Welcome to the Weekend Dispatch. Here are our top finds for Jan 22.

Calendula, also known as pot marigold, is native to Asia and southern Europe. Photo by Silvana Paola / Instagram

01. Photographer pick: Silvana Paola

Italy-based photographer Silvana Paola takes magnificent closeups of wild flowers. While some of her photos show a butterfly, bee or other pollinator hard at work, most of them focus on the plant itself in all of its natural, outdoor glory, even when covered by snow or rain.

Check out her colorful page at @silvana_paola2018.

Monarch butterflies pollinate many types of flowers by feeding on nectar. Photo by Laura Ockel / Unsplash

02. Article pick: Pollinators and People: Building Connections for Improved Conservation

Could you imagine a world without coffee, chocolate or apples? We can thank our pollinators for those and many other everyday foods near and dear to our hearts. These unsung heroes include bees, butterflies, wasps and flies, and they’re responsible for maintaining balanced ecosystems and thus the health of our food supply through pollination.

In this blog post, scientist Shannon Westlake uses conservation social science to figure out how to get more people involved with crucial but often ignored pollinator conservation efforts. 

"The Honeybee" by Kirsten Hall. Provided photo

03. Book pick: The Honeybee 

The future fate of our pollinators and life on earth relies heavily on the next generation, and it's our job to educate them … so our book pick this week is a children’s book. “The Honeybee” by Kirsten Hall is a beautiful, bright, enchanting reveal of the day-to-day duties of the most commonly known pollinator — the honeybee. 

Read it to your kids, grandkids, nieces or nephews or gift it to a friend with children. You can order it on Thriftbooks or Amazon.

Beekeeping Today Podcast. Provided photo

04. Audio pick: Common Sense Natural Beekeeping with Stephanie Bruneau

Have you ever thought about making your own honey? This episode of Beekeeping Today Podcast covers the best management practices to aid a healthy colony of bees and how to stay as natural as possible in the process. The 43-minute episode features guest Stephanie Bruneau, co-author of “Common Sense Natural Beekeeping,” who has years of beekeeping experience and is eager to share her organic knowledge.

Give it a listen here or on any of the listed platforms.