2024 Beauty of the Bee Photo Contest Winners
Congratulations to our spectacular winners! And thanks to all the photographers who entered the contest this year. We are so glad to have your involvement and wonderful contributions.
Congratulations to our TOP WINNERS (see below): Stewart Willason, Edwin Harris andAmy McAndrew! Congratulations also to our amazing Honorable Mentions (see below): Marga Estrany, and Rocky Raco! Michael Calhoun is the winner of the Director's Choice Award (see below), as chosen by our Executive Director, Lisa Arkin. Finally, the winner of Most Appreciated on Facebook recognition (see below) is Holly Walters.
FIRST PLACE
Stewart Willason
Title: "Native Bee and Poppy"
Tell our leaders Why is it so important to protect bees now?
Social native bees, like this Oregon sweat bee, love floral resource diversity. Studies have shown that an increase in the diversity of wild food sources for our favorite pollinators - everything from native perennial plants to colorful annuals - results in an increase in bee fitness and resiliency. By providing diverse floral ecosystems and habitats, we can ensure stronger, more abundant diverse native bee populations."
SECOND PLACE
Edwin Harris
Title: "Tread carefully"
Tell our leaders Why is it so important to protect bees now?
Edwin says, "The costs of anthropogenic environmental disturbances are high for native bees, many of which are threatened by habitat loss, chemical contaminants, invasive species, and climate change. Declines of species like the western bumblebee are rarely isolated incidents: they indicate worrisome disruptions of broader ecological communities. Acting now to mitigate threats to bees will benefit the plants and animals—including humans—that rely on their pollination activities for generations to come. Responsible stewardship of the land requires recognition of the contributions that bees and other insects make to the ecosystems that we inhabit."
THIRD PLACE
Amy McAndrew
Title: "Yearning for Yarrow"
Tell our leaders "Why is it so important to protect bees now?"
Amy says, "Bees and all pollinators are essential for all life! Our ecosystem depends on them. I do my best to keep the them happy with native plants and naturalized areas on our property. I use NO chemicals in my flowers gardens. There are many beneficial insects that keep my flower gardens beautiful."
Honorable Mentions
Honorable Mention 1:
Marga Estrany
Title: "I wanna bee more than friends"
Marga says, "Bees play a crucial role in maintaining the balance of our ecosystems. Through the act of pollination, they enable the growth of countless plants, including the crops that constitute the backbone of our food supply. Without bees, the diversity of our plant life would be in danger, compromising the survival of multiple species, including humans."
Honorable Mention 2:
Rocky Raco
Title: "Loaded"
Rocky says, "Bees are so important to pollinate plants, fruits and vegetables."
Director's Choice
Michael Calhoun
Title: "Golden Pollen Sunset"
Tell our leaders Why is it so important to protect bees now?
Michael says, "Bees are an integral part of biodiversity. They provide ecosystem services such as pollination and food production just to name a few. When any species on earth begins to decline it should be alarming to people. However, with bees being so integrated in our lives in terms of crop production it should go without question that when they are in trouble so are we. They also provide intrinsic value, a warm summer day in the garden watching bees fly from flower to flower is enough to de-stress from daily life and enjoy these amazing creatures."
WINNER OF MOST APPRECIATED ON FACEBOOK
Holly Walters
Title: "Bee on red dahlia"
Tell our leaders Why is it so important to protect bees now?
Holly says, "Bees are important to our environment and a vital part of the ecosystem."
