It's pollinator week!

[seaofgreen18]

Howdy all let's remember to help our pollenators this week from bee's to butterflies to moths and bats pretty much anything that flies! Plant some native wildflowers or milkweed in your area to help these guys out and PLEASE BE CAREFUL when outside spraying pesticides and surfactants I appreciate it and our pollinators and beneficial insects do as well

 

[seaofgreen18]

You can buy a bee house or build One in the tubes I have Mason bee larvae in the tubes from my homemade bee house you can see the end is filled with mud. You bring in the tubes and put in a mesh bag (breathable) bag in the garage or basement or somewhere somewhat cool and shaded and in a few months when the parasites and predators leave I'll put the tubes back outside for them to chew through the mud in the end And break outta the tube! Just trying to do my part for the environment it's in a BAD WAY!!!!

 

[iwant2fish]

Way to go. Makes me think about the last time I have even seen a bee around here.

 

[seaofgreen18]

The importance of parasitoid wasps​

• There are many species of parasitoid wasps, but most are so tiny that they are rarely noticed. What they lack in size they make up in sheer numbers and efficiency, and as a group they may be the single most important biological control method gardeners have.
• Wasps belong to the order Hymenoptera, which includes more parasitoids than any other order of insects, with thousands of parasitic species in over 40 families.
• Parasitoid wasps are very diverse in appearance, ranging in size from as small as a fleck of pepper up to nearly 3” long, and from uniformly dark in color to brightly colored and patterned. These tiny agents of death may be ectoparasitoids or endoparasitoids, but the good news is, they do not sting people.

 

[seaofgreen18]

These guys are pollenators as well

 

[Mike Wright]

We have seen more bees this year. I let the milkweed grow in my yard. Nice tips!

 

[seaofgreen18]

That's coo we do to and I appreciate it as well as the wildlife

 

[seaofgreen18]

Mason bee is a name now commonly used for species of bees in the genus Osmia, of the family Megachilidae. Mason bees are named for their habit of using mud or other "masonry" products in constructing their nests, which are made in naturally occurring gaps such as between cracks in stones or other small dark cavities. When available, some species preferentially use hollow stems or holes in wood made by wood-boring insects. Species of the genus include the orchard mason bee O. lignaria, the blueberry bee O. ribifloris, the hornfaced bee O. cornifrons, and the red mason bee O. bicornis. The former two are native to the Americas, the third to eastern Asia, and the latter to the European continent, although O. lignaria and O. cornifrons have been moved from their native ranges for commercial purposes. Over 300 species are found across the Northern Hemisphere. Most occur in temperate habitats within the Palearctic and Nearctic realms, and are active from spring through late summer

 

[SmokingWings]

Not just this week, but every week is "pollinator week".

From a year or two ago. The butterfly is definitely 420 related. It is a crop from a larger photo which showed a stealth grown plant in the background and some zinnias and wax begonias in front to attract a person's view and keep the very noticeable plant hidden.

 

[seaofgreen18]

Thanks for sharing the photo

 

[SmokingWings]

Thanks for sharing the photo

Thank you.

Saw my first Monarch of the season about a week ago. Still waiting on the Eastern Black Swallowtail. Left some wild growing dill plants in the garden and hopefully they show up this year. Last year was bad and had just a few Swallowtail flying around and none of their caterpillars.

Saw a large yellow butterfly last Monday but it was too far away to tell which of the butterflies it was. Before I could get up to go look it flew off.

If I have any of my clones/plants outside in pots I will plan to have flower beds to distract people. The back yard is an open view to the public with just a typical cyclone fence and no privacy fence.

 

[seaofgreen18]

ivy hydrangea seen 4 or 5 swallow tails on this This Year it's good privacy cover as well to native to north America needs trellis but hardy not much water necessary but ours is by a bunch of ceader trees so I'm sure the roots from them wick up deep soil moisture as does the fungi

 

[seaofgreen18]

I think that would be perfect for curbside appeal along with helping the environment if you give it a good start and you're patient enough to let it do it's thing

 

[Rasterman]

Howdy all let's remember to help our pollenators this week from bee's to butterflies to moths and bats pretty much anything that flies! Plant some native wildflowers or milkweed in your area to help these guys out and PLEASE BE CAREFUL when outside spraying pesticides and surfactants I appreciate it and our pollinators and beneficial insects do as well

I'm lucky to live in a rural area where most people don't have a lot of water and the growing season is short and nobody uses pesticides. Pest population hasn't been a problem here for years, except for the first couple of years I lived here, and I think the previous occupant used pesticides. I think tiny wildlife is in balance so I never have to think about pests outside.

