Mona Urbina Social Science
Gardening for Native Bees in the San Francisco Bay Area and Beyond
Mona’s proficiency as an environmental horticulturist and her interest in urban ecosystems led her to the Frankie lab, where she has been preparing pilot bee-gardens. Over time, urban sprawl has fragmented habitats necessary for the survival of California native bees and their natural host plants. Mona aims to document the most bee-attracting native plants to promote urban gardens that will provide new habitats and resources for native bees. She will survey bee-flower relationships at Mount Wanda at the John Muir National Monument (where exotic grasses are crowding out pollinator dependent plant species), and in ornamental native-plant urban bee-gardens, planted in the adjacent city of Martinez, CA, using standardized bee monitoring techniques. The product of her independent study research will be shared in workshops for the public, including agriculturalists, urban gardeners, and schools, for constructing effective and attractive native bee gardens.