I Love Pollinators Seed Packets To Benefit Pollinator Partnership

©Botanical Interests

It's National Pollinator Week! Due to Pollinator Partnerships' efforts, in 2007, the U.S. Senate unanimously approved and designated a week in June as “National Pollinator Week”, a necessary step toward addressing the urgent issue of declining pollinator populations. Pollinator Week has now grown into an international celebration of the valuable ecosystem services provided by bees, birds, butterflies, bats, and beetles.

Botanical Interests invites you to sow your love for pollinators this Pollinator Week, June 20–26, 2016! You can help protect pollinators by purchasing their I Love Pollinators seed packet. All proceeds benefit the Pollinator Partnership's mission of promoting the health of pollinators critical to food and ecosystems, through conservation, education, and research.

This seed mix grows pollinator-friendly annual and perennial flowering plants that supply pollinators with nectar, pollen, and shelter. So, help the pollinators and our food security by purchasing their I Love Pollinators seed packet and supporting the cause.

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I wrote this blog post because I thought you might be interested in knowing this information and taking part of this to support this cause. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any compensation for doing this post.

Stand With Moby To #SaveOurBees #HollywoodFoodVoices

Center For Food Safety provided me with this promotional information and media to share with my readers. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else.

I remember when we lived in Ohio and my now 12 year old son Jaedan was just a wee little baby. My husband and I dropped off our son Delbin at a sitter on Friday July 19th, 2002 and went to a Moby concert on the grass at the Lifestyle Communities Pavilion (LC Pavilion). We put down a blanket to sit on and huddled close together under another blanket. We watched and listened to Moby belt it out on stage as it down-pored on us. Jaedan was content, warm and happy snuggled next to me as I nursed him. My husband and I walked away after the concert drenched, but very happy. We went out and bought his albums Play and 18. The concert is something I will never forget. The music was fantastic! The electronic ambient sounds and rain made it seem a bit dreamlike.

Hollywood Food Voices is a video series by Center For Food Safety (CFS) engaging the voices of informed celebrities with a passion for food and environmental health and justice. The CFS is a national non-profit public interest and environmental advocacy organization working to protect human health and the environment by curbing the use of harmful food production technologies and by promoting organic and other forms of sustainable agriculture. The goal of the Hollywood Food Voices series is to help bring greater awareness to the critical importance of the growing food movement. The first video in this series features musician and DJ Moby talking about the importance of bees and how we can help save them.

We all should be advocates for the honey bees! They are responsible for one out of every three bites of food we eat. Sadly, our bees are being wiped out by the indiscriminate use of bee-toxic pesticides called neonicotinoids.

Moby is passionate about pollinators. He has over 30,000 bees that dwell on his four-acre home atop the Hollywood Hills. He has planted a bee friendly garden there that is free from pesticides and contaminants that would otherwise harm them.

Watch the new video:

Please sign the petition and join Moby and CFS in taking action to save the bees.

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER:  Center For Food Safety provided me with this promotional information and media to share with my readers. I chose on my own to post about this and share with my readers. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I didn't receive any compensation for posting about this.

Photographing Flowers

While I was out in my garden the other day photographing some flowers I noticed something peculiar. On one of my flowers was a honey bee, but it wasn't buzzing around collecting pollen. It was just sitting inside one of my rhododendron flowers not moving around at all. Upon closer inspection I saw a spider hiding inside the petals.

Crab Spider with captured Honey Bee. Look how much pollen this bee has!

I thought this to be an unfortunate fate for the bee, but fairly fascinating for my children to observe. As a homeschooling parent, I love nature studies! Anything to get my kids outdoors and exploring. We love getting out our cameras or nature journals to capture the gorgeous Earth at its finest. Charlotte Mason's nature studies are also some of my favorite things to read my children.

My kids came over to see what I was looking at so intently. I showed them and they were intrigued at what they saw. We had never seen this display in real life and never so up close as this was. Then little by little throughout the day my children found others. One had a bumble bee and another was just waiting to catch something. My kids were excited at what we found.

Crab Spider preying on a Bumble Bee.

We found out later through some research and inquiry that these spiders were called Crab Spiders. They are a certain variety of spiders that don't make webs, but instead hide out in flowers waiting to pounce on their unsuspecting prey. Some are brightly colored to match their favorite flower hiding spot and others can change their colors to camouflage themselves, much like a chameleon does.

Crab Spider playing hide and seek in the Snow Drops. Do you see it?

I believe all creatures are fascinating, even spiders! What a glorious world we live in! So diverse and intricate. So much to explore and learn. I love nature!

UPDATE: May 1, 2014

Can you see it? My daughter didn't when she picked this Dandelion.

My daughter Zari picked a dandelion that was going to seed because she loves to blow them around. Guess what we found lurking in the seeds of the plant? You guessed it! Another crab spider! I had my camera ready and captured it hanging onto the seeds. We believe that it was probably lost, because usually these spiders like to hang out in flowers that attract pollinators. This one was hiding in a dandelion that probably wouldn't be so attractive because of the stage it was in.

Crab Spider perched on the seeds of a Dandelion.

UncommonGoods Recycled Glass Bumblebee Nightlight and Tube Kneeling Pad Review

We received products free from UncommonGoods to facilitate this review.

