Did you know that 70% of all bees nest underground? Well, don't feel bad, neither did I until I started researching this blog. Mind you, I knew that many species, including some bumble bees, were ground nesters, but I didn't know that the majority of all bees were reared underground. But looking at all the ...
Read More | Wildlife Gardening JournalIn my gardens, bumble bees are some of my favorite visitors. Besides being exceptional pollinators, I think they are incredibly beautiful insects. I liken them to flying school buses because they don't appear to be particularly aerodynamic, yet there they are, buzzing away in short flights between my flowers. Unfortunately, American bumble bees are becoming ...
Read More | Wildlife Gardening JournalIn early spring, I often see spiderwort, probably Tradescantia hirsuticaulis or occidentalis, near woodland edges in eastern Oklahoma. I've always thought they were quite beautiful. I threw out seeds at my old house, and the several that came up the next spring delighted me. Unfortunately, I didn't bring any with me when I moved. So, ...
Read More | Wildlife Gardening JournalOh, how I love spring. Penstemon (also known as beardtongue) are among my favor plants blooming now, in mid May. Hummingbirds and bumblebees love penstemon because they put up tall flower spikes with tubular flowers designed to attract them. A western plant, with cultivars suitable for the east Penstemon is a large genus with over ...
Read More | Wildlife Gardening JournalBees are among nature’s best pollinators, so gardening for bees is rewarding for both you and your gardens. Plus, because pollinator numbers are plummeting worldwide, you’ll also be doing your part to help save the planet. As I explored in earlier blogs (here and here), most plants reproduce via insect pollination. Over 30 percent of ...
Read More | Wildlife Gardening JournalWe were standing near my sister’s garage the other evening. There were at least 8 carpenter bees (although I didn’t know at first that’s what they were). They were seemingly attempting to burrow into the eaves of her garage where some of the paint wore off over the years. Earlier that day while sitting on ...
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