bees like crazy. Thought I'd pass this along in the case you have any plants in the future for another project.
I'm a new member & reading
I'm a new member & reading your comments are helping me some. My husband & I are redoing our whole back yard & I can hardly wait to get our seeds. We just replanted our plants in pots & also redid our front yard. In the last couple of weeks I've seen big bumle bees. I've seen 3 bumble bees around our flowers that are lilies. We hope to see more bees. We noticed our orange tree didn't bloom well this year.):): Maybe because of no bees???
'just keeps goin'
I am a hobby farmer and a hobby beekeeper. I realize the importance of natural diversity to our human sustainability.
My sunflowers have resulted from a few years of feeding birds during their migrations or winter deprivations. Two varieties stand out: the Mammoth and the Indiana native. While the Mammoth produces a marketable head -- only once or twice during a season, the Indiana native continues to produce as long as the weather is conducive -- small heads, small seeds, but palatable to a large variety of animals and birds -- and bees!
During the recent years of drought, garden maintained flowers preserved the treasure of bees, both native and induced. I do not discourage any pollen- or nectar-seeking bee; I try to provide to an acceptable level of self-sacrifce so that we all survive.
Squirrels
How does one keep the squirrels from damaging the sunflowers?
Back off squirrels!
Just joined and excited about getting sunflowerseeds and making some bees happy!...I just hope the squirrels will leave the plants alone, which they often did not in my old garden, they enjoyed messing with the flowerheads as soon as they opened!
Kordula
I'll be starting this
I'll be starting this project soon with my wife we picked up seeds locally and a farmer down the road every few seasons used to grow huge sunflowers that you would see high above the bushes around his place which is small not like a farm you'd find out west. But he's also given us some tips. And as mothers day is coming up i just got my wife some new tools for the garden she's going to be so excited.
Sunflower tips
My daughters and I are newbies. We will be growing our sunflowers in large ppots in the "backyard" we share with our Apt complex. We would love to know what tips the farmer gave you, as we are very inexperienced.
Ready to Start this Project - Waiting for my SunFlower Seeds!
Hello,
I register about 3 weeks ago & I have not yet received my seeds. Please let me know how long will it be before I get my seeds. I am all ready to start! Please call me or e-mail me as soon as possible.
Sincerely,
Samuel Bagwell
Miami, Florida
sunny sunflowers
Awaiting my seeds and preparing their little beds meanwhile. We had a structure built for the dogs, an outdoor kennel and I will plant the sunflowers bordering that. Oh dear, I hope the bees aren't drawn to the doggies...
Wavin from PA.,
imabrat
Waiting for winter to leave Minnesota
I am looking forward to joining your project. I have not yet decided whether or not to plan the seeds in a garden plot or pot. I have noticed a decline in the bee population in our area, and it is of concern. When the willows would blossom in the spring, they used to be alive with bees, but in the past 2 years I have not observed this. I will not be able to submit data on the sunflower and bees for quite some time, but am willing to watch and observe other bee nectar and pollen sources and report until my sunflowers are planted and bloom.
new to gardening and Home schooling
We are going to do this as a home school project.. we were so excited when we heard about this project. My son has a fear of bees and I hope this will also help him overcome this fear when we learn about everything! our newest project is growing catnip ! Thanks for the opportunity to help count the bees and having a great learning experience at the same time :)
sunflowers
I'M NEW TO THIS GROUP. I PLANTED SEEDS LAST YEAR, WELL THEY GREW UP ON THERE ON. I HAVE A COCKATEIL AND WHEN I CHANGED HER FOOD I THREW HER OLD FOOD OUT THE SUNFLOWER SEEDS JUST TOOK ROOT AND GREW!! THEY WERE SO PRETTY! I'M HOPING THESE SEEDS GROW AS FAST. BUT I DID'NT GET TO SAVE ANY SEEDS CAUSE THE WILD BIRDS ATE THEM! THAT WAS FINE WITH ME, I DONT KNOW HOW TO HARVEST THEM OR WHEN. DOES ANYONE KNOW? CAN YOU TELL ME HOW? I LIVE IN SOUTHEAST TEXAS.
Very Cool Project
I was given this information from my Master Gardener sister, who also shared it with our three other sisters. I am the least interested in gardening; however, I have requested my packet of seeds and will plant them as soon as they arrive. I would like to state though, that both of my sisters received wild flower seeds as opposed to sunflower seeds. I'm trusting it doesn't matter since I have bees that pollinate all over my dandelions in the yard. Does it matter?? In any event, I'll enjoy wild flowers as much as sunflowers since the State of GA grows the wild flowers in the interstate medians. Happy Growing!!
