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FOR THE LOVE OF ORCHARD MASON BEES, with THYRA MCKELVIE






As the earliest signs of spring unfurl in the mild climates–think snowdrops manzanita, the earliest narcissus, wild iris and Daphne odora, hmmm!–the earliest pollinators are paying even more attention than we are. This week we learn more about some of our earliest and BEST native pollinating bees – the orchard mason bees. We’re in conversation with Thyra McKelvie, who loves “these sweet little bees". And it was this love that brought her to gardening in her adulthood.


Based in the Pacific Northwest, Thyra works as managing director and global solitary bee educator with Rent Mason Bees, an organization that helps bring efficient, native, pollinating solitary bees, including orchard mason (species in genus Osmia) and leaf-cutter bees (mostly species in genus Megachile), into home and productive landscapes around the US. Just a few fabulous statistics for us Gardeners to keep in mind as to all that we can and should feed with our gardens, including our own delight: mason bees can visit (and pollinate) up to 2,000 flowers a day, and just 400 mason bees do the pollinating work equivalent to 4,000 honeybees because of their manner of collecting pollen with their entire abdomen results in the successful pollination of 95% of every flower they land on.


Thyra joins us this week to share so much more about who these bee friends are, how to care for them, and why you and your garden will love them, too!


Follow Thyra online:

and on Instagram:


All Photos courtesy of Rent Mason Bees. All rights reserved.


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in honor of Bailey Shaw


supporting initiatives that empower women and help preserve the planet through the intersection of environmental advocacy, social justice, and creativity.






Thinking out loud this week...


Hey, it's Jennifer—


I love this conversation with Thyra, her obvious enthusiasm, and knowledge. It reminds me that we are all pollinators in our own ways, but very especially as Gardeners. And 1 big G Gardener gets a lot of quantum cultivating done in their lifetime.


I want to take a moment here to pay tribute to two BIG G gardeners who

have left this earthly garden life and moved onto the next one. They are both women who fiercely, lovingly, and passionately cultivated their own arenas as true KEYSTONE GARDENERS, growing our world together and better.


Dr. Clare Cooper-Marcus passed on January 18 at the age of 91. A longtime professor at UC Berkeley, she was a revolutionary catalyst and contributor to the world of Horticultural Therapy and Evidence-Based Therapeutic Landscape Design. I had the privilege of interviewing her multiple times and featuring her in The Earth In Her Hands. She was a bright and feisty light, who will be missed, but her legacy as a leader and germinator of ideas and ways will live on. May she rest in the power of the plants she loved.


Jeanette Marantos was a tireless and joyful champion of gardening and in recent years very focused on gardening with and for native plants in Southern California. She was “key” the very impactful LA TIMES Plants section and newsletter, which should serve as a model for all newspaper. From 2016 until she passed after an emergency heart surgery on February 7th, having just covered the California Native Plant Society’s annual conference, her enthusiasm, curiosity, advocacy and writing made all gardening more accessible, inviting, and meaningful to everyone. She will be missed, and her plant legacy will endure, having exponentially raised the level of how we speak about gardening, and how we value gardeners and gardens. May she rest in the power of the plants and landscapes she loved.


Furthermore, while in Seattle for the Northwest Flower & Garden Festival, I learned of the passing of Dr. Elaine Ingham, the mother of movement toward understanding the healthy living system of soil, and the stewarding of this incredible aspect of our planet. I had the joy of interviewing her for The Earth In Her Hands, and her work will live on, in the soil, as a legacy and gift to us all.


Very unceremoniously, Cultivating Place turned ten on February 6th. There are times for big public celebrations, and there are times for personal reflection and gratitude. In the climate of these times, I opted for a quieter personal acknowledgement. THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR birthday notes and congratulations – every one of them mean the whole world to me. AND the winner of the drawing for a CP Gift Bag of logoed items goes to Michele Bruhn of Forks in the Dirt! She wrote, "Happiest of Birthdays, thank you for being a light in the dark! Keep sending out those roots and shoots!" Her memorable CP podcasts in the now 526-episode-strong archives, are those that focused on cultivating food and agency.


Simultaneous to our birthday, the CP 100 days in place project crossed its finish line for year this past weekend and it was nothing but pure delight, and community from day 1. We will definitely be hosting another project next year at about the same time, although we may edit the name to the CP moreorless 100 days in place project haha.


Of note, two of our 100daysinplace participants have art work from their projects being exhibited in their regions: Barbara Rodgers of the Cincinatti, OH area has her piece: A World Of Pollinators at an exhibit at The Barn in Mariemont, where her Women’s Art community meets. The exhibit is called the Pollinators Project: Bee Creative Exhibit and runs February 20-March 3) |with an Opening Reception: Friday, February 20, 6-8:30pm 


In Lebanon NH, CP 100 day project participant Lyn Swett Miller of Vermont will have her wedding dress garden embroidery project on display, and being worked on in place, at the AVA gallery in March. See their website for more details.

WAYS TO SUPPORT CULTIVATING PLACE

Cultivating Place is a co-production of North State Public Radio, licensed to Chico State Enterprises. Cultivating Place is made possible in part listeners just like you through the support button at the top right-hand corner of every page at Cultivating Place.org


The CP team includes producer and engineer Matt Fidler, with weekly tech and web support from Angel Huracha, weekly communications support by Sheila Stern and Carley Bruckner, and regular hosting by Founder, Jennifer Jewell, as well as Abra Lee in Atlanta, Georgia, and Ben Futa in South Bend, Indiana. We’re based on the traditional and present homelands of the Mechoopda Indian Tribe of the Chico Rancheria. Original theme music is by Ma Muse..


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DONATE: Cultivating Place is a listener-supported co-production of North State Public Radio. To make your listener contribution – please click the donate button below. Thank you in advance for your help making these valuable conversations grow.

Or, make checks payable to: Cultivating Place Foundation EIN #33-1665277

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Durham, CA 95938


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