UncommonGoods is a unique online store with some very unusual items (some handmade) that you don't find in every day shopping usually. Their products make great gifts for the holiday and Christmas season! Click here to see some unique affordable gifts they have under $50. They also have some really interesting facts or what they call "Uncommon Knowledge" posted around their website and feature some of the artists and designers of their handmade goods in highlights on some of the pages on their website and their print catalog. They are committed to the environment and print their catalogs on recycled paper and there is also products in their store that are made of recycled materials. In their Better to Give Program they donate a portion of each order to your choice of non-profit organizations: American Forests,Women for Women International, City Harvest, and the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN).

I was recently approached by them to pick something from off of their website that was under $65. I picked two items. One was the Recycled Glass Bumblebee Nightlight and the other item was the Recycled Tube Kneeling Pad.

Bumblebee Nightlight, seeds, and packaging.

The Bumblebee Nightlight arrived in a recycled cardboard box with shredded newspaper all around to protect it from breakage. It came with the 4 watt bulb needed to create the ambient light. It also came with some weedy wildflower seeds to spread around for the bees to collect pollen grains to pollinate the flowers with and nectar to convert to honey. I love this! My bees are going to be very happy! Wildflowers are some of my favorite flowers and I love that I can give back to the earth and help the bees at the same time.

Bumblebee Nightlight with room light on and with it off.

The Bumblebee Nightlight by Vawn and Mike Gray of Reborn Glass located out of Cape Coral Florida is definitely something worth buzzing about. It is a gorgeous nightlight that is made with recycled broken bottles that were rescued before they reached the landfill. Each one is unique and are fused and formed in the kiln. The art glass is textured with its purple blooms and adorable plump bumblebees. Its curved form hugs the light perfectly and I love the warm soft glow it makes. So Bee-autiful :) Click here to see some unique lighting from UncommonGoods.

The Recycled Tube Kneeling Pad in use.

The Recycled Tube Kneeling Pad by Flat Tire Décor located out of Milwaukee Wisconsin is a great gift for any gardener or anyone who works on their knees. This extremely durable pad is smooth and flexible. The rubber exterior is made of reclaimed industrial tire inner tubes and the inside is lined with a inch thick cushion of anti-fatigue foam. It is also naturally slip resistant, water resistant, abrasion resistant, and easily wipes clean. This cushion is so comfortable for my knees and the curved semi circular shape is contoured where you can shift left to right without repositioning! It works on dirt, cement, brick, wood, stone or other surface. I no longer get my knees dirty when I garden and my knees don't feel stressed. I can garden longer and not feel any pain. Besides gardening I can see this being used for other jobs that have to be done on your knees. I also think that it would be an ideal seat for watching a game in the stands or having a picnic while seated at a park bench or picnic table. It does become hot if in direct sunlight. It also has a study nylon strap that you can carry or hang it from. 37" L x 14" W x 1" D, Strap: 30" L Click here to see some wonderful gifts for women from UncommonGoods.

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I received products for free to facilitate my review. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this review.

Orkin Home Education Kit & Flashlight Giveaway & Blog App

The Orkin Home Education Kit includes:
• 2 Orkin Factoids 11x17 Posters
     - Poster #1 - The Pollinators
     - Poster #2 - The Recyclers
• 1 Orkin bug-finding flashlight
• 20 Rubber Toy Creepy Crawly Bugs

Be your own Orkin man! Use the flashlight and fun posters to learn about how every creature plays a part in our ecosystem.

About Orkin
Is your home at risk? The best way to protect your home is education. How much do you know about household pests? They don’t have a place in your home, but pests do have a place in the world. From science and forensics to art and culture, pests play an important role.

Take the Pest Test Quiz to find out how well you know about our tiny neighbors!

Orkin are EXPERTS in bug science and developing customized solutions for keeping your home pest-free!  

PEST CONTROL DOWN TO A SCIENCE.



Blog App:

• The Pest Test! QUIZ - See if you know your bug science by taking this quiz and testing your pest knowledge!
• Bizarre Bug Facts! PDF - Get the facts on these creepy crawly critters from the experts at Orkin!
• View the Orkin Man in Action! GIFs - Watch these exciting Orkin Man GIFs that prove he’s part scientist, part superhero! 

WIN IT
Prize: Orkin Home Education Kit & Flashlight.

I am trying out Rafflecopter on my blog. Please click on this post link if you do not see the script for it below. Also, if there is anything that is wrong with it let me know by emailing me: finamoon AT gmail DOT com I will try my best at fixing it. Thanks for being awesome readers!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: Because I am posting about the Orkin Blog App I am getting a Orkin Home Education Kit & Flashlight free for my readers as a giveaway. Thanks to PartnersHub and Orkin for providing me this promotion information and free product. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for posting this blog app and giveaway.

Free Burt's Bees Wildflower Seed Packets For Pollinator Week

Photo courtesy of: Burt's Bees. Information about the promotion was provided free as well. All other thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any compensation for doing this post.

Bees are important to our life cycle. They pollinate the plants we and other animals eat. We live in a world that unfortunately favors lawns, monoculture and pavement. The bees need our help to survive and thrive.

Burt's Bees is giving away free wildflower seed packs. Plant these to give your outdoors some color and the bees a feast. You can also get tips on how you can go wild for bees, and learn what Burt's Bees is doing to help our favorite pollinators.

Sent by mail within 6-8 weeks | Subject to availability, while supplies last | Limit one per household | Valid only in the U.S. 

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: Photo courtesy of: Burt's Bees. Information about the promotion was provided free as well. All other thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any compensation for doing this post. I did register to receive a free seed packet for my garden.