Spring wildflower season actually starts in fall, when we plant seeds. From Van Zandt County, between Dallas and Tyler, Perry and Laurie Debord shared pictures of their  white Texas Indian paintbrush. For two springs, they’ve lucked into white ones among the usual bright orange-red flowers. They wrote, “We’re ‘bluebonnet poor’, but love the thriving paintbrushes. We watch the show every weekend on KERA and appreciate the expertise, knowledge, tips, & guest advice on what works so we can avoid repeating failures and cooperate with nature.” 

And from Alaska, we heard from our friend Ginger Hudson, who took her Central Texas landscape design career to Juneau, where she’s the manager of the Jensen-Olson Arboretum. 

She sent this photo of Monarda fistulosa being visited by a bee-mimicking fly. This fragrant, perennial beebalm grows pretty much around the nation and into Canada. We can plant seeds from October through mid-November, to attract all kinds of bees and other pollinators. And here’s Ginger’s great shot of a bumblebee and a hoverfly on a dahlia. 

 And in May, Linda Nelle spotted this honeybee on a cactus flower. She wrote, “Thanks for being a part of this beautiful planet!” Thanks Linda! Viewers like you all around the world are contributing to that beauty, one sustainable choice at a time.