Withania somnifera, Ashwagandha
Artist: Sarah Red-Laird
Title: Bee Habitat in Cyanotype 16
Location: Banyan Farm, Oregon
Project: Bee Friendly Banyan
Flower: Withania somnifera, Ashwagandha
Bee(s) in cyanotype: Bombus, Bumble bee
Materials: Cyanotype, pinned bees, liquid gold leaf, barnwood
Field Season: 2022
Composed: 2023
This flower was harvested from Bayan Farm, a BGO “Regenerative Bee Habitat” project partner.
Banyan Farm is a 20-acre certified organic farm located in Williams, Oregon. They practice sustainable and regenerative agricultural practices, including a polyculture design, crop rotation, and composting, all of which support overall biodiversity.
In addition to growing Ayurvedic herbs for Banyan Botanicals, the leading Ayurvedic lifestyle company in the US, they bring veggies to local farmers markets.
In 2022 the team brought BGO on as a partner to monitor bees on the farm. Our job is to provide Banyan with data on which bees pollinate their herbs, to help them know more about the bee community that Banyan Farm supports, and to help them to become (even more) bee friendly through utilizing fallow areas for regenerative bee pasture.
Learn more about, and support, Banyan Farm here, and Banyan Botanicals here.
Ashwagandha is one of the many herbs being grown at Banyan Farm for Banyan Botanical products. It's an evergreen shrub in the nightshade family, native to India, the Middle East, and parts of Africa, and bees LOVE IT!!
I’ve used Ayurveda (vata-pitta here 🙋🏼♀️) as part of my self-care for about 20 years, and Ashwagandha is one of my go-tos, especially when I get the winter blues.
From Banyan Botanicals: Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) has been used in Ayurveda for thousands of years as a rasayana (rejuvenative). It is a renowned adaptogenic herb, which means it is used to help the body resist physiological and psychological stress by adapting to the needs of the body. Deeply supportive of many tissues and body systems, including the immune system, the reproductive system, a healthy thyroid, and much more, ashwagandha is a wonderful herb to help nourish overall health and well-being.
I don’t know what a bumble bee’s dosha would be (kapha??) but during the day this plant was covered with them, as well as a slew of other bees and butterflies.
At night, bumble bees tucked themselves away in the curled leaves that resemble fuzzy sage-colored hammocks, and made themselves into a little dumpling 🥟