Episode 59: The lives of bees and pollinating wasps

With Heather Holm of Pollination Press and www.pollinatorsnativeplants.com

Which common species of native bees can be readily observed in your community? Why do wasps often fly under the radar when it comes to their impact as pollinators? What are some quick and easy tips for observing bees and wasps? Heather devotes much of her time to observing, photographing, documenting, and attracting bees, wasps, and other pollinators. She has also published several books on these remarkable insects. We are learning more about bees and wasps all the time, and Heather is playing a major role in expanding our collective knowledge. She shares some of her insights and stories in this lively discussion.

Guest:

Heather Holm is a biologist, pollinator conservationist, and award-winning author. She passionately informs and educates audiences nationwide, through her writing and many presentations, about the fascinating world of native pollinators and beneficial insects, and the native plant communities that support them. Heather is the author of four books: Pollinators of Native Plants (2014), Bees (2017), Wasps (2021), and Common Native Bees of the Eastern United States (2022). Both Bees and Wasps have won multiple book awards including the American Horticultural Society Book Award (2018 and 2022 respectively). Heather’s expertise includes the interactions between native pollinators and native plants, and the natural history and biology of native bees and predatory wasps. Her work has been featured in the New York Times, Minneapolis Star Tribune, and many local publications. Heather is also an accomplished photographer, and her pollinator photos are frequently featured in print and electronic publications. 

Click here for Heather’s expanded biography as well as links to her iNaturalist and social media pages.

*Episode edited by M. Angel Goñi Avila

*Episode recorded in March 2023