Explore nature in urban KC: bugs, plants, beekeeping

The curated articles highlight Kansas City's embrace of urban biodiversity through native plants and beekeeping efforts. Kansas City fosters a connection to nature by addressing insect identification, supporting native plant cultivation, and promoting beekeeping initiatives.

Learn about a Missouri scientist who identified tiny bugs frequently seen on window screens. Another article discusses a Kansas City Council decision making it easier to cultivate native plants. Additionally, beekeeping in urban Kansas City, through the MO Hives KC initiative, transforms vacant lots into lively spaces, involving the community in conservation and education efforts on pollinator habitats.

Marion Pierson and Charity Brown-Ritchie remove the top of a beehive in an urban neighborhood at MO Hives KC to perform maintenance on the colony. By Dominick Williams

NO. 1: BEEKEEPING IS BUZZING IN URBAN KC. IT’S TRANSFORMING LIVES AND SAVING COMMUNITIES

On a chilly Fall morning, Dr. | Published November 14, 2025 | Read Full Story by J.M. Banks

Aromatic Aster in a garden filled with native plants at an urban farm on Kansas City's East Side, on Tuesday, October 21, 2025. By Dominick Williams

NO. 2: HER YARD OF NATIVE PLANTS WAS DESTROYED. KC MADE IT EASIER TO CULTIVATE THEM

Winter is approaching, but Kansas Citians planning their gardens and landscaping for next year will have an easier time if they want to go beyond the typical grass lawn and consider native plants. | Published November 7, 2025 | Read Full Story by Chris Higgins

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Hackberry gall psyllids congregate on a Kansas City window screen during the fall. These cicada relatives are harmless to humans. By Eleanor Nash

NO. 3: WHAT ARE TINY BUGS ON MY WINDOW SCREENS? A MISSOURI SCIENTIST INVESTIGATES

As predictable as cool fall nights and Chiefs sweatshirts around Kansas City, I know my window screens will be covered with tiny bugs. | Published November 4, 2025 | Read Full Story by Eleanor Nash

The summary above was drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All stories listed were reported, written and edited by McClatchy journalists.