Sunshine along with some cloudy intervals. High around 85F. Winds light and variable..
A few clouds. Low around 60F. Winds light and variable.
HIGHLAND PARK, Ill. — A gunman on a rooftop opened fire on an Independence Day parade in suburban Chicago on Monday, killing at least six people, wounding at least 30 and sending hundreds of marchers, parents with strollers and children on bicycles fleeing in terror, police said.
MOSCOW — One day after his sister won the Women’s Sole Survivor, Sean Dorigo hit, chipped and putted his way to his third Sole Survivor title Monday at the Moscow Elks Golf Club.
This editorial was published by the Idaho Statesman of Boise.
A bumble bee flits through the lupine blooms Thursday at the Capitol Campus Pollinator Garden — an educational display of pollinator-friendly flowers and informational signs — on the East Capitol Campus in Olympia.
A bumble bee flits through the lupine blooms Thursday at the Capitol Campus Pollinator Garden — an educational display of pollinator-friendly flowers and informational signs — on the East Capitol Campus in Olympia.
OLYMPIA — A new garden on the state Capitol campus in Olympia is attracting visitors by foot and by wing.
The Capitol Campus Pollinator Garden opened last week with colorful stands of golden yarrow, blue salvia, sweet-smelling alyssum and other flowers that winged critters find delectable.
For people, the garden is an educational experience on why honey bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, moths, native bees and other winged animals are essential to a healthy ecosystem.
For the birds and bugs, it’s a great place to have lunch.
It’s the first educational garden on the campus. The state Legislature provided $53,000 for its creation and initial maintenance.
In 2019, the Legislature created the Pollinator Health Program, which acknowledged the importance of pollinators. In 2021, legislation was added to require 25 percent of all landscaping for state public works projects to be pollinator habitat.
Home gardeners can create their own pollinator friendly gardens, say those who work in horticulture and entomology.
The roughly 1,000-square-foot garden has plants that offer both nectar and pollen for winged creatures. The plants are just a few of the possibilities available to gardens .
“There’s thousands of plants people could choose for a pollinator garden,” said state Department of Enterprise Services manager Brent Chapman. Although he has a Ph.D. in horticulture, he said creating the garden has been educational for him as well.
“I learned so much from this project about the interrelationship between plants and pollinators,” he said.
Some 85 percent of the world’s flowering plant species need pollinators to transfer pollen from one flower to another in the same species.
Pollinator populations have declined from habitat loss, pesticide use and climate change, Chapman said. A pollinator friendly garden can offset those declines.
“A lot of people think they have to do something big to make a difference,” he said. “A container on your apartment deck or patio can create pollinator habitat.”
The Capitol garden was built by Enterprise Services but is a collaboration between various agencies and nonprofits.
Eight panels, created by Woodland Park Zoo, cover topics including the benefits of pollinators, biodiversity, soil and making your own pollinator garden.
For a honey bee, visiting a flower is like getting a protein bar and a Slurpee. A flower’s nectar is full of sugar, and its pollen is protein-packed. Both are taken back to the bee colony where the nectar becomes honey and the pollen is fed to growing larvae.
Bees and other pollinators don’t set out to pollinate blossoms — it’s a benefit the plant gets by providing the good stuff.
Not all plants need pollinators. Some — notably grasses and conifers — use the wind to disperse clouds of lightweight pollen.
If the idea of planting pollen-rich plants in your garden makes your nose itchy, fear not. It’s the wind-driven pollen that is mostly responsible for allergies.
The Xerces Society, a conservation group, advised on which plant species, both native and non-native, to put in the garden.
A challenge, Chapman said, is educating citizen conservationists on the importance of replacing invasive plants that pollinators might love, like knotweed, with nectar-rich non-invasive plants.
What: Capitol Campus Pollinator Garden.
Where: East Plaza above the 14th Avenue tunnel on the East Capitol Campus grounds in Olympia.
When: Open every day, daylight hours.
Parking: Along north and south diagonals next to the Tivoli Fountain.
More information: bit.ly/3NJgvfV.
Sign up to have headlines and breaking news delivered straight to your inbox.
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
The region's best source for events, arts, culture ... everything.
Text LMT to 55678 to receive breaking news alerts/links to your phone. Message and data rates may apply. Text STOP to stop.
Travel safe with road and snow reports
Your guide to the best businesses in the region
This afternoon newsletter keeps readers informed on the latest developments related to coronavirus.
The Lewiston Tribune recently launched a new afternoon newsletter featuring stories and photos that will appear online before they are published in the newspaper.
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Invalid password or account does not exist
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the e-mail address listed on your account.
Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
A receipt was sent to your email.