Well, we blinked, and now it’s August, usually the dog days of summer, a.k.a. SoCal’s hottest temps of the year, when your zucchini go into hyperdrive and your tomatoes stop producing because it’s just too dang hot. We’ve had unseasonably cool temps so far this summer, but weather predictors say the heat could be returning this month, so hold on to your shade cloth.
I’ve got a long list of plant-related activities below, but first, let’s talk about honeybees, habitat landscapes and why I’m seeing hardly any native bees in my garden despite my many native plants.
Maybe you habitat builders have noticed this too. I’ve seen monarch butterflies gliding around my yard almost every day this summer, a huge point of pride that my native milkweed has finally begun supporting those lovely threatened creatures. But when it comes to bees, almost all of my other native blooms are dominated by nonnative honeybees, the little Energizer bunnies of the pollination world.
Where are all my chubby native bumblebees, fluorescent green sweat bees, long-horned bees or bulky black carpenter bees? I thought I was doing something wrong, but then I read an article by my colleague Niamh Ordner that confirmed I was not alone: Researchers in San Diego County discovered that “feral” nonnative honeybees are hogging all the pollen in Southern California, making it hard for native bees to find enough to feed their young.
Also from “The ABCs of California’s Native Bees,” a native California poppy fairy bee rests inside a California poppy whose pollen is the only food source for its young.
(Krystle Hickman, with permission from Heyday Books)
Now, no shade intended to honeybees, who are crucial for pollinating crops throughout the West, including California. But in warmer climates such as Southern California, it appears these feral nonnative honeybees are thriving in wild colonies and dominating the flowers in our urban areas, said entomologist Keng-Lou “James” Hung, one of the authors of the study published July 7 in the Royal Entomological Society’s journal Insect Conservation and Diversity.
Hung, now an assistant professor of entomology at the University of Oklahoma, was a graduate student at UC San Diego when he worked on this research. He said scientists use the term “feral” to refer to animals who aren’t native to an area but were brought in under human management and either released on purpose or escaped to form their own wild populations. The honeybees we rely on for agriculture came originally from Europe, but have since cross-bred with sturdier, more aggressive honeybees from Africa, who have a higher tolerance to dry, hot conditions.
That may be why the researchers have only really seen this issue of feral honeybees taking all the pollen in southwestern parts of the country, said Hung and Joshua Kohn, another author of the study and professor emeritus of UC San Diego’s Department of Ecology, Behavior & Evolution.
It’s not that honeybees are attacking or hurting native bees, Kohn and Hung said. They’re just way more efficient at collecting pollen, which all bees need to feed their young. Native bees are specialists who prefer native flowers; like the California poppy fairy bee (Perdita interrupta), which only collects pollen from California poppies.
But honeybees are generalists. They’ll go to wherever they can find a good supply of pollen, whether it’s a big stand of blooming native sages or nonnative African blue basil, which they practically swarm in my vegetable garden. That makes urban Southern California a good fit for these feral honeybees because our landscapes offer a wide range of native and nonnative blooms.
Paloma Avila, left, Levi Brewster and Krystle Hickman, holding her specialized camera for taking close-up photos of often tiny native bees, stand amid native sunflowers that sprouted unexpectedly in the fire-scoured yard.
(Jeanette Marantos / Los Angeles Times)
When honeybees find a good patch of flowers, they go big, Hung said, communicating with their hive and bringing all their bee buddies to forage en masse. Native bees don’t work in partnership like that.
Plus, Kohn said, honeybees can fly in colder conditions, so they can get out earlier in the morning and stay out later in the evening to collect pollen. By the time native bees have warmed up to start collecting, a swarm of honeybees may have already stripped a stand of flowers of most of its pollen.
Native bee photographer Krystle Hickman mentioned this phenomenon to me back in late 2022, when I wrote about her quest to find and photograph all of California’s roughly 1,600 species of native bees. Three years later, she’s completed a book, “The ABCs of California’s Native Bees,” which Heyday Press is releasing in October, with photos of California native bees for every letter in the alphabet. (I’ve already ordered my copy!)
Hickman has stalked native bees throughout the state, but she’s found some of her best hunting in urban areas such as the native chaparral landscape that Paloma Avila and Levi Brewster created around their Altadena home. That’s where Hickman found a large population of tiny California poppy fairy bees collecting pollen from a large patch of poppies and storing it in the nests they create in the ground.
So Hickman didn’t know what to expect when Avila and Brewster’s home burned in January, one of the 9,400 structures destroyed in the Eaton fire. The fire charred most of their landscape as well, but a few months after the fire, their California poppies returned, blooming out of the ashes along with sunflowers and many other native plants. Those blooms were a delight in the ruins of their yard, but the couple was astonished to find the California poppy fairy bees returned as well, apparently surviving the fire in their underground nests.
