Monarch Motivation: Population Increase in 2021

Sometimes you need some good news and motivation, and we have some for you today–the western monarch butterfly population has increased! Biologists and volunteers count overwintering monarchs in coastal California each year. During the fall of 2021, the Xerces Society counted nearly 250,000 butterflies compared to less than 2,000 butterflies counted during fall 2020. Although that is merely a sliver of the millions of monarch butterflies that migrated in the 1980s and …continue reading

Byron Roos-Collins2022-02-01T12:06:02-08:00February 1st, 2022|Blog, Pollinator Gardens, SNAP|

Sleeping bee photo courtesy: Joe Neely, https://www.jmneelyphotography.com/

National Pollinator Week Day 6: Globe Mallow Bees

Today is Saturday, and while you were probably sleeping in, it’s most likely that the bees were too. Have you ever seen a bee nap? Well today, National Pollinator Week Day 6, is dedicated to a little pollinator known for many things, and one of them is their notorious tendency to nap in flowers all dusted with pollen. Have you ever fallen asleep after eating some cake to wake up and find …continue reading

Heather Freeman2021-09-18T12:01:34-07:00June 26th, 2021|Blog, Pollinator Gardens|

(Male Anna’s) Photo Courtesy: 2013 © Kyle Blaney

National Pollinator Week Day 5: Hummingbirds

We know what you’re thinking, Hummingbirds are a big topic for such a small bird. With about 15 different species nesting in North America, there are several species that visit during migration. So for National Pollinator Week Day 5 we’re going to celebrate Hummingbirds and keep it simple like simple syrup. Let’s talk about the ones we love to watch in our California landscape – you know, the small bolting creatures that …continue reading

Heather Freeman2021-09-18T12:01:34-07:00June 25th, 2021|Blog, Pollinator Gardens|

leafcutter bee cutting leaves into perfectly round shapes

National Pollinator Week Day 4: Leafcutter Bees

National Pollinator Week Day 4 is all about Leafcutter Bees! Yesterday we gave our attention and support to Mason and Blue Orchard Bees, two species of the Megachilidae family and both very important native pollinators of some of our favorite spring foods. Today, we are not straying too far from these busy little fruit pollinators as we dedicate our Thursday to the Leafcutter Bee. The Leafcutter is also a member of the …continue reading

Heather Freeman2021-09-18T12:01:34-07:00June 24th, 2021|Blog, Pollinator Gardens|

Blue Orchard Bee Photo Courtesy: © 2019 dvoribird

National Pollinator Week Day 3: Mason Bees &...

National Pollinator Week Day 3 is all about Mason Bees, a native species of bee in the Osmia genus and the Megachilidae family. Blue orchard bees are also a mason bee, and sometimes called Orchard Mason Bees. Mason bees are a native species of bee that play an important role in pollinating food plants and for the Blue Orchard, orchard trees. Some of these foods include almonds, …continue reading

Heather Freeman2021-09-18T12:01:34-07:00June 23rd, 2021|Blog, Pollinator Gardens|

Monarch Butterfly (Danaus Plexippus), a member of the Nymphalida

National Pollinator Week Day 2: Monarch Butterflies

National Pollinator Week Day 2 is all about Monarch Butterflies! They are scientifically known as Danaus plexippus, belonging to the Nymphalidae family. As we all well know, the monarch is a crucial and highly studied species of milkweed butterfly and it calls many places home as it migrates throughout North and Central America. These beautifully winged creatures prepare for the cold weather of winter and begin to fly south, from as north …continue reading

Heather Freeman2021-09-18T12:01:34-07:00June 22nd, 2021|Blog, Pollinator Gardens|

National Pollinator Week Day 1: Squash Bees

female squash bee with pollen, photo by E. Youngsteadt We’re kicking off National Pollinator Week with waffles! Wait, what? Yes, waffles. Not just any waffles though – zucchini waffles! We’re doing this in support of a very specific and extremely helpful bee native to North America: the Squash Bee, belonging to the two Peponapis and Xenoglossa genera. Hearing your garden bed zooming and buzzing more than usual as those squash blossoms bloom? …continue reading

Heather Freeman2021-09-18T12:01:34-07:00June 21st, 2021|Blog, Pollinator Gardens|

ESLT Sunflower Kids Garden Project third-grade students observing the growth of their sunflowers

Getting Creative in the Garden with Bishop Elementary...

How we adapted ESLT’s Sunflower Kids Garden Program in a school year of unpredictability. By Gabrielle Tribelli, ESLT Education Coordinator and Sierra Nevada AmeriCorps Member 2020-2021 was a school year like no other for students everywhere. Undergoing constant modifications to class structure, size, curriculum, duration, and social-emotional outlets, these scholars built resilient. So when the regular timing of ESLT’s Sunflower Kids Program was just around the corner in April, I was …continue reading

Heather Freeman2021-09-18T12:01:34-07:00June 9th, 2021|Blog, Pollinator Gardens|

Discover Springtime’s Peace

Desert peaches, or prunus andersonii, are in bloom this April in the Eastern Sierra foothills. © ESLT Across California and beyond, the birds are singing and flowers are blooming. As we all continue to #StayHome, we can find grounding and gratitude in the signs of the changing seasons. Are you and your little ones noticing them in the nature near your home? Studies show that nature's healing power is real, …continue reading

Kristen Stipanov2020-04-22T12:36:27-07:00April 22nd, 2020|Blog, Featured, Membership, On the Wild Side, What's New|

Become an AmeriCorps Member with Eastern Sierra Land...

Teaching local kids about birds, bees, blooms, and the magic of nature is one of the important and fun jobs that ESLT's AmeriCorps Member takes on each year. Eastern Sierra Land Trust has a great opportunity for an enthusiastic, conservation-minded young leader. On Monday, July 1st, applications opened to become a Sierra Nevada AmeriCorps Partnership (SNAP) AmeriCorps Member with us! For more information and to apply before the July 30th …continue reading

Kristen Stipanov2019-07-02T11:56:47-07:00June 27th, 2019|Blog, Featured, Press Releases, SNAP, What's New|