Quote of the Day: L.M. Montgomery
“If I wasn’t a human girl I think I’d like to be a bee and live among the flowers.”
Anne of Green Gables, L. M. Montgomery, 1908
I thought about this quote yesterday as I worked out in the gardens. I think if I were an insect I would choose to be a bee, flitting around the gardens all day gathering pollen and nectar.
What about you, what kind of insect would you choose to be?
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Stretching their Wings
It’s been raining a lot here lately and our poor bees get a little restless when they can’t leave the hive. When we have a warm sunny day we see them all over the gardens. It’s kind of funny because we usually don’t see our bees in the garden, I see a lot of solitary bees, and on occasion a honey bee. But now that it’s getting colder I’ve seen a lot of our bees in the gardens.
I especially see them around water sources getting drinks. They love Lucy’s bowl in the front lawn. I put some leaves in it so they don’t drown.
If you don’t have water sources for beneficial insects, consider added a small basin filled with sand or straw to you garden. Make sure you replace the water frequently so as not to breed mosquitos. You’ll be rewarded with lots of beneficials flitting around your gardens.
Have you noticed more bees as fall is coming or fewer?
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I Love It!
I love it when I catch a bee mid-flight. I have a few of these photos and each time I capture one it just makes me smile, I don’t know why. I think it’s perhaps because their little legs are dangling or perhaps because these bumble bees look as though they shouldn’t be able to fly.
When I downloaded my photos yesterday this one brought a smile to my face, I thought I’d share a smile with you today!
What brings a smile to your face?
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Hummingbird Moths
I always find the variety of insects that come through the garden very fascinating. It seems like every time you stop while working in the garden you notice the hum and buzz of all the small things that live in the garden. They range of teeny tiny that you can barely see and then there are big ones like the hummingbird moth.
This is a Snowberry Clearwing Hummingbird Moth, there are a few different kinds. They’re fascinating to see moths that mimic bird. They flit from flower to flower gathering nectar just like a hummingbird. I’m sure many people are confused and think they’re just baby hummingbirds.
Any fascinating bugs in your gardens?
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Free Pollinator Plant Guide
While reading through my current Organic Gardening magazine I came across a small article about pollinators. The Pollinator Partnership is offering a free guide: Selecting Plants for Pollinators.
If you’re interesting in downloading this free guide, just type in your zip code when you follow this link and they’ll give you the guide that’s specific for your region. I happen to be in the Eastern Broadleaf Forest Oceanic Province and NAPPC Including the states of Connecticut, New Jersey, Rhode Island and parts of: Delaware, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee.
Pollinators also include butterflies and hummingbirds, along with beetles, flies and bats. Who wouldn’t want to attract more of these to their gardens?
I downloaded the guide yesterday and have been looking through it. I’m always looking for new plants to introduce to my gardens that will be beneficial for pollinators and other insects.
I love that this buide includes a chart of flowers and their bloom time so you can stagger the blooms so that somethings always providing pollen and nectar for the beneficial birds and insects in your gardens.
Have you incorporated any new plants this year specifically for pollinators?