A native California mourning bee (Brachymelecta californica) visits a native California sunflower growing wild in the fire-scorched yard of Paloma Avila and Levi Brewster in Altadena, probably hoping to find a mate.
(Jeanette Marantos / Los Angeles Times)
What’s happening in Avila and Brewster’s yard illustrates the tips that Kohn, Hung and Hickman have for the rest of us habitat landscapers who want to give native bees a fighting chance over their honeybee cousins.
Grow many types of native plants
Native bees need native flowers, but don’t load up your habitat landscape with just one or two kinds of native plants, Hung said. Honeybees are attracted to big groupings of the same flowering plants, but they tend to avoid smaller collections. “We don’t know what the magic number is exactly, but we do know once a resource gets abundant enough, it gets targeted by the honeybees,” he said. “So plant a diverse set of native plants and don’t have giant stands of anything, like three black sage instead of 10. If you have a diversified yard, with many things blooming in small to modest amounts, the chances are those plants will fly under the radar of the honeybees’ attention, and the native bees will have a little bit less competition.”
Don’t add water
I’ve seen lots of advice about putting out shallow pans with rocks to help pollinators get water, but that’s only helpful for honeybees, Hung and Hickman said. Native bees and other small pollinators get all the moisture they need from nectar or dew that collect on flowers.
Expose your soil
Native bees tend to nest in the ground or in holes they bore in hollow or pithy plant stalks. Many people use wood chip mulch to deter weeds, but if the mulch is too deep, the native bees can’t burrow in the ground to make their nests, Hung said. Therefore, leave some bare soil exposed near your native plants. The same goes with “tidying” up your garden after native plants die. Some native bees such as carpenter and mason bees create homes in the stalks of those plants, so if you must cut them back, leave at least 12 to 18 inches of the stalks standing so the bees have a place to nest.
Avoid pesticides and herbicides
It’s hard to create a habitat if you’re pouring poison on the plants. “It’s like the field of dreams hypothesis —’You build it, they will come,’” Hung said. “We know that’s not always true; in the context of a landscape, there are lots of factors that will determine how well you can restore habitat for bees. So while we can never guarantee that if you build it, they will come, if you have a landscape that’s just a mowed lawn sprayed with pesticides, [the outcome] is much more certain: If you don’t build it [habitat], they won’t come.”
For those of you who may wonder why we need native bees anyway when honeybees are so efficient, it’s a little like asking why we need any kind of diversity of species. I mean, crows are doing well, so why do we need hummingbirds?
“Nature is a well-oiled functioning machine with a lot of redundancy, so if you remove one screw or bolt the machine won’t fall apart,” Hung said, “but how many of those screws and bolts can you remove and expect the machine to keep working properly? How sad would it be for species who have survived all the changes from the ice age to die at the hands of humans who want a better-looking yard?”
There are other feel-good reasons too. The fire that took their home has been devastating for Avila, Brewster and their two children, but Avila said the return of the bees and their native flowers has given the family some solace. “It’s nice to know we can still provide a home for someone here,” she said, “even if we can’t use it ourselves right now.”
Westwood Greenway update
We’re still waiting for a firm date on the Westwood Greenway opening. After five years of waiting, the public is finally going to have access to the site via automated gates that open at 8 a.m. and close at 6 p.m. every day. The access project was supposed to be completed by June 30, but then the completion date was pushed to Aug. 1. Annette Mercer, chair of the Westwood Greenway Inc., said the work is nearing completion, but the city still has not announced an exact date for the opening. Check Westwood Greenway’s website for more information.
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Jeanette Marantos gives you a roundup of upcoming plant-related activities and events in Southern California, along with our latest plant stories.
