Go Ahead and Plant This Year’s Cheerios Seeds
Cheerios screwed up last year. They played out the seeds of “wildflowers” in a misguided attempt to get people interested in helping bees. The seeds were not suitable for release as wildflowers in most parts of the country, and at first appeared to include a dangerous invasive species. But this year? Much better. Go and plant them.
The seeds for 2018 are just one species, Cosmos, which looks like multi-colored daisies. They are beautiful, attract and feed bees, but they have no problem with last year’s seed mixture. When I showed Cheerios’ ad to Catherine Turner, an invasive plant specialist who was one of the first to notice the problem with last year’s formula, her first reaction was simple: “Yeah, ah
[Update 03/19/2018: Cosmos seeds are for US distribution only. The Canadians will receive a seed mix similar to the one the company sent last year. Cheerios has not yet answered our question as to why only US gift giving has been changed.]
Here’s what’s changed this year:
These are garden flowers, not wildflowers
“There is a particular emphasis on the fact that Cosmos seeds are used in the garden, ” says Turner. “These are not wild flowers (and the Cheerios site does not call them that), they are garden plants that bees can use. Turning the yard into a habitat that bees can use has always been a great idea. “
A patch of the Cosmos garden won’t save the bees alone, but it will help you learn about these friendly creatures and give them nectar for part of the year. Full-scale habitat restoration is a different project, more ambitious than what can be solved with promotional seed bags.
They stay where you planted them and eventually die
Cosmos are native to Central America, but they will grow almost everywhere in the United States. However, they are not invasive, which means they don’t tend to spread from where you plant them. (Some plants do this and can get out of hand and ruin local ecosystems.)
Even if you plant Cosmos somewhere in the wild, it is unlikely to stay there. Cheerios quotes Eric Lee-Mader, co-director of the Xerces Society’s Pollinator Conservation Program, as saying, “The cosmos is a beautiful garden flower that provides food for bees without the risk of becoming invasive.” Growing up is easy too. Go and plant.
Cheerios still can’t communicate
However, a Xerces representative was surprised to learn of a new seed distribution. After consulting with the co-directors of the company, he wrote that Cheerios did briefly consult with them: “They contacted us (Eric) to get feedback on FAQs about space, but we didn’t get any further involved other than suggesting that a mention of Bumble be included. … Bee Clock “.
(Since Cheerios did not deal with this last part, I will insert it here: Bumble Bee Watch is a citizen science project where you can upload pictures of bees in your garden. Experts will help you identify them, and observations become the basis for research on the conservation of bumblebees. )
While I was waiting for Xerces ‘response, I also contacted Cheerios to inquire about Xerces’ involvement and why their original roster changed this year. In response, I received an explicitly copied statement containing a quote from Eric Lee-Mader and a note that the seeds are now packed in cereal boxes as opposed to last year’s mail-order. And if you’re wondering: “Non-allergenic seed bags will be securely wrapped in plastic wrap and outside the Honey Nut Cheerios bag.”
However, it turns out that Cheerios has a positive point about being a bit deaf about their seed promotional packages. Matthew Shepherd of Xerces writes: “The spores caused by the last seed distribution may not have been what Cheerios expected, but they had a huge positive impact on pollinator conservation. People from all over the continent discussed and thought about the best way to choose plants for bees, but before, most did not think about it. “