Every Tuesday at 14.30 I am excited to see what our outdoor school professor Diane has in store for us, we’ve been to the Arboretum countless times, the bee apiary, we’ve gone mushroom foraging and every one of those activities is a new learning experience. However, nothing quite compared to what was waiting for us at the circle mound at the art gallery of Guelph, we would be meeting an aboriginal elder.

We all entered the circle in a clockwise direction, connecting us to the earth that turns in that fashion as well, the circle formation is so that everyone is equal, no one is higher up than another and everyone can see and hear the same things. The ceremony began with all the students passing around an eagle feather, holding it in their left hand and introducing themselves. An eagle feather was chosen because the eagle is thought to be a reminder of a person’s connection to the creator, being that the bird can soar the highest in the sky it serves as a messenger for prayers to and from the Creator. Jan explained that each gender had their own job in the ceremony, men are fire keepers, they are the ones to light the fire, so just like that one of the men in our class lit the fire and walked around the circle with an eagle feather in  his hand, stopping in front of each student so that they could “wash” themselves with the smoke, freeing them from all their worries, even if it was for just a while. Moving on we were told that women were the caretakers and protectors of water, that being because life starts from the water of a woman, a female student walked around the circle with a bowl of water in her hand everyone had to take a bit of water first and give it back to the earth, then dip their hand in the bowl again and put it on their heart, all while Jan sang a song about the importance of water. Finally, Jan herself passed around strawberries, instructing us to cut off a small piece and give it back to the earth and then enjoy the rest. She explained how strawberries, also known as “heart berries” due to their shape and color are incredibly symbolic, they have their seeds on the outside, symbolizing openness and honesty, also they have a very complex root system symbolizing the complex relationship between humans and the rest of the world. Following that we were instructed to feed our bodies, everyone was asked to bring some food to contribute to the ceremony and then I was asked to put a little bit of each food on a platter to give it back to the earth with a prayer of thanks.

To end the ceremony we all took a drum and Jan sang “Boy we’re glad you’re here, I want to get to know you, I want to be your friend and friend for us means family.” While we banged along on our drums.

To end the incredible day Jan told us a story about herself. She explained how normally when women go foraging and find poisonous snakes they sing to them to let them know that they are coming and that they mean no harm. One day when Jan was taking a walk in the arboretum she came across a snake and decided to sing to it. The snake turned around and lifted its body to look at her, not long after 6 more snakes appeared, some from holes, others from bushes and they all just watched her as she sang. Once the song was over they disappeared, and everyone went on with their own business.

I learned a lot from this class, my knowledge of aboriginals was limited to what I knew from Pocahontas. Jan made everything so easy to follow and interesting, my point of view of humans and their role on this earth completely shifted after I heard of the respect they give earth and its other creatures. After talking to my classmates, I came to realize we all had an amazing experience and it was the best class so far.

 I have always liked photographing mushrooms, but have never taken the time to understand or truly appreciate anything about them until Tuesday October 16^th, when our class took a trip into the part of the arboretum reserved only for university studies. Our class has, for the most pat, become close and I liked the community feeling when we all attempted to meet up and walk through the arboretum to the meeting spot together. This elective has given us a chance to try many new experiences and interact with people we otherwise would not have met.

 Upon arrival, we were introduced to Chris Earley, and along with a few other returning guests, we listened as Diane explained that days activity, a mushroom foray. No one in our class had really done a mushroom foray of this kind before and so it was new to all of us. For our mushroom foray, we split off in small groups to hunt the forest floor for mushrooms, fungus, and any other related creatures. There were plenty of species that varied significantly in size, shape, habitat, colour, even smell! We learned to go slowly and be very observant as we scoured the ground and trees for mushrooms.

Afterwards, we all gathered back together to discuss and learn about our findings. Most of us knew that mushrooms were not plants but knew little about how mycelium networks worked. Diane taught us that mushrooms are comparable to flowers on a plant, and that they are connected underground where they absorb nutrients, like a web. We were able to observe different distinctive features, such as fibrous rings on the stem, and learned new terms for the anatomy of mushrooms.