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Upcoming events
Through August 6
Apply for free Xerces Society Southern California Residential Habitat Kits for residential properties, schoolyards, community gardens and urban gardens in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, Santa Barbara, San Bernardino, San Diego and Ventura counties. The kits include 22 plants from 10 different species, sufficient to cover about 150 to 200 square feet, designed to support threatened insects such as monarch butterflies and native bumblebees. The kits must be picked up by the recipients between Dec. 9 and Dec. 13 (no deliveries or special orders) and planted within the month after pickup. Recipients will be required to email photographic evidence of the kit being planted and pledge not to use pesticides. xerces.org
From Aug. 1 on
City Plants’ Pilot Private Property Planting Program is offering free trees and help with planting them in private yards in residential areas within the city of Los Angeles’ priority tree planting zones. Request your trees online. cityplants.org
Aug. 1
Grand opening of Los Nogales Nursery, the Theodore Payne Foundation’s new satellite native plant nursery in partnership with the Audubon Center at Debs Park in Montecito Heights. It’s open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Fridays through Sundays at Debs Park. store.theodorepayne.org
Aug. 2
Bonsai Club of Santa Barbara’s 4th Bonsai Exhibit & Demonstration is from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Ventura Botanical Gardens in Ventura. Bonsai demonstration lectures at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Plants suitable for pre-bonsai are available for purchase. The exhibit is free with $7 admission to the gardens (members enter free). venturalbotanicalgardens.com
Aug. 2, 9
Black Thumb Farm Summer Farm Stand is open from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. just inside its partner Cottonwood Urban Farm in Panorama City, selling vegetables, herbs and flowers. blackthumbfarm.org
Aug. 3
4th FoLAR (Friends of the Los Angeles River) RiverFest, from 2 to 8 p.m. at Los Angeles State Historic Park in Chinatown, offers conservation workshops, interactive ecological activities for families, live music by local artists and a bevy of food trucks celebrating the culture, history and people of the Los Angeles River. General admission is free, while VIP tickets are $125 for shaded seating with chairs and tables, preferred parking, two drink tickets (for attendees 21 and older), five raffle tickets and a RiverFest VIP bag. Reserve tickets online. support.folar.org
Aug. 5, 12, 19 & 26
Botanical Art & Illustration is a four-week session of classes from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. each day at the Los Angeles County Arboretum in Arcadia, taught by botanical artist Cristina Baltayian. Students will use color pencil, graphite, pen and ink and watercolors on various papers, vellum and other surfaces, with an emphasis on plant observation, drawing, composition, color theory and matching. Register online, $295 ($275 members). arboretum.org
Aug. 13
Succulent Driftwood Workshop at Sherman Library & Gardens in Corona del Mar is from 10 to 11:30 a.m. and taught by Maritza Aguirre of Soulful Succulents. Learn how to grow succulents on pieces of driftwood. All materials provided. Register online; $135 (members $125). thesherman.org
Aug. 14
Tomato Tasting & Talk with Tomatomania producer Scott Diagre is from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Ventura Botanical Gardens in Ventura. Limited to 50 participants who can bring their own homegrown tomato(es) to share. The event includes a Bloody Mary bar and small bites. Register online; $35. interland3.donorperfect.net
Celebrate Chamomile — Herb of the Year 2025 workshop is from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at Sherman Library & Gardens in Corona del Mar and taught by author and International Herb Assn. member Janice Cox. Participants will learn how to plant chamomile seeds to take home, sample culinary treats and wellness products made from chamomile and receive a copy of the association’s Herb of the Year publication about chamomile. Register online; tickets are $65 ($55 members). thesherman.org
Aug. 15
The Art of Botanical Printing on Raw Silk Noil, a workshop with artist Linda Illumanardi, is from 1:30 to 4 p.m. at the Theodore Payne Foundation in Sun Valley. Participants are asked to bring their own scissors and any California native leaves or flowers they want to use from their own gardens. Other materials are provided. Register online; tickets are $92.55 ($81.88 members). eventbrite.com
Native Plant Summer Maintenance Basics is a walk-and-talk workshop with Theodore Payne Foundation horticulture educator Erik Blank from 9 to 11 a.m. at the foundation demonstration garden in Sun Valley. Learn how to remove dry material from dormant native plants to encourage regrowth. Register online; tickets are $39.19 ($28.52 members). eventbrite.com
Aug. 15-17
39th Inter-City Cactus & Succulent Show and Sale is from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day at the Los Angeles County Arboretum in Arcadia (members may enter at 8 a.m.). The show is sponsored by the Long Beach Cactus & Succulent Society, the Los Angeles Cactus & Succulent Society and San Gabriel Valley Cactus & Succulent Society. The show will feature 1,700 cactus and succulents on display as well as multiple vendors selling plants, ceramics, books and tools. The show is free with $15 admission to the arboretum ($11 seniors 62 and older and students with ID, $5 children ages 5 to 12, free to members and children 4 and under). arboretum.org
Aug. 16
