I was looking through my garden after dark (searching for a mis-thrown dog toy) and found this sleeping bumble bee.
Showing posts with label pollinators. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pollinators. Show all posts
Monday, August 17, 2020
Friday, July 17, 2020
Bumble Bee
Wish I'd taken this picture with my good camera. A bumble bee (I believe a brown-belted, Bombus griseocollis) enjoying some common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca). I love that you can see its proboscis.
Sunday, July 5, 2020
Dandelions
Soapbox time.
Dandelions are a contentious topic. I have been lectured both for removing them from my intentional plantings and for leaving them in my lawn.
There are multiple species of dandelions and similar-looking flowers. Some of them are native, some are not, so be cautious of pulling yellow many-petaled flowers before you know what they are. (List is not inclusive.)
Common dandelion - invasive
Red-seeded dandelion - invasive
Autumn hawkbit - invasive
Prairie false dandelion - native
False dandelion - native
For the purposes of this entry, I will be discussing common dandelions and red-seeded dandelions.
Yep, they are invasive species, introduced from Europe. Yep, they are edible.
Some people leave them because being an early spring bloomer makes them "important food for bees." This is actually false. While bees (native and otherwise) will happily visit them, especially in spring when flower pickings are slim, the pollen offered by dandelions is low in nutritional value.
Most research is done on honey bees due to their agricultural value, but these sources touch on other bees as well:
In short: dandelion pollen is low in protein and lacking in certain amino acids which are key to bee development. This doesn't mean it's hurting them, as long as they have a diversity of pollen sources. But it's not necessarily GOOD for them, either. It's better for them to have access to the pollen sources that they evolved to eat - generally plants that are native to your area.
Fighting dandelions takes resources, in the form of time and/or herbicides. Herbicides cost money, harm other plants, and are possibly harmful to insects. Hand culling is the most environmentally friendly way to control the spread of dandelions, but it is also labor-intensive and time-consuming. It's up to you whether that time and energy would be better spent elsewhere.
For some alternative early-blooming native plants to encourage, check out:
Common blue violet
Virginia waterleaf
Wild strawberry
Red columbine
Bloodroot
Dandelions are a contentious topic. I have been lectured both for removing them from my intentional plantings and for leaving them in my lawn.
There are multiple species of dandelions and similar-looking flowers. Some of them are native, some are not, so be cautious of pulling yellow many-petaled flowers before you know what they are. (List is not inclusive.)
Common dandelion - invasive
Red-seeded dandelion - invasive
Autumn hawkbit - invasive
Prairie false dandelion - native
False dandelion - native
For the purposes of this entry, I will be discussing common dandelions and red-seeded dandelions.
Yep, they are invasive species, introduced from Europe. Yep, they are edible.
Some people leave them because being an early spring bloomer makes them "important food for bees." This is actually false. While bees (native and otherwise) will happily visit them, especially in spring when flower pickings are slim, the pollen offered by dandelions is low in nutritional value.
Most research is done on honey bees due to their agricultural value, but these sources touch on other bees as well:
In short: dandelion pollen is low in protein and lacking in certain amino acids which are key to bee development. This doesn't mean it's hurting them, as long as they have a diversity of pollen sources. But it's not necessarily GOOD for them, either. It's better for them to have access to the pollen sources that they evolved to eat - generally plants that are native to your area.
Fighting dandelions takes resources, in the form of time and/or herbicides. Herbicides cost money, harm other plants, and are possibly harmful to insects. Hand culling is the most environmentally friendly way to control the spread of dandelions, but it is also labor-intensive and time-consuming. It's up to you whether that time and energy would be better spent elsewhere.
For some alternative early-blooming native plants to encourage, check out:
Common blue violet
Virginia waterleaf
Wild strawberry
Red columbine
Bloodroot
Monday, June 22, 2020
Friends!
The more natives I plant, the more cool new insects I see. I think this is a long-legged fly.
Bumble bee butt! Flower is an ornamental penstamon, but apparently still meets their standards.
Monarch caterpillar mowing down on common milkweed.
Bumble bee butt! Flower is an ornamental penstamon, but apparently still meets their standards.
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