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Honey bees, like the one pictured collecting pollen from a rose here, are from the insect order Hymenoptera. Honey bees were introduced into the United States in Colonial America.

These highly social insects communicate with each other, relaying direction and distance of nectar and pollen sources, using a sort of “dance.”

There are three types of bee found in a hive: the queen, which is the only reproductively capable female, the drones, male bees whose sole purpose is to mate with the queen, and the workers, which are the smallest bees in the colony and are undeveloped females. These are the bees we see flitting from flower to flower to flower.

The buzzing of a bee is created by its rapidly flapping wings, which can beat at more than 11,000 times per minute.�

Butterflies are one of the most colorful creatures on Earth, giving people of all ages plenty of viewing pleasure. You can find a variety of butterfly species around gardens and flowers, generally in areas of warm weather. Since people love butterflies so much, it is not uncommon to find such designs in many aspects. They are a symbol of freedom and beauty.

Butterflies make a great choice for home decor. You can find everything in a butterfly pattern to decorate your bathroom including a shower curtain, pictures to hang on the wall, rugs for the floor, toothbrush holders, soap dishes, and more. You will be able to select from a variety of colors as well as butterfly species.

Butterfly designs are also a great way to decorate a nursery or a room for a young girl. You can get butterfly decals that can be applied to the wall or use stencils to color your own. Many places carry butterfly design wall border as well. Outside, butterfly status and wind chimes add flare and style to any type of decor.

Since butterflies come with a warm feeling as well as offer some gorgeous color, it is no wonder people use them for a variety of decorating ideas both inside and outside of their home. Butterfly designs also are very popular for art and for tattoos because they symbolize freedom.

In fact, butterfly tattoos have become quite popular on women. Women like it because it is a very tasteful tattoo that looks good in any location. The larger the tattoo size, the more detailed the butterfly can be. An expert tattoo artist can make a butterfly design with multiple colors that are vivid and blend well together. A tattoo artist can help you design the perfect butterfly to suit your tastes.

If you are interested in various butterfly designs that are available, the internet is a great place to start. You can get wonderful decorating ideas as well as search for a particular one you are interested in. Home improvement stores and craft retailers are also great places to look for butterfly designs.

Here are some resources to get you started:

NexTag Comparison Shopping — Butterfly Wall DecorButterflyCraze.comButterfly-Decor.com

The hardy hibiscus (Hibiscus moscheutos) is also called the common rose mallow or Swamp rose mallow.

When deciding where to plant one, find a place in your garden where the plant will receive six to eight hours of direct sunlight.

Because they are such prolific bloomers, hibiscus are heavy feeders. You want to give them enriched soil with lots of organic matter. That way they have a slow continuous food source all season. In addition, supplement the plant with a water soluble fertilizer such as Miracle Gro.

Water the plant thoroughly after planting and continue to water weekly during the first year to ensure it becomes well established. Once established, watering will only be necessary if there is no rain for an extended period of time.

For the winter, cut the stems down to approximately six inches tall. In the spring, when it begins to grow, prune the old stems back completely and mix in an application of granular fertilizer to give it a good start.

The height of the hibiscus shrub can range from about three to seven feet and the leaves are heart-shaped and are sized proportionally to the flower.

Some of the varieties of plants growing in your yard may actually be harmful to the environment.

“What many homeowners and gardening enthusiasts may not know is that some popular garden varieties of plants may actually be considered invasive weeds,” says Alan Tasker, Ph.D., National Noxious Weed Program Manager at the USDA Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service. “They are considered invasive because they can take root in a particular area and spread unchecked, possibly choking out other plant species natural to that area.”

I’ve seen this happen with bamboo. If you don’t plant it with the roots surrounded my a deep cement barrior, the plant will start sending up shoots in your neighbor’s yard. My father had to constantly pull up these shoots after our neighbor planted bamboo in along the fence between the two properties.

Some of these invasive weeds can be quite pretty, including some wildflower mixes, multifloral rose (Rambler Rose), orange daylily and Baby’s Breath. Whether or not these plants are invasive or not depends on the geographical location. Plants can be star performers in one region yet pose a serious threat if introduced into another. So it’s worth a trip to your local nursery or visiting your state’s department of natural resources website to find out if your yard is harboring any potential invasive species.

Some store chains are doing things to help out. Meijer stores removed Norway maple and Lombardy poplar from their inventories because they are known to be invasive in the Midwest. They also have tagged some of their stock “Recommended Non-Invasive” to help customers identify the proper species to plant in their area.

Lowe’s also worked with organizations in Florida to eliminate potentially invasive plants from their stores in that state and are currently working on a similar initiative in California.

Many common weeds are notorious allergens. Because their seeds and spores are readily disseminated over wide areas, increased pollen levels can wreak havoc with allergy and asthma sufferers. Ragweed, pigweed, Russian thistle and sage brush, along with poison ivy, oak and sumac, are just a few invasive species that irritate allergies.

Another weed, giant hogweed, actually blocks the skin’s resistance to ultraviolet light, often leading to serious sunburn.

Invasive plants, or biological pollution, cost an estimated $34.7 billion annually, according to a Cornell University report, devouring three million acres a year in the U.S.

“Invasive weeds can take over cattle grazing areas, as leafy spurge has done in the northern plain states or overrun crops, much like cocklebur in corn and soybean crops throughout North America,” says Dr. Tasker.

An interesting site from the University of Nebraska, Kearney features a cost calculator that tracks the cost of invasive species in the U.S. in real time. (Note this site tracks the cost of all invasive species, including plants, animals and insects.)

We all play a part in containing these overpowering species from destroying our natural lands. Awareness is the first step. Contact your state’s department of natural resources to find out more about invasive species in your area or log on to www.wssa.net for more information.