Carbon Culture Workshop: Hands-On Hugelkultur & Lasagna Mulching is a Poly/Ana and Studio Petrichor workshop led by regenerative garden designers Leigh Adams and Shawn Maestretti from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Pasadena. Participants will learn about lasagna mulching to suppress weeds, enrich soil and maintain its water-holding capabilities, and building hugelkultur berms from logs, branches and compostable materials. Register online; $40 for a full workshop with lunch or $250 for students who want a Hugelist certification. studio-petrichor.com
Comprehensive Irrigation for California Native Plants is from 9 a.m. to noon at the Theodore Payne Foundation in Sun Valley. Foundation Horticulture Director Tim Becker will explain how and when to irrigate California native plants in a landscape and the various methods you can use. Register online; tickets are $103.22 ($81.88 for members). eventbrite.com
Aug. 23-24
Hibiscus and Plumeria Show and Sale at Sherman Library & Gardens in Corona del Mar is from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days. The show includes talks on Aug. 23 about hibiscus hybridizing from noon to 12:45 p.m., how to keep bugs away naturally from 1 to 1:45 p.m. and how to root plumeria cuttings from 2 to 2:45 p.m. On Aug. 24, a talk about mastering hibiscus care is from 12 to 12:45 p.m. and plumeria care is from 1 to 1:45 p.m. Admission is free with $5 admission to the garden (members and children 3 and younger free). thesherman.org
Aug. 23
Intro to Firewise Garden Design is a workshop about creating a fire resilient landscape with California native plants taught by Theodore Payne Foundation horticulture educator Erik Blank from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the foundation in Sun Valley. Register online; tickets are $103.22 ($81.88 for members). eventbrite.com
16th Ventura Land Trust Wild & Scenic Film Festival is from 5 to 10 p.m. on the lawn of the Ventura County Credit Union in Ventura. The Ventura Land Trust‘s annual fundraiser includes live music, food trucks, drinks and a series of nature and environmental-related short films. Tickets available online; $43.56 general admission ($7.55 children, $12.69 ages 13-17, $17.84 for university students, $131.03 for the VIP experience). eventbrite.com
Nerd Out at the California Botanic Garden is from 6 to 10 p.m. at the garden in Claremont. It’s a Cosplay for Science event that includes nature-themed board games and trivia games, a “Side Quest” native plant challenge in the garden as well as a cosplay photo station and contest for attendees in family-friendly costumes (no weapons or simulated weapons allowed). Food and drink will be available for purchase. Purchase tickets online; $25 adults, $20 seniors or students with ID and $10 children (ages 3 and under enter free. Member prices are $5 less.) calbg.org
Gardening Practices & Techniques workshop is from 10 a.m. to noon at the Los Angeles Leadership Academy in Montecito Heights. There will be information about soil preparation, planting techniques, nutrient management, composting (including vermicomposting) and irrigation systems. Register online; $40. usalproject.com
Reptiles of Theodore Payne is a walk-and-talk course with Diego Blanco, a research assistant at the Occidental College Lab of Ornithology and reptile fan, from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Theodore Payne Foundation in Sun Valley. Learn about the various lizards and snakes of Southern California’s mountains and chaparrals. Participants are encouraged to wear closed-toe shoes, long pants and sun protection, and bring binoculars for easier viewing from a distance. Register online; $39.19 ($28.52 members, free for children under 13). eventbrite.com
Aug. 24
Beekeeping With the Hive Tribe is a beekeeping class in Malibu from 9 to 11 a.m. and taught by beekeeper Phoebe Piper of the Hive Tribe Beekeeping Service. Register online; $100. usalproject.com
Aug. 29
Nature Journaling: Sketching Manzanitas, Beauty in Branches is from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Theodore Payne Foundation in Sun Valley. Foundation Director of Public Programs Maryanne Pittman, a certified California naturalist and artist-designer, will guide the class in sketching the dramatic forms of manzanitas. Participants are encouraged to bring their own sketchbooks and drawing materials. Loose paper and pencils will be provided. Register online; tickets are $49.87 ($39.19 members). eventbrite.com
Aug. 30
Kokedama Intro Class is from 10 to 11 a.m. at Ventura Botanical Gardens in Ventura. Learn the Japanese art of wrapping plant roots in moss and string to create a sculptural, pot-less plant. Register online; $25. venturabotanicalgardens.com
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What we’re reading
A real odd couple has been captured on security cameras in Altadena — a coyote and black bear roaming residential streets, apparently in search of midnight snacks. Are they best buds? Or is something else going on?
Are backyard pools our best defense against wildfires? Some swear that pool-fed sprinklers are the best way to save homes from wildfires, but fire experts say the jury is still out.
Compost is supposed to enrich our soil and grow healthier plants, but if the USDA permits bioplastics and compostable plastic bags into the organic compost waste stream, farmers and composters say it will undermine the whole system.
The interactive Santa Ynez Chumash Museum and Cultural Center is well worth the trip from L.A., especially for native plant lovers who want to experience more than 100 varieties of native trees, shrubs and grasses from the Central Coast. (Read about my recent visit.)
Looking for shady hikes? My super tech-savvy hiking colleague Jaclyn Cosgrove, author of The Wild newsletter, put together a handy explainer about how to use compass apps, topography maps and other tricks to find your own shady trails.
