Blossom Meadow

Become Snow White (singing birds, great friends…)

Laura — Sun, 06 Jan 2013 17:35:03 +0000

As the United States becomes increasingly urbanized, the landscaping around our homes is the final frontier for many species. All of us are now on the forefront of managing the nation’s birds, butterflies, and other wildlife. We need to choose plants that can provide food and good nutrition for the entire food web. We need [...]

Butterfly Bushes are not Monarch Flowers

Laura — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 13:56:08 +0000

When people see my common monarch flower (Asclepias syriaca) plants and seeds, many say “I already have this. I have a butterfly bush.” Monarch flowers (Asclepias species) are different than the butterfly bush (Buddleia species). While butterfly bushes will provide attractive nectar for adult butterflies (including monarchs), no species of butterfly in North America can [...]

Witch Hazel, A Respite from Sandy Preparations

Laura — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 22:45:08 +0000

Witch hazel! On Sunday I zoomed over to one of my Southold bee yards to secure the hives before Hurricane Sandy came to town. Securing beehives….sounds more technical than the work itself. I heaved cinder blocks and heavy rocks onto the top of each hive in hopes that the covers would not blow off or [...]

B2B

Laura — Sun, 07 Oct 2012 14:03:46 +0000

B2B you ask? What is she talking about? Well, this past Friday October 5th, I was out in my Soundview Avenue bee yard. I was going through the hives to make sure that all three supers had built out frames in which to store that last drops of nectar from the goldenrod blooming nearby and [...]

A Wonderful Day in East Meadow

Laura — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 20:50:28 +0000

Congratulations and a huge thank you to the students of I. L. Peretz Jewish School for helping the monarch butterflies! On July 14th, ten monarch flower plants (Asclepias syriaca) were planted in the school’s front planting bed on East Meadow Avenue in East Meadow, NY. Amazing experience! While taking the plants out of the car, one of the [...]

Wedding Favor Honey Bears

Laura — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 14:07:53 +0000

Some of the Wedding Favor Honey Bears came from the Hive with the Purple Box (third hive from front)

I love how bees and beekeeping have introduced me to so many wonderful people. Wendy from Sayville e-mailed me in April about her upcoming wedding this June – she loved the Blossom Meadow [...]

Ta Da! Beeswax Crayons!

Laura — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 16:00:57 +0000

With my little honeybees as the master of ceremonies…
With the witch hazel, crocus, and saucer magnolias already blooming…
With the upcoming spring equinox putting one’s imagination into overdrive…
Its..time..to..officially..debut..Blossom Meadow Beeswax Crayons!

Blossom Meadow beeswax crayons are large, hard to break, [...]

BEES! They Need Our Help.

Laura — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 20:33:47 +0000

There are 430 different bee species in New York State, including bumble bees, carpenter bees, sweat bees, orchard mason bees, and honeybees. Bees can’t survive without the flowers of plants and the flowers’ existence depends on the bees. For the bees, plant pollen and nectar are their sole sources of protein and carbohydrates, respectively. As [...]

Know Your Beekeeper

Laura — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 12:46:27 +0000

Honey is a beautiful gift from my bees. Straight from the honeycomb to the jar, honey is concentrated nectar from thousands of wildflower blossoms – it is a delicate balance of sugars, aromas, enzymes, amino acids, and vitamins. Used to sweeten tea, baked in cereals, and mixed in cough drops, honey has become a staple [...]

Third Grade

Laura — Mon, 30 May 2011 17:44:59 +0000

In third grade, we went on a school trip to meet a beekeeper and tour his apiary. Amazing day – jumping off the last stair of the bus to join my class standing in a small field, I was greeted by a sweet-tempered, cragged-faced, thin man with a warm smile – a beekeeper! With white [...]