Everyone knows that the secret to a healthy, vibrant environment is diversity. You need all kinds of plants, animals, and even bacteria and fungi to make a thriving and beautiful ecosystem.
Sadly, biodiversity is under threat every day from pollution, infection, and climate change.
One of the most devastating effects of these things we've seen in recent years is the decline of the bee population across the world, which threatens not only the wild populations of plants, but humans' crops as well. And no plants and crops means no food, and that means no us. Scary.
Luckily, people around the world are working to keep bee populations thriving, and there are actually plenty of simple things you can do, too, to support your local bees.
And there's one company that's making it even easier to save bees and have a beautiful garden.
Seedles is a company that's working to make the joys of nature available to people of all ages through a cute and easy way to start a garden with "flower bombs."
These "bombs" are pellets of brightly colored (but soil-safe) clay, fertilizer, and seeds. They're simply tossed on the ground or into a pot of soil, and they take care of the rest!
To date, Seedles' flower bombs have planted over a million wildflowers at schools, parks, and homes across the country.
Read on to learn more about the Seedles, and see how you can get your own!
[H/T: Mental Floss]
The plight of bees, who spread pollen from plant to plant and facilitate the growth of plants including our own crops, is a worrisome and well-known issue.
Bees suffer because of climate change, pesticides, pollution, and mites, and that means diminished food resources for other animals — including humans.
Chris Burley and Ei Ei Khin were deeply concerned about this, and so they decided to not only do something about it, but also to educate and inspire others to do so as well.
And thus, Seedles was born.
Seedles are small, colorful pellets composed of nontoxic clay, fertilizer, and seeds.
You simply take a Seedle (or a handful) and toss them into some soil, either on the ground or in a pot, and water.
The seeds, aided by the clay and fertilizer that is softened by the water, take it from there. Soon you have a garden!
To encourage local bee populations, the wildflower Seedles are created according to regions.
When ordering, you choose your region of the U.S., and your flower selection will reflect your area's ecosystem. Right now, Seedles only ships within the U.S.
The clay and fertilizers are completely safe and nontoxic, and provide nutrients for the growing plants.
Although the Seedles are brightly colored, the coloring is handmade by Burley and Khin themselves. So they're entirely safe for kids and for soil.
Seedles also offers a variety of garden options. These edible flowers, like nasturtiums, cornflowers, borage, and calendula, are a tasty and beautiful addition to salads.
So not only can you eat them, but they're popular with bees, too.
Each Seedles package also comes with instructions and tips for optimal growing, and the information can also be found online.
Herb Seedles are also available if you're looking to create an easy herb garden!
In addition to providing gardeners with an easy, cute way to garden, Seedles also works with schools to provide education on plants, bees, pollination, and habitats for kids of all ages.
"One of our goals is to sprout a future generation of curious and creative kiddos," Burley explains.
This past Earth Day, they gave away 100 Classroom Superhero kits, which included Seedles, compost, pots, and information, to classrooms across the country to encourage a love for gardening and nature.
And as a result, millions of wildflowers have been planted across the U.S., offering bees many more places to gather pollen, make honey, and thrive.
Not to mention, it makes the world a little prettier for us humans, too.
If you'd like to order some Seedles for your own garden or to encourage a young gardener you know, you can check out their website.
You can also watch the video below to learn more about this Earth-saving, joy-spreading creation!
If you think the world needs some more joy, color, and bees in it, please SHARE to help spread more Seedles!