Coming from Mississauga and having never actively looked for mushrooms, I was very surprised by the size of some of the samples other groups found. I knew bigger mushrooms existed than the ones common to grocery stores but because they seem to be exotic and rare, I did not expect species like the giant puffball to be right on campus just a 10 minute walk away. The diversity of species found by our class in a relatively short time astounded me.

 One question that intrigued me during class was when one of the students asked if mushrooms could be invasive. After further research, it turns out there are invasive species in Canada. The death cap mushroom has become a problem in British Columbia, linked here (https://www.for.gov.bc.ca/hra/invasive-species/Publications/Factsheet%20Death%20Cap%20Mushroom%20Aug%202017.pdf). The mushroom foray allowed us all to get a taste (without actually eating any because some are poisonous) of what a mushroom foray is like and why it is a worthwhile activity. I am so glad that Diane got to share one of her passions with the class and we all got to gain exposure to something we might otherwise have overlooked. 

United by… Mushrooms?

The fascinating world where science, culture and art collide

      – Photos and article by Aidan Brushett

Perhaps no class adventure has better embodied the interconnectedness and diversity of all things than this week’s simple theme: mushrooms.

This week’s teachings featured a mushroom foray led by our very own Diane Borsato, with special reappearances by Arboretum interpretive biologist Chris Earley and naturalist intern Rachel Irwin. Equipped with wicker baskets, pocket knives, and identification keys, the class had the unique opportunity to enter the Arboretum’s nature reserve, designed for research and conservation purposes and inaccessible to the public.

There were several instructions. First, do not eat any of the mushrooms, many of which are lethal. Second, collect small and fascinating samples of any fungi that we might discover. Third, keep an eye – and nose – out for the Skirted Stinkhorn, a pungent, phallic species of mushroom. Chris and Rachel are currently authoring a book on the fungi in Guelph; forays such as this one can help gather valuable photos they need of species like the Stinkhorn.

We investigated a variety of habitats: swampy forest, rotted logs and tree trunks, and shady undergrowth. Hidden up high and down low, some of these fungi were brightly coloured, others dull; some were massive, others tiny; some had distinct smells, others did not. The experience demanded attention to all of our senses (except for taste), proving to be a valuable exercise in mindfulness. Those elements of nature which are often overshadowed – the dirty, the ‘gross’, the rotting, the undesirable – were brought to our focus and appreciation through a slower pace of life, seldom found in the day-to-day.

After exiting the nature reserve, our curious collection was sorted and identified. With guidance from Chris, Rachel, and Diane, the mushrooms were divided into two piles: gilled – having soft ‘ribs’ under the mushroom cap – and non-gilled. Identifying mushrooms proved to be a much greater challenge than foraging, as it required acute focus on minuscule variations in spore colour, striation, and texture. Notable fungi included the Deadly Galerina, a poisonous orange-brown mushroom, self-explanatory ‘Red Raspberry Slime’, the deliciously edible Giant Puffball, but alas – none of the elusive Skirted Stinkhorn. Within minutes, it was clear that countless diverse species lay in our pile.

Yet, equally fascinating is the diversity of scientific, cultural and artistic perspectives that mushrooms represent. As described by Prof. Borsato in her article Mushroom Forays,

“Mushrooms literally embody the connections among organisms and across species, and between life and death. And they are described by so many of our human tools for knowing: biology, environmental science… the arts, superstition, and myth.”

The class learned from Diane that mushrooms’ gills – or polypores in non-gilled fungi – are used to spread spores, which enable them to occupy many forest roles. Some are parasites, which feed off healthy trees and kill them. Other fungi may digest rotting logs, returning beneficial nutrients to the soil. Some exist in the form of a vast, blooming underground network called mycelium, at times stretching for kilometers. A common theme to the CBC Ideas: Natives and Invasives podcast, labeling diverse species like mushrooms as ‘good or bad’ fails to truly encompass their being. Our class was lucky to catch a glimpse of the numerous complex ecological roles fungi play in nature.

Mushrooms are also deeply rooted in folklore. A single network mycelium can cause huge groups of mushrooms to fruit overnight, in formations known as fairy rings. Historically, many European cultures saw these sites as mysterious, enchanting places where faeries came to frolic in the night. The hallucinogenic and psychoactive chemicals in some mushrooms have been used by shamans, healers, and in religious ritual for centuries. All this history, collected into our baskets in no more than an hour!

Even artists are drawn to the idea of mycelium, the true heart of the organism. The very nature of mushrooms reflects urban society, and interconnectedness between individuals, communities and life as a whole. The symbols that mushrooms represent create inspiration for countless art forms.

When the foray reluctantly ended, one thing was very clear: mushrooming has the potential to form true bonds between science, culture, and art take form.

It may have been a rainy day on Tuesday October 2nd, but that did not hinder our outdoor school class from a great afternoon of learning and having some fun at the Arboretum on campus! Our class gathered together and met with our guide, Rachel, a recent graduate in environmental sciences from the University of Guelph, who would be taking us to the pond located in the Arboretum. We began with a leisurely walk through the beautiful trees in the Arboretum, the same way that most of our recent trips had begun. What I observed was that every time is different and I notice new aspects that I missed on previous walks. Having this natural resource right on campus is honestly incredible. Eventually, we came to a stop in front of one specific tree. Rachel informed us about the history of the tree, called the Kentucky Coffee Tree, and how it was actually a food source for prehistoric mammoths. Wow! It was moments like these that were extra special and fascinating, being able to learn more about nature and all of the hidden gems in the Arboretum.

Before reaching the pond, our class made a quick stop to put on rain boots and grab some buckets and nets. As we continued through the forest, we passed by another beautiful sight, an old growth forest, which Rachel kindly pointed out to us. It was incredible to know that the Arboretum on campus contained trees that had been there for over a hundred years with little disturbance. What an amazing sight to take in! Finally, we reached the incredible pond, surrounded by trees. Rachel explained about a pile of 2 or 3 leaves on the ground. I had thought to myself that it was just some leaves that had fallen off a tree but what I learned was that the significance was not the leaves, but the small hill in the dirt underneath. This hill was created by earthworms, which Rachel told us was an invasive species to Canada, something I and many others actually did not know. Earthworms can do a lot of damage to areas by lowering the soil levels. You learn something new everyday! Once our discussion was over, we all set off to the edge of the pond for the main event, to catch some bugs and frogs!

I loved the opportunity of getting up close and personal with the insects and frogs in the pond. It is not everyday that you can walk through the mud in a pond to catch insects (at least not for me). Experiences like this one are the ones I will never forget as I find it a much more effective way of learning rather than being taught through a textbook in a classroom. I wish I could be out in nature for all of my classes, what a great time that would be! The places available around campus to experience nature are so unique, from the Bee Apiary to the Arboretum, there is something for every nature lover! How lucky are we to be surrounded by all of these amazing sites!

It was quite an adventure stomping though the mud to catch some bugs. I found that it was beneficial to work with other classmates to accomplish our task of catching frogs and bugs as it was difficult ensuring they were put into the vials. In the end, it was interesting to see the different species people managed to capture, from flies to frogs to small insects I had never seen before. As our journey for the days class neared the end, we gathered with Rachel to show her our findings. I think it was fair to say that Rachel was impressed with our pond discoveries! Vials of bugs were passed around as Rachel told us about each kind of bug, even providing us with identification sheets which helped us recognize the bug for ourselves. It was amazing to learn about how many different kinds of insects exist in ponds, more than you would ever think. Specifically learning about the Giant Water Bug was definitely something I will remember for a long time! Rachel even showed us how to properly hold frogs so that they cannot use their back legs to jump out of your hand and hurt themselves. All of these new facts are important to know, especially for those of us who love spending time in nature.

Ponds are important aspects of nature, for so many different species. A field-naturalist from Ottawa, John Sankey, has a site where he shares his knowledge of nature. I was reading his article about ponds when he stated a fact that surprised me. He said, “In Southern Ontario, people have destroyed 80% of our wetlands, and more vanish every day through lack of protection.” The fact that the Arboretum on campus has a pond is really incredible and shows that they are working to help protect wildlife. Another thing Sankey shared is that even people at home are able to help wildlife by properly building and maintaining ponds by their homes. Just consider, maybe you can help protect wildlife by creating a home for more biodiversity in your own backyard! From my experience at the Arboretum pond, I say it is definitely worth it!

By: Breann Saulnier

Sources:

Make a Pond for Wildlife, John Sankey, 2018. http://web.ncf.ca/bf250/pond.html

On Tuesday, October 2nd, things got messy in Outdoor School! We met with Rachel, an environmental science graduate from the University of Guelph and she walked us through a pond study of the Arboretum. She explained how lucky we were to have a “natural museum” connected to the University and described the richness of the wildlife in the Arboretum, particularly in regards to tree life. On our walk down to the pond, we passed a Kentucky coffee tree and Rachel explained the joint project the University had undergone with the African Lion Safari to fertilize the trees.  After the extinction of wooly mammoths, the tree lost its natural partner necessary for germination; the Arboretum decided to feed the pods to elephants at the African Lion Safari to see if fertilization was possible using a modern-day partner.

The result was a success according to Rachel, who helped to sort through the piles of poo, and the final germination rate was a whopping 60%. This symbiotic relationship drew parallels in my mind to the important partnership between bees and flowers that we learned about in the aviary. Bees are necessary for the pollination of a variety of plant life (such as ragweed and clover) and are crucial to their survival and inherently our survival. Imagining the impact of losing bees and the devastation that would cause helped to iterate how harmful extinction of any species, including the mammoth, can be. It also emphasized the positive impact of discovering a new germination partner for the Kentucky coffee plant, as it will help to maintain the tree’s population and lower its risk of extinction.

Continuing down the path, Rachel pointed out clumps of decaying leaves she claimed were the product of an unlikely invasive species, the earthworm! That’s right, the wriggly right-hand man of Ontarian gardeners is harmful to our forests! Rachel explained that decomposition in our forests was originally the responsibility of fungi, but that the introduction of the earthworm has resulted in faster decay. Earthworms have led to soil depletion and lower nutrients available to forest trees, as the dead foliage is broken down at a rate the trees cannot keep up with to properly absorb nutrients. It was interesting to be presented with a local example of an “invasive” species after listening to the podcast CBC Ideas: Bioinvasion: Attack of the Invasive Species, hosted by Barbara Nichol. When Rachel was talking I thought about the point Barbara brought up about how humans can be selective in what we choose to view as “bad” invasive species. So-called “ugly” fish like the snakehead can be painted as truly evil and propaganda is created to instill fear and encourage removing them from environments. However, in the case of earthworms, the benefits they provide in cultivating gardens is beneficial enough that we tend to overlook their negative impact as seen by the chorus of “good” that erupted from our class when Rachel asked if earthworms were “good or bad” for the forest.

After carefully rounding a corner with a small patch of poison ivy, our class entered the pond. The trees were slightly wet and the air was damp from fog earlier in the morning. A light mist floated on the water, creating a peaceful scene. With each step down to the water’s edge, our rainboots squelched through the thick mud. Within five minutes of our study, Molly dipped her bucket into the water and with one confident stroke pulled up a bucket containing a frog and a tadpole. It was interesting comparing the differences between the two, as I had never had a chance to study a tadpole up close. The coloration of the tadpole’s body was similar to that of a frog and possessed a leopard pattern.  Its upper body was very large in proportion to its tail, and the small fish-like appendage looked almost unnatural.

Later, Kasia and I were investigating a patch of water near the lily pads. We pulled up a bucket of water and were amazed at the quantity and variety of life in such a small volume. Along the surface, dozens of small black daphnia swam in a frenzy. Along the bottom slender damselflies with feathery gills scuttled about, and under a dead leaf, we found the queen of the Canadian pond bugs: the giant water bug. After extracting a larger damselfly and the giant water bug into vials, we showed Rachel and she excitedly shared some facts. She explained that the damselfly lived for only a few hours, its sole purpose in that time to mate, and that the giant water bug was apparently an aggressive predator capable of growing up to 2-3 inches in length. Woah!

Another group caught a frog, and Rachel showed us the proper way to hold him without causing harm. She pointed out two holes behind his eyes and explained these were his ears, and she explained that frogs breath through their skin, hence the importance of handling them with clean hands and respect.

Overall, the day was a success and I was amazed at the variety of life both in and around the pond. I found it incredible how at a closer look life was everywhere in the quiet arboretum, and with someone as knowledgeable as Rachel to guide the way, each new discovery was a learning experience.

-Kaylie Mitchell

Sources:

CBC Ideas: Bioinvasion: Attack of the Invasive Species, Barbara Nichol, 2014.

http://www.cbc.ca/radio/ideas/bioinvasion-attack-of-the-alien-species-1.2914085

We’re told that we have five primary sense; our sense of Sight, Smell, Sound, Taste, and Touch. But how often do we use these senses to really appreciate the world around us? This is as question Holly Schmidt asked our class on Tuesday, September 25^th. Schmidt, an educator turned artist from Vancouver, took our class on an art walk through University of Guelph’s most beautiful gallery, the Arboretum.

As we walk, Holly pauses off the side of the road for a moment to give us an autobiography about herself and some of the work that she has pursued. The continues to talk about how she uses an evidence-based method of developing her art; similar to our very own scientific method. Holly mentions how art and science are intertwined, even to the point of both disciplines sharing similar equipment. She wraps up our lecture, and we collectively make our way to the first art installation, the forest.

Holly leads through a beautiful entrance but gives us one important instruction: be quiet and listen to the sounds of nature. We do just that, attentively and quietly our class walks into a small clearing within the trees.

She introduces our first task, to create a legend of sounds and associate them with a small scripture on our paper, then listen to said sounds inside the forest, and scribe the music with our new notations. And for a moment, all was silent…or was it? The wind blowing, twigs snapping, birds chirping, all these sounds continued to echo through the forest. The exercise was a reminder that no matter if we stop, the world around will continue turning.

We packed our belongings and made our way to a beautiful and rich flower garden. As soon as we walked through the gates you can smell the amazing blend of different flowers and trees. The scents were accompanied by the sweet smell of the rain that had come down earlier.

Holly begins to explain to our group that we have a problem in the English language, we lack a variety of verbs to describe smells, and therefore we consequently used bias words with a positive or negative connotation as replacements. She tells us of an artist from Europe who avoids this by creating her own words and associating them with smells. And so, began our next activity, we were told to walk around the flower garden and do our best to identify smells and describe them with new made-up words. As I walked around and tried my best to take in the aroma of the garden, I realized that you can’t fully appreciate nature from a distance, you need to up close and appreciate with all your senses…(well maybe not taste).

Lastly, Holly had us find something small in the garden, and sketch it into our notes. She gave us one guideline: Focus on the object and pay attention to every groove and detail. And off we went sketching away.

We all learned one thing on this day: Nature is truly a work of art, but it offers us more than just a sight to take it. It is peaceful and therapeutic, and we must make more of an effort to appreciate all it has to offer. And as I write this outside on a picnic bench, I can honestly say, it is well worth it.

By: Armen Merzaian

On Tuesday, September 25th, our Outdoor class took a break from pulling weeds and petting bees to take some time to reflect on the environment around us, that allows us to have these amazing experiences. Holly Schmidt, a visiting artist from Vancouver, started our sensory walk by going through the Arboretum, before heading deeper into the forest to a more secluded area. Our first activity was in a small clearing, where she asked us to create a graphic score of all the sounds we could hear. Once we had all gone mute, it became clear that no space is ever completely silent. We listened attentively, straining for sounds which we could represent visually, like music notes. The wind, raindrops falling from leaves, crickets, and even people coughing became apparent. Holly helped us realize that, as humans, we take up a significant amount of physical and auditory space – even when we are striving not to. No matter what, we have a presence. From our breathing to the crunching of twigs beneath our feet, we can never truly get away from the sound of ourselves.

Appreciating noise that is not from a human source and finding a new kind of silence, true silence, is something Holly emphasized. After some time, we were finally quiet enough to “hear [the] conversations of the forest” (Schmidt). Through this auditory sensory activity, we learned about the art of recording ambient sounds and deducing how certain spaces have changed. For example, a recording of a certain part of a forest can reveal how a certain species of birds are no longer prevalent there. Overall, what really made an impression on me, was that even when we consciously minimize our effect on the world around us, we still have an impact.

For our next activity, despite the rain, we walked to a flower garden to learn how to enhance our next sense: smell. My nose was stuffed up due to an unfriendly virus, so my sense of smell was somewhat hindered. Even in spite of that, I was able to detect an overwhelming aroma of lavender, rich soil, and rain. Here, Holly shared an interesting insight: We often describe smell in a very judgemental manner. “This smells lovely” or “this stinks”. I also realized that we tend to describe it in terms of taste, such as “sweet” or “delicious”. We were then tasked with venturing around and taking care to smell, with our noses at different heights above the ground to see how the scents differ. In this way, we were able to truly appreciate different aromas of nature without assigning our own prejudices. After a brief time, Holly brought us back together and we brainstormed different ‘made-up’ words that could describe supposedly “indescribable” smells.

Finally, in our last few minutes, Holly had us choose something nearby to sketch. Rather than attempting to copy it perfectly, we were asked to keep our eyes on the object, taking in all of the grooves, divots, and curves, simply letting our hand be guided by exactly what we see without glancing down at the page. We then came back together and shared some of our drawings, and I have concluded that some of my classmates are destined to be artists.

These activities went hand in hand with the readings we did previously, “Culture of Nature” by Alexander Wilson. Alexander Wilson describes how nature can be viewed as something pure and therapeutic and as humans we should exist as one with it, not as two separate entities. It can be a welcome escape from our everyday struggles, yet as a society, we do not often take the time to truly appreciate nature around us. As the saying goes, we do not “stop to smell the roses”, rather than just rush by them. I discovered that I am also often guilty of this. However, with a new appreciation of my surroundings, I have a more rewarding, enjoyable way of looking at nature, which we are always a part of.

What is the big take away? The art of taking notice never gets old.

On Tuesday September 18th, the Outdoor School class was given the privilege of being able to visit and explore the University of Guelph Honey Bee Research Center. We were exposed to many different practices that are used to keep bees, as well as the difficulties Honey Bees in Canada, and around the world, have faced in the past decade. This trip gave myself and many others insight into the environmental impacts bees have on the world we live in, and how we as people may be endangering this delicate ecosystem.

To begin our trip, we embarked on a 25 minute walk through the beautiful University of Guelph Arboretum. Being immersed in nature was a nice way to begin our afternoon at the apiary. Once we arrived, Diane sat us down under some trees and began to tell us about her experiences with recreational beekeeping. She recounted some of her personal stories of bee keeping with her father, and then proceeded to share some valuable information about bees and their way of life. We learned about the different roles that each bee has, and that without these specific roles, the kingdom would not survive.

After our talk with Diane, we headed out back to visit the apiary, and met with two women who work and volunteer there. They got us all suited up in protective gear that would function to protect us from the potential risks of being stung. They proceeded to expand on some information Diane had shared with us previously, and demonstrated how to prepare a smoker and open up a hive. It was interesting to learn about the role of the smoker in preparing a hive to be opened. We learned that one of the main reasons a smoker is used when harvesting honey is to interfere with the bees’ lines of communication. We were told that smoking bee colonies makes bees go into a survival mode, making whoever is harvesting the honey less of a concern to them. When bees smell smoke, it makes them think their hive is going to catch on fire, so their natural instincts tell them to try and save as much honey as they can.

