Pollinators are essential to healthy ecosystems, but many people want to help and aren’t sure where to start.
Meet BEE, the Sabine-Neches Chapter’s new Southeast Texas Native Pollinator Garden Coach. BEE stands for Botanical Ecosystem Educator, and it was designed to help local residents choose native plants, plan pollinator-friendly spaces, and support bees, butterflies, birds, and other pollinators across Southeast Texas.
BEE is embedded as a chatbot on the Pollinator Projects page. Look for the small bee/flower icon in the bottom-right corner, click it, and start asking questions.
Built by Meagan Pollock, BEE is trained on local Pollinator Project resources, including the chapter’s Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter native plant guides, along with Kathy Smith’s Host and Nectar Plants for Southeast Texas Butterfly Gardens resource. These sources, curated by TMN volunteers on the pollinator committee, help BEE provide guidance rooted in regional plant knowledge, seasonal bloom timing, and pollinator support.
Special thanks to the volunteers who beta-tested the tool and helped improve its accuracy, clarity, and usefulness along with credit to all the contributors of the website’s knowledge sources… Jo, Martha, Judi, and Aimee.
Use BEE to explore native plant options, plan for seasonal blooms, support local pollinators, and make more informed choices for yards, patios, school gardens, and community spaces.
Visit the Pollinator Projects page to try it:
https://txmn.org/sabine/pollinator-projects/
Questions or feedback on the tool? Reach out to Meagan Pollock ([email protected])
Questions on native plants and pollinator gardens? Ask BEE!