SEED PLANS
I plan to plant the sunflower seeds along with several other kinds of flowers and produce in my backyard this summer.
Planting Location
We will be planting them on the 2nd Floor Terrace in builtin planters & pots.
We will be planting them in pots in around the main courtyard.
used to be a beekeeper
i used to keep bees as a hobby. being inside a beehive forces you to pay attention _right_now_ and having grouchy bees teaches you humility! but i had to stop because the bees got sick and then gigantic hornets carried off the survivors. a surprising thing i saw was that a beehive in the suburbs did REALLY well in the Spring because of flowers and bushes blooming in yards but beehives in the countryside did badly because they were surrounded by empty corn/soybean fields and there wasn't anything for them to eat, so i had to give them sugar water. and also, people blame honeybees for what yellowjackets do to them (like crawl down inside their drinks at a park, which honeybees don't do).
Urban Bees
Just a comment I'd like to share. I ran a business in the Old Colt Firearms Plant in Hartford CT. While inside the building we could hear a buzzing, I mean a loud buzzing! We couldn't figure it out until we walked to another wing of the building and used binoculars to look across to the 4th floor to see a huge wet spot in the brick of the building. The spot had to be 3 feet in diameter, at the top we could see the bees going in a hole where the mortar had fallen out. The wet spot was honey dripping through the brick. The bees had a hive between the brick and the inner plaster walls. We imagine that hive had to be at least 10 years old but we really had no idea. But the buzzing sounded like a freight train. It did show however how adaptable animals, bees included can be.
Counting bees at the big house
Here's a quote from Albert Einstein: "If the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe, then man would have only four years of life left. No more bees, no more pollination, no more plants, no more animals, no more man."
This quote (heard last year on The Bill Maher Show) got me thinking and talking. Good thing because someone remembered my concern and forwarded this site to me. My husband and I are excited to participate at our home even though he's allergic to bee stings. I also work at San Quentin and hope to pitch this program to the Vocational Landscaping instructor as well as the volunteer gardener. In the meantime, it couldn't hurt to put one in a pot outside my classroom.
Kindergarten class
I'm having our 2 kindergarten classes at our school start the project. Each kid will be starting and caring for their own sunflower.
Sunflower Wedding
My son is getting married in June the theme of their wedding is Sunflowers.
they have already started seeds for that. the plants are about 3 inches high already. they are also are giving to each guest a packet of sunflower seeds to start also. the invitaions have seeds in the paper to plant the invitation also. It has to be the year of the Sunflower.
Glyn :)
My cousin got married in a
My cousin got married in a field of sunflowers. They just cut out a trail and a big circle in the middle for the wedding. It was wonderful.
Gardens
When you wrote to describe your garden, did you just put information about the garden that you put the seeds in, or describe other plants etc that you may have in other areas of you yard? I have several flower beds spread out around my property.
Thanks. Anne
Reply to Anne
Anne,
I wrote about my whole property. Maybe I was just supposed to write about where the seeds are. I haven't gotten the seeds yet, and our last frost date is 1 May. I'll probably start the seeds inside as soon as I get them. I was planing to put some in a pot on my deck, 3 plants in the back yard and 3 in the front border. But maybe it would be better to put all in one place? Can someone from the project give some guidance? Thank you so much.
Add Garden Info!
When you sign up, please add a description of your garden and a link to photos. I'm very interested in seeing others' gardens, and I'll bet others here are, too.
Garden info
I just moved to TN a few months ago. I have not yet begun to plant my new garden. I left a beautiful garden behind, in NJ that took about 10 yrs to devolope, and it truly was sad to leave it behind. After being here, it seems as if no one here knows, or cares to garden the way I am used to. I rarely see any flower beds, or gardens, and it is so depressing. I can't wait to begin my journey, and hope to have a thriving garden started by the end of the yr...and perhaps. the neighbors here will be as excited to drop by an relax and enjoy it as much as the friends back home did!
Sunflower Seeds
With the sharing information from momoose58, I too sent away for my seeds. I plan to line my fence with them watch the bees and share the seeds when they mature. Thank you for the information on your web site.
free sunflowers seed
Hello there I just sent for my free seeds. I will plant them at our catholic church when they come.
thenI will keep track of them
thank you