Thank you for such a wonderful and successful 2024! Without you, we would not be able to save bees, butterflies, bats, hummingbirds, and other beneficial pollinators! Here's a look back at what you did to help the environment by supporting pollination: one of the most critical parts of biodiversity! Also, if you're looking for one last donation to make for 2024, please consider Arkearth, we're a fully tax-deductible nonprofit! :) Over 22 Million Wildflower Seeds Deployed
Together, you and Arkearth deployed and planted over 22 million wildflower seeds! Those included daisies, sunflowers, Cosmos, Red Poppy, Bluebonnets, Snapdragon, Coreopsis, Coneflower, Black-Eyed Susan, Blazing Star, Milkweed, and dozens of others depending on the zone and topography. That's enough wildflowers to potentially feed millions of bees, butterflies, bats, hummingbirds, moths, and beetles. Those plants also help establish and preserve grasslands and develop a more diverse environment supporting thousands of other species and aiding in pollinating crops for farmers. Win-win! Over 200 Pollinator Houses and Habitats
People from 43 states purchased various pollinator homes for solitary bees, butterflies, lacewings, and ladybugs helping to provide potential homes for 100's of thousands of insects that help pollinate and reduce pests which can disrupt delicate ecosystems. Providing a local, safe space for these creatures helps us all by bringing more life to every area they inhabit! Here's to you for providing affordable housing, right in your own backyard! :)
15 Bat Houses
Bats are an incredibly misunderstood yet they are an integral part of our environment. Other than eating thousands of annoying and potentially deadly pests like Mosquitos, bats are also nighttime pollinators! They are key to pollinating foods like Kiwi, Bananas, and cacti. Yes, without bats, your favorite tequila might just disappear! Bats are endangered by human expansion, pesticides, and diseases. Every bat house helps provide a safe option for a single bat or even a colony to live and thrive. Here's to the night crew of pollination! :)
5,500 Bumblebees and Solitary Bees
That's how many Bumblebees, and solitary bees like Leaf Cutters, Mason Bees, and Miner Bees that we deployed into native environments and greenhouses. Solitary and bumblebees are some of the most prolific pollinators on the planet. They don't have the added activities of producing honey and aggressively protecting a queen, so almost all of their time is spent visiting flowers for nectar and pollen. These species are the largest of the wild population of bees and are the single most important collective group of pollinators on Earth. Without them, we would lose much of our food and eventually, our amazing biodiversity and backbone of our life here.
100 Water Features and Habitats
All pollinators require a suitable environment to live and thrive. We provide over 100 different features to backyards, schools, parks, corporate locations, farms, churches, and even rooftop balconies! All pollinators need access to fresh water and our solar powered fountains were a favorite for homeowners offering a needed oasis this spring and summer. A typical beehive can use up to a quart of fresh water each day! So, keeping our helpful insects hydrated is very important! We also provide hummingbird feeders and birdhouses for hundreds of species across Texas and 17 states!
225 Pollinator and Gardening Books!
Thanks to you and Half Price Books, we donated and sold over 225 books on everything from beekeeping and herbs to hummingbirds and mating habits of butterflies! We were excited to bring free books on bees to children in South Dallas and providing 25 tiny neighborhood libraries with all kinds of books on gardening and insects. Next year, we plan on adding over 100 more different book selections along with downloadable reads on how to create the most environmentally friendly space for pollinators and humans alike! In the meantime, check out our current book selection! Every purchase helps support our cause!
22 Beehives and Honey!
Our honey bees provide a beneficial and symbiotic relationship and an educational source for honey products along with an understanding of how important pollinators are to us and the entire ecosystem. We love honey bees because they are the most popular group of pollinators and they provide us a chance to teach people about the importance of ALL pollinators. Thanks to our hives, we were able to produce hundreds of jars of Arkearth honey for donors, sponsoring customers, supporting corporations, and our biggest donor, Hivessence, our organic self-care brand. We also added new beekeepers to highlight and help them sell honey bee hive products in our online store! Buzz-Buzz! :)
Thank you for such an incredible and eventful year! We're so excited to see what all we can accomplish together in 2025 to further our work in saving pollinators, engaging with communities, educating students on pollination, and helping farmers increase food quality and quantity through better managed agriculture.
Cheers and Happy New Year to our cherished friends!
David & Margaret Burrows
Comments