John, I just looked at your profile page and given your expertise I'd like to ask your advice. I love seeing specialized insects attracted by my plantings. For example, sunflower bees on my sunflowers, squash bees on my squash, spicebush swallowtail on my spicebush, etc.

I'm thinking of planting some Cucurbita foetidissima in order to provide more support for squash bees. I only accidentally attracted them this year with a summer squash in a vegetable garden. Cucurbita foetidissima is not common here in the Mid-Atlantic (Chesapeake Bay watershed). Ecologically speaking, would planting gourds be a net positive, or would I just be encouraging an increased population of squash bees that would die off whenever my squash plants die?

Cool bees.