Million Pollinator Garden Challenge!

While creating a presentation on using native plants to attract native pollinators, I found this interesting challenge on creating over a million gardens to attract pollinators. It's inspiring and fun.
By registering your garden, you can also be included on the S.h.a.r.e. map.

Here are some of the photos I included from my garden:

Educating and inspiring others to make more spaces in their yards for pollinator friendly gardens, especially using native trees, shrubs, and flowering plants, will provide the much needed support pollinators need to survive, thrive and flourish. 

Here are some excellent websites and books for more information on how to create pollinator friendly gardens and the how and whys of using native plants:

•       Bowman’s Hill: http://www.bhwp.org/

•       PA Native Plant Society: http://www.panativeplantsociety.org/

•       Pollinator Partnership: http://www.pollinator.org/

•       Xerces Society: http://www.xerces.org/

•       Find Native Plants: http://findnativeplants.com/

•       DCNR: http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/forestry/plants/nativeplants/

Books:

•       Bringing Nature Home, D. Tallamy

•       Pollinators of Native Plants, H. Holm

•       Attracting Native Pollinators, Xerces Society

•       Native Alternatives to Invasive Plants, Brooklyn Botanic Garden Guide

Clicking on the link here or using the icon on this sites' sidebar, will bring you to the site:

http://millionpollinatorgardens.org/

Bee Humor

I was cleaning off my bulletin board for the new year and happily found this Argyle Sweater comic buried and thought you might enjoy: 

I found a few more to enjoy:

Population Crisis of Honey Bees, Monarchs: Whose next?

(pic from : https://ferrebeekeeper.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/colony-collapse-disorder-114439-530-353.jpg)

An excellent article from the NY Times,"Our Bees, Ourselves", explains succinctly the Honeybee crisis and also what this means possibly for the human race. As the author, Mark Wilson, states, honey bees are a resilient species having survived for over 40 million years and what is effecting them most definitely will impact us.

There are over 120 residues from different pesticides found in honey bee hives which reduce the effectiveness of the bee's immune system and make them more susceptible to disease. Certainly humans are exposed to these residues too and what impact is that having on us?

An the end of the article, he offers a positive note and solution.  He sites a recent study which shows that if sizable acreages of cropland are left unspoiled or uncultivated to support wild pollinators, there are higher crop yields and then in turn, higher profits. This concept also overlaps with what we are seeing with the Monarch population crisis and how it is critical to provide wild habitat and protection of milkweed.

Here is the link to the article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/15/opinion/bees-and-colony-collapse.html?contentCollection=opinion&action=click&module=NextInCollection&region=Footer&pgtype=article&_r=0

Unexpected Common Milkweed Expansion

(Picture from Washington Post)

Monarch butterfly populations have been in steady decline since 2003 caused in part by loss of habitat. The director of the organization, Monarch Watch, created a recovery plan which includes the planting nationwide of thousands of milkweed, the primary host of monarchs. The organization has shipped over 30,000 milkweed plants, see blog article: http://monarchwatch.org/blog/)

Although, this is a very important issue to me, I never made the time over the winter to order milkweed to increase the numbers we already have.

This spring, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the mowing of our upper meadow after 3 years stimulated the small patch of Common Milkweed, that had already been growing in our meadow. Common Milkweed is the most prolific of the 12 native milkweeds in PA and is also know as Asclepias syriaca.

Our Milkweed have expanded to several patches and now includes roughly 1000 healthy individual plants.

Here is a simple map showing the location and expansion of the Milkweed in the upper meadow, which covers about 2 acres. The lower meadow is largely wetlands and has very little Milkweed.

Milkweed spread via seeds carried by the wind, birds or animals or by rhizomes underground. The mowing probably exposed fertile ground for the seeds and stimulated the rhizomes.

Milkweeds' milky sap contain poisonous glycosides, which the monarchs feed upon and can tolerate and in turn gives it the protection it needs from predators. Milkweeds' nectar and pollen are free of these poisons and provide food for numerous bees, butterflies and other insects.

It's well after May, and I have not spotted any monarchs coming through still. 

Here is a map of the first adult sightings for North America through June 20th:

http://www.learner.org/jnorth/maps/monarch_spring2014.html

The milkweed are blooming, mature and ready. Hopefully, the monarchs will show up soon.

National Pollinator Week 2014: How YOU can help!

The US Senate, 8 years ago, designated this week, June 16-22, as National Pollinator Week to bring public awareness to the decline of pollinators.

Last year, in Wilsonville, Oregon, when 50 blooming Linden trees were sprayed with a systemic neonicotinoid insecticide, over 50,000 bumble bees died immediately while feeding on the contaminated nectar and pollen.

(Photo from: http://www.thebritishgardener.com)

The trees were immediately wrapped so other bees and other pollinators would not be subjected to the contaminated nectar and pollen. Because of this incident, many neonicotinoids insecticides have been banned.

(Photo from: https://ferrellgummit.wordpress.com)

Neonicotinoid pesticides/insecticides are used by farmers, gardeners and homeowners and include products from Ortho and Bayer and others. They are systemic, meaning they are absorbed by the plant, including the pollen and nectar.  Bees, butterflies and other pollinators die when they come in contact with these residues.

You can help by NOT using these products OR follow labeled directions carefully, if you must use them. There are many of these products, just a couple are pictured below. See website link below for a more complete list.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Don't use pesticides/insecticides or herbicides when plants are blooming or when pollinators are active, during daylight hours.

The Xerces Society provides a list of these products and further information and excellent articles:
http://www.xerces.org/wings-magazine/neonicotinoids-in-your-garden/
http://www.xerces.org/neonicotinoids-and-bees/

Please help save 

our pollinators, our bees and butterflies and moths 

and other important pollinators 

and spread the word.

Moments to Cherish!

I was reflecting on those moments in life that are rare and special. Moments that unlikely will be duplicated again. Moments that bring joy and wonderment. Moments or sightings that I might take for granted and presume will happen again next year or next season, but often don't. 

Such as . . .

 the bluebird at the window in the middle of a snowstorm taking shelter, 

the bunny teasing Sigi at the porch door,

the deer twins edging closer and closer, curious to know more,

a beautiful painted turtle crossing our path as Sigi and I took a fall walk,

the group of goldfinch in the spring eating the seed pods from the catmint at my window,

discovering a young fawn in the meadow, lost and confused and later united with her mother the following day,

finding a baby bunny hiding INSIDE my garden fence,

the fox in the upper meadow just hanging out,

walking out the front door and discovering the tiniest baby turtle right on the sidewalk,

finding baby bunnies huddled innocently in a mulch pile,

capturing the most beautiful afternoon rays of light shining through the petals of 

these Richard Ahren's anemones,

and watching one of our bee girls in the spring collecting nectar. 

(Our last hive died last week in the extreme cold).

Here are some quotes that I find fitting for these reflections: 

"The only constant in life is change." 

(Heraclitus)

"Learn to flow with life like a stream. 

Change is the constant in our world, 

everything and everyone is always 

in a constant state of change. 

Learn to flow with life, 

relax and 

enjoy the ride." 

(Kemmy Nola)

Pick Your Own

I was recently visiting the Cape May Honey Farm store, which offers honey varieties from around the world, candles and gifts. It is well worth a visit.

Their website is: http://www.capemayhoneyfarm.com/

As I was leaving, I noticed this funny comic strip lying on the counter. I hope you enjoy: