Honey Nut Cheerios is doing a pretty cool thing right now, and not only am I excited to participate in my own small way, but also happy to spread the word about it, as well!
The company has – at least in Canada – removed their bee mascot, Buzz, from their packaging for the first time EVER. It’s being done as part of an effort to raise awareness about the declining bee populations in our country and around the world. In addition, they have teamed up with Veseys in an attempt to give away 35 million packages of wildflower seeds – for free! The idea is to give away approximately one package of seeds for every Canadian, which would increase the options bees and other pollinators have to do their thing, and hopefully boost the pollinator population overall!
I think it’s an amazing idea, and something I was thinking of trying myself last spring, but just never got around to it. A trip to Dollarama one evening got me all excited about plants and birds and butterflies and bees, so I started researching which kinds of flowers would be best for pollinators, and how to build a bird bath and a bee bath (I’m not allowed to have bird feeders on my balcony – probably for poo reasons – but I think a small bath would be okay), but time just got away from me, as it does, and I never managed to get going on it.
Now, though, I have seeds coming in the mail, and quite an assortment, to boot! With the building going up right outside my window, I’m not certain how much direct sunlight my balcony receives now, but it’s definitely worth a shot! I have cats inside, so I only have one lonely indoor plant kept out of their reach, so the idea of having flowers and plants in general out on my balcony is really appealing to me – especially if they can survive outside year-round. But even if not, I now have an excellent excuse to hit up Dollarama soon and get me some plant stuff, and if anything is still alive by the end of the summer, I’ll figure something out. I’ll also research to see if any of the plants are actually perenials, anyway.
Assuming I can get anything to grow. I mean, I was not blessed with a green thumb. At all. I’ve managed to keep Patty Palm alive for several years now, but she only needs to be watered once a week, and part of her died off long ago, so really I only have half of Patty Palm left. Not a great track record. My mom always had plants in the house. They are great for the air, and for the zen. Cats, however, are not great for plants. Not the cute jerks who live with me, anyway. Hopefully I’ll get some colour growing out on the balcony, and then Patty will be able to see her new friends from her safe spot high up in the apartment. That would be nice.
Anyway, I’ve committed to free seeds. If I then go to Dollarama and commit to plant and garden stuff, then even if I can’t get anything to grow from seed, I’ll be determined to have flowers regardless, so I’ll go buy some that have already started growing! Can’t let Dollarma stuff go to waste, after all! The trick then will be to keep them alive, but hey – one step at a time!
I just wanted to share this because I am excited about it, and if anything actually comes of my bee-feeding attempts, I will likely be posting photos and such here. So you may as well get used to it! 😉
In the meantime, please consider going here and signing up to receive a package of seeds for yourself, as well! Bees are necessary for our very survival – not to mention honey, which is delicious – and even little things like this can make a huge difference. I’m definitely going to have a bee bath or two out, as well. Something shallow, like the lid from a margarine tub, or something, with fresh water and a few small stones or pebbles for bees and butterflies to land on and rest while they drink and bathe.
We have to take care of our pollinators, guys.
Even if you don’t want to use your seeds, send ’em my way! Lord knows I’ll be struggling to grow whatever I can, as it is! I’ll take all the help I can get!
Inventory Of Everything 