Bees and other pollinators are important because they help plants grow, make fruits and vegetables, and keep flowers blooming. Without them, we wouldn’t have many of the tasty and healthy foods we love! More bees are dying every year as they become sicker from pesticides, habitat loss, lack of food diversity, diseases, and climate change. 

To help bees survive and thrive, plant bee-friendly flowers like purple coneflower, wild bergamot, and black-eyed Susan, avoid using harmful bug sprays in your yard, learn about how bees hibernate in the winter, and set out clean water in shallow water dishes in the spring for bees to drink from. Every little bit helps bees stay safe and strong!

What does "Endangered Species" mean? They are animals or plants that are very close to disappearing forever. There aren’t many of them left in the wild, and if we don’t help protect them, they might go extinct — which means they’ll be gone for good, like the dinosaurs. A "threatened" species means there are still a lot of these plants and animals, but their numbers are declining year after year and we need to help them before they become endangered. Endangered and threatened species disappear because of habitat loss, pollution, hunting or poaching, and climate change. 130 native Minnesota species are endangered within our state that include monarch butterflies, rusty-patched bumble bees, and little brown bats.

Young and old can get free access to Minnesota state parks on National Get Outside day, June 14. Close by state parks include Afton State Park (Hastings), Fort Snelling State Park (Minneapolis), Interstate State Park (Taylors Falls) and William O'Brien State Park (Marine on St Croix). Other nearby parks include Washington County parks and trails ($7 daily pass) including Lake Elmo Park Reserve and Cottage Grove Ravine Regional Park and free City of Woodbury parks and trails, including our nearby Woodbury city treasure, Tamarack Nature Preserve.