June 26, 2019 Moving a Bumblebee Nest, Charles Newbold, Charles Christopher Perry, The Rolling Stones, Margaret Morse Nice, Annette Wynne, Diana Wells, Planting Sunflower Seeds, and San Francisco Gardener John McLaren
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Monologue
Have you ever needed to move a bumblebee nest?
We discovered a nest under the basketball hoop in the driveway when the guys came to seal-coat.
To move it, I waited until dusk. Then I grabbed a terra cotta pot that was a little bigger than the nest... and my pizza peel from the kitchen.
I placed the pot over the nest and then slid the peel under the pot.
As I carried the nest, the buzzing inside the pot was tremendous.
I moved the nest about 10 feet away to a shaded, out-of-the-way spot in the garden. Then, I cut a 10-inch piece of 1-inch tubing from my irrigation system and slipped that under the pot to elevate it a bit and to give the bees a way to fly in and out.
Botanical History On This Day
1797 Charles Newbold patented the first cast-iron plow. Farmers initially feared his innovation would poison their soil, despite its promise to transform agriculture forever.
1880 Charles Christopher Perry was honored in the Chicago Tribune for his herbarium of 15,000 plant species, soon to be presented to the Davenport Academy of Sciences, including specimens tied to the discovery of the Torrey pine and the Colorado blue spruce.
1967 Flowers, a Rolling Stones compilation album, was released. The album is a reminder that even rock history occasionally stops to tip its hat to the botanical world.
1974 Margaret Morse Nice, pioneering ornithologist and devoted gardener, died after redefining scientific observation through her intimate backyard studies of song sparrows.
Unearthed Words
Why Was June Made? by Annette Wynne celebrates the gentler virtues of the month — happiness, daisies, and days made for lingering in the grass.
Grow That Garden Library™
Read The Daily Gardener review of 100 Flowers and How They Got Their Names by Diana Wells
Buy the book on Amazon: 100 Flowers and How They Got Their Names by Diana Wells
Today's Botanic Spark
1922 San Francisco quietly bent its civil service rules to keep
John McLaren, the beloved creator of Golden Gate Park, in his garden. It's a charming story illustrating that sometimes devotion to the land outweighs the letter of the law.
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And remember: For a happy, healthy life, garden every day.
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