I keep a part of the property perpetually unmowed to keep the grasshopper population high so birds will have a place to hunt, and grasshoppers haven't touched my grows.

So yeah, I'm thinking pesticide use causes the problems people are trying to prevent. When I lived in town I tried organic gardening but every one around me was using pesticides so I was constantly having to put it on my own garden.

 

[seaofgreen18]

I'm lucky to live in a rural area where most people don't have a lot of water and the growing season is short and nobody uses pesticides. Pest population hasn't been a problem here for years, except for the first couple of years I lived here, and I think the previous occupant used pesticides. I think tiny wildlife is in balance so I never have to think about pests outside.

I keep a part of the property perpetually unmowed to keep the grasshopper population high so birds will have a place to hunt, and grasshoppers haven't touched my grows.

So yeah, I'm thinking pesticide use causes the problems people are trying to prevent. When I lived in town I tried organic gardening but every one around me was using pesticides so I was constantly having to put it on my own garden.

Great Post and That's AWESOME I agree with you completely I was one of those who used pesticide and oils until I found the beneficial insects wouldn't go back its GOOD all the way around and you know that's not the only problem folks bring on themselves spread the word and give a fellow grower a hand in the fight in helping the environment and the critters that rely on it. .

 

[seaofgreen18]

Lacewings (Chrysopecula carnea)

Chrysoperla carnea, also known as the red-lipped green lacewing, is an insect of the Chrysopidae family . The delicate lacewing adults feed on nectar, pollen and honeydew while their larvae are the active predators. The first three larvae instars, are the voracious ones.

The larvae of the BioLacewing primarily target aphids (indiscriminate of species). Secondary targets include whiteflies, mealybugs, thrips, spider mites and other soft bodied pests.

Use egg cards for small or early season infestations and larvae to combat a more severe infestation. The larvae can be cannibalistic and should be applied as early as possible. Lacewings are supplied as larvae, eggs or egg cats, which can be hung on infested plants.

 

[seaofgreen18]

Amblyseius andersoni is a predatory mite that feeds on small arthropod prey and pollen. Less than 0.04 in. in length, andersoni mites feed on small arthropod prey and pollen which allows their application before the pest arrival.

Main target pests: Two-spotted spider mite (Tetranychis uriricae) and other mites including European red, broad, cyclamen and russet mites. Additional targets are Western flower thrips.

Often used in tomatoes due to its ability to maneuver between trichomes. They are active across a wide temperature range, allowing for early season introduction into crops yet might enter diapause with cooler temperatures and short day lengths (<10 hr.).

 

[Mike Wright]

Our back hill with Buddha amidst the ferns and milkweed....

 

[seaofgreen18]

Is Buddha Waldo's cousin??? Where is she. Nice job on concealment

 

[seaofgreen18]

There's one thing I like to plant and that's crimson clover amidst out wildflower and milkweed
Crimson clover is commonly used in agriculture as a nitrogen-fixing cover crop.[2] The plant uses associations with Rhizobia bacteria to fix nitrogen.[2] The plant is widely grown as a protein-rich forage crop for cattle and other livestock, and is suitable to be made into hay. It is commonly grazed by domestic and wild ruminants.[3] It is often used for roadside erosion control, as well as beautification, however it tends to eliminate all other desirable spring and early-summer species of native vegetation in the area where it is planted.

Crimson clover's flowers and the sprouts, which are visually and gustatorily similar to alfalfa sprouts, are edible.[4][5] They can be added as an ingredient in salads, sandwiches, and other dishes, made into tisanes, and can be dried and ground into flour.[5] 100 grams of crimson clover sprouts contains 23 calories, 4g of protein, 2g of fiber, and provides 38 percent of the RDI of vitamin K, as well as 14 percent of the RDI of vitamin C.[4] It has extremely small amounts of calcium, iron, phosphorus, zinc, selenium and magnesium.[4] Like all raw eaten sprouts, they possess the risk of Escherichia coli, Salmonella, Listeria, and Bacillus cereus contamination.[6] However, many reputable facilities in the United States attempt to regulate and test these crops for such bacteria.[7]