I think the bees have all moved to my backyard. It is still pretty cool here in NY but I already have honeybees, carpenter bees and yellow jackets.

Penny

You wouldn't know it from my yard either Penny. I have heard that they are dwindling in numbers though. My kids are the only ones on the block not afraid of them. We would be stuck inside all day if they were.

I rarely saw honey bees in my yard until the last two years and now I see them often so maybe there starting to increase, around here at least or maybe they're really killer bees. hmmm I don't think we have those here yet. We have lots of white clover in our yard so no barefeet.
I also get lots of bumblebees both the large ones and the ones that are a little larger than a honeybee. I'm not sure what they are. They like my nepeta 'Six Hills Giant' though.

An excellent book to read about the plight of our native bees is called the Forgotten Pollinators by Buchmann and Nahban. Excellent, excellent book on the subject although most of their accounts take place in the Sonoran Desert. A must read for any interested in the natural world. Even though I plant a lot of flowers for hummers, I also plant just as many for butterflies and bees. I love to see the many different types of sweat bees and bumblebees eagerly visiting the flowers. Some of my best bee plants include:

Rudbeckia (black-eyed susan)
Purple Coneflower
Blanket Flower (Gaillardia)
Pin-cushion Flower (Scabiosa)
perennial salvia (May Night, etc.)
Catmint (Nepeta)
Perennial Oregano
Veronica allionii

BN

One of the best things you can do for bees and any other wildlife is to stop using pesticides. Most pesticides are not neccessary, and good gardening practices can minimize any 'bad' bugs that you do have. There are simple 'houses' that can be made to encourage native miner bees to nest in your yard. Many herbs are frequented by bees, such as Borage, Lavender, Basil, Lemon Balm, and Monarda (Bee Balm!). I've seen them using Sedums and Goldenrod in the fall. They love Agastache foeniculum, and Clovers are big with them, too. They will also use many Hummingbird plants, such as Tithonia and Zinnia (both good with Butterflies as well), and I've seen Bumbles take a bite at the base of Salvia flowers so as to reach the nectar there.