Less well known than European Honeybees, Texas’ native bees are nevertheless vital components of a healthy environment, and can provide a new dimension of enjoyment in your home garden. This program will cover basic information on the current challenges all bee species are facing, why they are important to all of us, facts about gentle solitary native bees and their lifestyles, and photo examples of the many beautiful forms and colors of native bees. It will include tips on what to plant and provide to attract them to your home landscape, and basic identification hints. We’ll discuss simple homemade native bee nest sites, with real examples and slides, and find out how to participate in nationwide citizen science tracking efforts. Handouts provided.