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The hive was then opened and frames were removed to show us the inner workings of a colony. It was unbelievable to see the amount of bees that were clustered on one single frame. We were told that some of their hives contained over 80,000 bees alone! Before allowing us to touch the bees, we were told that we needed to locate the queen. When asked why, it was explained that if the queen had not been located, there would be a possibility that we may accidentally injure her when we touched the bees. If we ended up harming the queen, the hive would be in danger of collapsing.

This lead me to reflect on the delicacy of a Honey Bee hive. The hive relies on one single bee, the queen, who is the one that keeps everything going. Without her, there would be no new bees and the hive would not be able to grow and thrive. However, the queen could not survive without the help of help of her 20,000-80,000 female worker bees. Much like the queen, these worker bees are an essential part of the hive. They forage for pollen, tend to queens and drones, protect the nest and perform other tasks in order to ensure the survival of the hive.

For such small delicate creatures, Honey Bees are resilient. However, resiliency has a threshold.

“Colony collapse disorder is the bill we are getting for all we have done to the bees. It’s just a name that was given to a phenomenon that a hive is found empty. Food is there, honey is there, but the bees are gone” (Gunther Hauk, Queen of the Sun,2011). Beekeepers across the United States lost over 44 percent of their Honey Bee colonies during the year spanning April 2015 to April 2016, according to the Bee Informed Partnership’s tenth annual survey (Thomson, 2016). Rates of both winter loss, summer loss, and total annual losses worsened significantly compared to previous years.

After watching the film “Queen of the Sun: What are the Bees Telling Us?” directed by Taggart Siegel, my eyes were opened to the need for change regarding the bee industry. “We are in such a habit of exploiting, of using nature for our own ends, and the Honey Bees right now are saying “If you continue your ways, I’m withdrawing””(Queen of the Sun, 2011). We choose to use harmful pesticides, such as neonicotinoids, in order to help increase our food production, however, in the process we are destroying our only chance at a sustainable future. As far as important species go, Honey Bees are at the top of the list. They are crucial pollinators, pollinating around 70% of the crop species that feed 90% of the world. (BBC-What Would Happen if Bees Were Extinct, 2014). If we don’t protect the bees, we aren’t protecting ourselves.

Holding baby bees

Local Guelph honey for sale

So what are we doing to help the bees? The real answer is not enough. However, countless individuals around the world are petitioning to make recreational beekeeping legal. Bringing bees to urban areas will help to pollinate the cities as well as bring more of these crucial creatures to the area. A group of people in New York City petitioned to help legalize beekeeping in New York State by explaining that, “The ban (on beekeeping) is outdated and detrimental to the health and well being of our urban environment and our community.” (Jacquie Berger, Queen of the Sun, 2011). Zan Yassin, a third generation beekeeper in New York explains that all she’s really trying to do is “do something simple for nature”. It is upsetting to learn about all the negative issues regarding the bees, however, due to the out pouring of support, I am hopeful for the future of their survival. Because after all, if we don’t protect the bees, are we really protecting ourselves?

Frame from one of the hives.

Inspecting the frame for the Queen

We got to taste honey straight off the frame!

Morgan Mizzoni

References

1. Queen of the Sun. Dir. Taggart Siegel. Collective Eye Films, 2011. Kanopy. Web. 25 Sep. 2018.
2. Thomson, Jason. “Bees Are in Trouble. What’s Being Done to Save Them?” The Christian Science Monitor, 11 May 2016, www.csmonitor.com/Science/2016/0511/Bees-are-in-trouble.-What-s-being-done-to-save-them.
3. “What Would Happen If Bees Went Extinct?” BBC News, BBC, 4 May 2014, www.bbc.com/future/story/20140502-what-if-bees-went-extinct.