This is one of my favorite times of the year, but this year is immensely bittersweet...
Sweet with the Mason Bees emerging from their nesting place. And today was the day of a magical bloom.
100s of small solitary bees flying all over the land of the Sanctuary. Thanks to over 20+ bee houses installed for over 10 years now, we get to enjoy those early pollinators and their magical dance.
Out of over 20000+ species of bees in the world, the majority are solitary. Mason bees are one of those species. They are immensely skilled to collect soil and create "mud" to build their house, hence their "mason" name.
Sadly, when I went to check our 4 honeybees' hives on this warm day, none of them had survived the winter. This winter was very warm compared to usual and very "up and down," which pushed the bees to unclustered in January and die probably in the low temp of February.
As a custodian of this land, I have witnessed for the past 15 years a constant, steady, and dramatic drop in pollinators' population and related bird populations.
Despite being very diligent in supporting bees and birds with native plants, pesticide-free practices, and nesting grounds, the great collapse of ecosystems we are in is more and more visible.
So today is bittersweet. Blessed by the beauty that is still there, and heartbroken by all my friends who have disappeared under the ruthless capitalistic and over-consuming society. The blindness of our species. The carelessness of our ways of life.
My heart that wishes to feel it all is tender and longing for the disappearing magic that I remember from my childhood and might not be able to fully share beyond old stories and tales with my own children.
How many are truly hearing this silent spring?
How many will join the call before it is too late?
How many will wake up from the great illusion of this world?
I do not know.
I can only feel it all and act here and now, again and again, with my two hands and heart on my sleeve.
Singing softly my gratitude and grief to my little flying family...
Feeling called to support? Send a donation to New York Bee Sanctuary or to The Sanctuary Land.
Angell Deer
