Friends of Bandy Field Nature Park
What’s buzzing at BFNP
Watch and listen to a Brown-Belted Bumblebee (Bombus griseocollis) “buzz pollinating” a Swamp Rose (Rosa palustris) in the swale
Bumblebees can perform buzz pollination, also called sonication, by decoupling their flight muscles from their wings. This allows them to shiver without moving their wings, and shake the pollen loose. You can hear it in the video! Turn up the sound to get the full effect.
This Swamp Rose doesn’t require pollination by sonication. But, lots of other plants — like blueberries, peppers, and tomatoes — do, and only a few species of bees can do it.
What’s New at BFNP
Reforestation Project underway
In a joint project of the Richmond Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities and Friends of Bandy Field Nature Park, with funding in part by the Virginia Department of Forestry, a large reforestation project is taking place in northwest portion of the park (north of Ridgetop Recreation Association’s tennis courts).
This area is terribly infested with invasive Chinese wisteria, which winds tightly around trees causing death of the host by girdling or by excessive weight which topples the tree.
The wisteria have already brought down many large trees and they threaten all the rest if not suppressed.
Volunteers have prepared the area by clearing vines and debris from around all trees that can be saved.
On April 22-24, a Forestry Mulcher came to the area to chip/shred the wisteria and other invasive vines, leaving this mulch on the ground to enrich the soil as it degrades as well as prevent erosion.
More work on the invasive sprouts will occur over the coming months.
Hundreds of trees will be planted in the area in February and March of 2026.
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