From the Merced Sun-Star:

On some sandy Livingston soil near an almond orchard, Jessa Guisse and Chris Schlies were trying to help some bees Monday afternoon.

And some butterflies, and some ladybugs.

It's all part of an extremely rare project that Livingston is hosting.

Guisse is a pollinator habitat restoration specialist with the Xerces Society, a nonprofit dedicated to wildlife conservation, invertebrates in particular.

Guisse was helping Schlies plant bee- and butterfly-friendly plants on Schlies' land. "All of my work is in the agriculture sector," Guisse said. "I work with farmers who want biodiversity."

Guisse deals with farmers who want to help pollinators, such as bees and butterflies. "When you help the pollinators, you also attract beneficial insects to fields," she said.

Livingston farms set to attract essential insects