Gratitude Gourmet

California Fuchsia ❤️

California hummingbirds will fly past a full feeder to reach this plant. It comes back every July and so do they, without fail.

That is the goal 🌱 💚 ✨️ 🌎️

“It just became an obvious extension in the legal language of what Indigenous perspectives have been all about for a long time, which is that nature is alive.” – Rosa Vásquez Espinoza, a Peruvian chemical biologist and founder of Amazon Research International.

🐝In a historic first, legal rights have been granted to an insect! In Peru, 175 species of stingless bees, critical pollinators in the Amazon region, are now recognized as rights holders.

This legal standing reflects their intrinsic rights and entitles the insects to several freedoms, including to lead healthy lives, flourish, and reproduce. The bees also have been granted the right to legal representation, which allows humans to present a case against threats to bee populations and habitats.

This is a breakthrough win for the rapidly growing global Right of Nature movement, which is deeply rooted in Indigenous knowledge systems and stewardship practices. As both a legal framework and a worldview, Rights of Nature is essential in mitigating the climate crisis and addressing interlocking environmental and social crises of our time, including biodiversity loss, violations of Indigenous and human rights, and ecological degradation. This case is now inspiring nations across the globe, from Bolivia to Poland and Zimbabwe, to consider enacting similar Rights of Nature protections.

Read about the Rights of Nature victory for stingless bees here 👉https://tinyurl.com/2r66sw7x

From workshops to policy briefs and engagement with governments in UNFCCC spaces, WECAN advocates for the global Rights of Nature framework and legal system as a pathway to address the root causes of environmental degradation, reject false solutions, and help restore balanced and respectful relationships with the Earth.

Learn more about our Rights of Nature Advocacy 🔗wecaninternational.org/rights-of-nature

I’ll always be the kind of person who slows down for deer, leaves water for thirsty birds, plants flowers for pollinators, and believes that’s a life well lived.

Brown rosemary in a California garden looks like neglect, but the cause is almost never what it appears to be, and the way back is simpler than most gardeners expect.

The squash bees are busy this time of year. Have you seen any in your gardens in the early morning?

Eucera (Peponapis) pruinosa are highly specialized, ground nesting, solitary native bees. The females collect pollen exclusively from plants in the Cucurbitacea family, including squash, pumpkins, zucchini and some gourds. The males also rise early to search blossoms for newly emerged females and nectar. These activities make the males, inadvertently, excellent pollinators. In the afternoons, take a look in the wilting blossoms and you may just find a napping male.

Squash bee inside a large, yellow zucchini flower surrounded by deep green leaves.

Photo by Danielle Creedon

9 Health and Nutrition Benefits of Apricots Apricots are sweet, tart stone fruits also called Armenian plums. Here are 9 health and nutrition benefits of apricots.

Fireworks don't just affect pets 🥺

A growing body of research suggests fireworks can disrupt wildlife in ways that range from temporary stress to serious injury. Birds may panic and collide with trees, buildings, or each other after taking flight at night, while mammals can become disoriented, flee into dangerous situations, or become separated from their young.

Scientists say the effects vary by species, but fireworks have been linked to changes in feeding, roosting, and migration behavior. Wildlife experts recommend avoiding fireworks near forests, wetlands, nesting areas, and other important habitats whenever possible, especially during breeding and fledgling season.