WildOnes North Alabama and the Huntsville Environmental Coalition (HEC) collaborated on a bee education booth at the 2026 Panoply Festival for the Arts. Below are some resources about purple coneflowers and bee hotels as well as some additional educational links about native pollinators.
Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) planting instructions:
Press lightly onto the surface of the soil, just barely cover with soil. Prefers full sun, tolerates many soil
types, prefers medium to dry conditions. Expect blooms in the second year. Perennial. Does not need
any special stratification conditions.
Bee Houses:
Place about 1-3 feet off the ground. Partial shade with some cover is preferable, with the openings
facing the southeast towards the rising sun.
How to construct a Bucket of Doom for pollinator friendly mosquito control:
- Fill a five gallon bucket with water and some yard clippings.
- Add a BTi (Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis) mosquito dunk.
- Secure the top against animals and small children with chicken wire or a lid with holes.
- Refresh the BT dunk every month.
https://homegrownnationalpark.org/mosquito-bucket-challenge/ - Other Ways to support our bee friends!
Further Resources to Learn More:
Fascinating article with lots of pictures of native bees:
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/there-are-4-000-species-of-native-bees-in-the-u-s/
Extension article highlighting bee behavior differences:
One source:
https://www.usgs.gov/faqs/what-role-native-bees-united-states
Native Plants for Pollinators and Beneficial Insects: Southeast Region:
https://xerces.org/publications/plant-lists/native-plants-for-pollinators-and-beneficial-insects-southeast
Bumblebee Field Guide:
https://www.bumblebeewatch.org/field-guide/
More ways to support cavity nesting bees:
https://xerces.org/publications/fact-sheets/tunnel-nests-for-native-bees
Ways to support our pollinators:
https://xerces.org/bring-back-the-pollinators
