My Garden of a Thousand Bees
My Garden of a Thousand Bees was an Emmy-nominated film distributed on PBS Nature surrounded by a #PlantWildflowers campaign designed to highlight the wonders of native pollinators and invite audiences to learn about and plant wildflowers to support local pollinators.
Highlights
13M+
viewers reached through the film’s PBS release on Nature and PBS.org, social media clips, and short pollinator videos published online
400+
partner organizations across the United States
700+
local events hosted to promote pollinator awareness and conservation
1.8M
square feet (42 acres) of native wildflowers planted through community-led pollinator garden creation and growth
Initiative
Through partnerships with PBS stations, libraries, educators, conservation organizations, and community groups, the My Garden of a Thousand Bees initiative reached audiences across the country with screenings, events, classroom resources, and the #PlantWildflowers campaign. These efforts were all designed to increase awareness of pollinator diversity, strengthen local connections to nature, and empower individuals and communities to take tangible steps to support bees and other pollinators where they live.
Screenings & Events
- 15+ festivals and conferences, including Jackson Wild Film Festival, AAAS Annual Meeting, National Science Teaching Association (NSTA) conference, Aegean Film Festival, and Smithsonian Folklife Festival
- Wild & Scenic Film Festival Tour’s 82 events in 26 states
Social Media
HHMI Tangled Bank Studios partnered with digital science platform Seeker, Day’s Edge Productions, and entomologist Dr. Samuel Ramsey (aka Dr. Bugs) to create additional short-form content that highlights the important role bees play, showcases cutting-edge bee research, and provides local context for the documentary.
Pieces were published on YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram, as well as on the PBS Nature website.
Explore some notable videos:
- The Power of Pollinators
- Dr. Sammy on TikTok
- More videos hosted on the film website
Educational Outreach
In the classroom and community
Distributed HHMI Tangled Bank Studios’ #PlantWildflowers Toolkits to 300+ local partners to use in their communities, with toolkits including:
- World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Wild Classroom materials
- Regional native wildflower seed packets (from American Meadows)
- BioBlitz “How To” Guide and Seek Challenges (created with Cal Academy)
- Common Bee ID Cards (created with entomologist and author Joe Wilson)
- The Grasslands of the Northern Great Plains Curriculum Pack
- The Grasslands & Pollinators Activity Book
In libraries
Partnered with STAR Library Network (STAR Net), a hands-on learning network for libraries and their communities:
- 233 libraries across the country received native wildflower seed packets, regional Bee ID cards and and the #PlantWildflowers toolkit full of free activities, resources and information.
- 50 libraries across the U.S. received materials and funding to host larger events and plant gardens at libraries.
- More than 300 libraries across 47 states applied to participate in the #PlantWildflowers library campaign.
In apps
Built upon our existing relationship with the California Academy of Sciences by incorporating citizen science apps iNaturalist and Seek into campaign events:
- iNaturalist included the #PlantWildflowers BioBlitz Guide in its resources for the iNaturalist community, which empowers communities to collect information about local plants and wildlife.
- Seek is a more kid-friendly nature identification app that sends users on scavenger hunts to find local wildlife. For #PlantWildflowers, Tangled Bank sponsored two month-long challenges to search for native bees, pollinators, and flowering plants.
Partnerships
HHMI Tangled Bank Studios identified leading national organizations working on pollinator-related issues for science education and community engagement.
My Garden of a Thousand Bees and the #PlantWildflowers campaign materials were distributed to organizations for use at conferences, newsletters, social media, professional webinars, meetings, and community education programs.
Screening events, social media posts, newsletters, and other materials shared educational information about native pollinators and ways to build diverse ecosystems, enabling them to thrive.
#PlantWildflowers national campaign partners include:
- One Square Foot Initiative with World Wildlife Fund
- American Conservation Film Festival
- American Meadows
- American Society of Landscape Architects
- Bee City USA
- Bee Campus USA
- The Bee Conservancy
- The Bees In Your Backyard
- Crown Bees
- Entomological Society of America
- Jackson Wild Film Festival
- Pollinator Partnership
- SciStarter
- Smithsonian Earth Optimism
- Wild & Scenic Film Festival
- World Wildlife Fund
- Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation
About the film
Locked down during the coronavirus pandemic, wildlife filmmaker Martin Dohrn set out to record the bees in his tiny urban garden in Bristol, England — categorizing more than 60 different species, their unique behavior, and even some habits of individual bees at a level never seen before.
The film premiered on PBS Nature on October 20, 2021, serving as the 40th season opener. International distribution followed in the UK, Europe, and Asia. Viewers can stream the film free on PBS.org and the PBS Videos app.
Inspired by My Garden of a Thousand Bees and informed by leading entomologists, HHMI Tangled Bank Studios and PBS Nature launched the #PlantWildflowers national campaign.
Awards for the film include:
- News and Documentary Emmy® Award nomination for Outstanding Nature Documentary
- World Congress for Science and Factual Producers Buzzie Awards: Best Natural History, longform nomination
- Audience Award from the AFO Film Festival
- Jury Award from the Wild and Scenic Film Festival
- Outstanding Achievement Impact DOCS Award from IMPACT DOCS
- Shortlisted for a Grierson Trust British Documentary Award
Learn More
See more about My Garden of a Thousand Bees, read press coverage, and find out where to watch.