I have a few things to say about meadows.
First, bees and meadows are inseparable.
LOTS of bee species evolved and proliferated in some kind of meadow habitat - grassland, prairie, savannah... all sunny places with flowers. = Good for bees. Besides the desert, wildflower meadows are the best places to see bees. Unfortunately there aren't many natural meadows to see.
So... make one!?
If you want a low maintenance, ecologically beneficial landscape, meadows are for you. Creating a meadow is not for the faint of heart, though. This low-maintenance landscape actually requires a boatload of work up front, to eradicate weeds and get the desirable species established. Years of work, in fact. But hey.
This only makes residential and "restored" meadows all the more exciting to see.
Red Butte Garden has undertaken a meadow restoration project along Red Butte Creek. Now on its seventh year:
Hundreds of volunteer hours have gone into this meadow's establishment. The meadow is now dominated by native grasses and wildflowers and provides habitat for wildlife, INCLUDING BEES!
Bee nests can now be seen within the meadow and in the dirt paths surrounding it:
If you plant it THEY WILL COME. You can count on it.