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Making Mason Bees Feel at Home

1/24/2019

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Obviously, pollination is very important to us in the Danny Woo Community Garden. Our gardeners rely hummingbirds, bees, butterflies, and other insects to grow their delicious food. To assist our ecosystem, our gardeners, and our flowering plants, WILD Garden Crew designed and built bamboo homes for mason bees. Check out the beautiful homes in our flower garden beds this spring!

MASON BEES & WHY WE WANT THEM

Honey bees get a lot of attention regarding colony collapse disorder, but a little known native bee - the mason bee - are also heavily affected by CCD. And this is worrying not just because mason bees are super cute (they are incredibly fuzzy) but because they're amazing at pollinating. In fact, a single mason bee can pollinate as much as 100 honey bees can.

Reasons we love Mason Bees:

1. It's super easy to keep mason bees. They love to nest in nooks and crannies in the garden like a woodpile or a pile of rocks. Bamboo from the garden make the perfect tubular homes for the bees.

2. After they find their homes the female gathers pollen, brings it back, stuffs it in the nest, lays an egg, gathers some mud (this is where they get the "mason" part of their name), and packs that inside. Then, she repeats this process with more eggs.

3. They very, very, very, very rarely use their stinger. They are relatively gentle creatures!

4. There are 130 species of mason bees throughout North America.

5. The female's whole life span is 6 weeks.

6. The male, meanwhile, only sticks around for 2 weeks. Once they mate they die. (Bonus fact: You can tell the male because they have a white nose.)

7. During the female's life span, she lays about 15 to 20 eggs in two tubes.

8. By August of each year, the next generation of mason bees are fully grown, but hibernate through the winter.

9. When the temperature gets warm enough in the spring, they come out and the new generation of bees begins the process all over again.

10. They are "solitary," meaning that every female mason bee is a queen!

(modified from https://www.kcet.org/food/the-most-fascinating-facts-about-mason-bees)

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Mason Bees nest in round holes. Their bodies are fuzzy, making them excellent pollen carriers. (Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)
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The female Mason Bees lay their eggs in between walls of mud. (Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)
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Introducing Youth Education Intern Maddie Piper!

1/15/2019

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At the Danny Woo Community Garden, our Children's Garden provides young people ages 3-18 a place to engage with nature and community, explore, learn, and play. We are very lucky to bring on board Maddie Piper, who will be providing us with guidance, best practices, and curriculum development for our children's garden programming. They have worked in environmental education in Denver as well as the Fiddlehead Forest Outdoor Preschool in the University of Washington Arboretum. Welcome to the garden Maddie!

Who are you?

My name is Maddie Piper (they/them/their) and I am senior at Seattle University! 
 
How long have you been part of the DWCG community?
I have visited the garden several times for the past 3 years, but did not get involved in the community until last year when I took an Anthropology class that included service learning in the garden. We volunteered during a couple of work parties, helped support Lizzy with the preschoolers who come to the garden, and created projects to bring recognition to the indigenous peoples who lived and continue to live in this region. My group created that batik flags that now hang on the South Entrance of the garden!
 
Why did you start volunteering/working at the garden? What are you working on?
Originally, I started working on the garden because of my class last year. This year, however, I am stepping into a different role as an intern as part of my senior project for my Teaching degree. As a Teaching and Environmental Studies major I was interested in trying to find a place where I could combine two of my passions. Danny Woo Community Garden was a great fit! This quarter I am working both in the garden getting my hands dirty as well as will be creating a curriculum for youth programing in the garden.
 
What is your favorite Asian vegetable or food?
I love bok choy! I pretty much love any dish that has lots of veggies and noodles!
 
Where did you grow up?
I grew up just south of Denver, Colorado.
 
What languages do you speak?
Just English. I know some Spanish, but not as much as I used to.
 
What are your hobbies or special skills?
I love knitting, embroidery, and other crafting activities. I also spend a lot of time outdoors hiking, biking, rock climbing, gardening, or just taking long walks around Seattle. In my spare time I also love to cook and bake. My special skills include always having a fun animal fact in my back pocket!
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Introducing Work Study Student Kaeli Deng!

1/8/2019

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Every semester, we work with many enthusiastic and helpful volunteers in the Danny Woo Community Garden. We wouldn't be able to function without them! This January we are excited to introduce Kaeli Deng, who is our University of Washington Work Study. She has been volunteering with us for over a year by helping in the garden, communicating with gardeners in Mandarin, and organizing events with us.

Who are you?

My name is Kaeli Deng, I’m a work study student from UW.
你是谁?
我叫邓凯利,现在是一名华大的学生。

How long have you been part of the DWCG community?
I’ve been part of the DWCG community since last year. I started with volunteering in the garden whole quarter when I was a college student. Now I come back as a work study student to help this community become better.
你成为胡锦培花园的一员多久了?
我从去年开始加入这个社区组织,先是成为一名义工在我还是一名社区大学生的时候。现在我作为work study学生回来继续为社区工作并希望这个社区能变得更好。

Why did you start volunteering/working at the garden?
I like to do some outdoor jobs that related to my major which is Environmental Science.  When I first time searching the volunteer jobs, I found Danny Woo Community Garden is perfectly matched to my ideal job. People in the garden are so friendly and kindly, they’d love to share their knowledge and experiences with everyone who wants to learn. There’s no cultural and language hinder between difference races. I feel so warm to work with people here and this is why I come back as a work study student.
为什么在这个花园做义工/工作?
一开始在我还是社区大学生的时候我希望能找一份户外的又跟我的专业环境科学相关的义工,然后我就找到了胡锦培国际花园这个刚好吻合我要求的花园。在这里,所有人都很友好善良,如果你想学习,他们会不吝地分享自己的种植知识和经验给大家。这里没有任何的文化和语言的阻碍,这让我感觉很温暖也是为什么我会再回来为这个社区作贡献。

What is your favorite Asian/Chinese vegetable or food?
My favorite Asian vegetable is peas! Any kinds of peas are welcome! My favorite Chinese food is braised pork.
最喜欢的亚洲蔬菜和亚洲食物?
我最喜欢的蔬菜就是豆子了!任何种类的豆子都很喜欢。最喜欢的中国菜是红烧肉。

Where did you grow up?
I grow up in two places, one is China, and another one is Saipan, my birthplace.
在哪里长大的?
我在两个地方长大的,一个是中国还有一个是塞班。

What languages do you speak?
I can speak Chinese and English, and I’m learning German right now.
会讲什么语言?
我会讲中文和英文,现在正在学习德文。

What are your hobbies and or special skills?
I’d like to do gardening when it is the season. Drawing and reading are also my hobbies when I can’t go out. My special skill is be nice to everyone.
你有什么兴趣和特殊技能吗?
我喜欢打理我的小菜地如果到了季节的话。画画和阅读也是我的兴趣爱好。至于特殊技能应该就是能保持友好态度对别人。
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    About
    The Danny Woo Community Garden is a 1.5 acre edible growing space located in the heart of Seattle's Chinatown/International District. The garden has been a place for elders to grow for over 40 years and is also home to a children's garden, chicken coop, and outdoor kitchen. Visit us at 620 S. Main St., Seattle, WA 98104.

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