by SUSAN M. BRACKNEY
From the burrowing mayfly to the rusty patched bumble bee, we’re losing a head-spinning number of invertebrates. Thanks to shrinking natural habitats and our dependence on agricultural chemicals particularly neonicotinoid pesticides we’re living through what some have dubbed an “insect apocalypse.”
And, while they might not be as charismatic or as visible as their vertebrate counterparts, they’re every bit as important. Even more troubling? If we don’t act swiftly, we may lose some species before we’ve even had the chance to identify them and fully appreciate their ecological contributions.
As one of the oldest and largest citizen science initiatives around, the Great Sunflower Project is potentially well positioned to help us get a handle on at least some of these losses. It’s also one of the easiest projects to join.
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It’s easy to see why the sunflower is one of the world’s favorite flowers. They’re easy to grow, have easy-to-save seeds, and are undeniably cheerful in the garden. Open-pollinated types are magnets for bees in the spring and summer, and for birds as the seeds develop. Here are 5 unique open-pollinated sunflower varieties to consider planting in your garden this year. Lemon Queen Sunflower Lemon Queen is an heirloom sunflower variety with lemon-yellow petals and rich chocolate-colored centers - a combination that bees find absolutely irresistible. The plants tend to grow about 6 feet tall in average conditions. Lemon Queen is a branching type of flower, where each plant can bear on to two dozen flowers.