I planted this bed of crocuses thirty years ago, and they’ve announced spring’s arrival every year since. They are surrounded by golden ragwort, which provides a ground cover around the base of our large pin oak tree.
Month: March 2014
It was a sweat bee!
The response to last week’s blog post prompted me to send the photographs to BugGuide for identification. I now know the pollinator was a sweat bee, specifically Halictidae lasioglossum. I’ve learned there are many species of sweat bees. Many are dark black or brown, but some are quite colorful. I saw this one (Halictidae agapostemon) in our backyard a few years ago.
I’ve also seen this one (Augochloropsis metallica). It reminds me of a jewel – maybe a flying emerald?
First crocus and pollinator
I was surprised and quite pleased recently to find the first blooms of the year. There were a few small crocus flowers in our backyard, and this yellow one especially caught my eye.
“Monarchs and more” presentations
It still feels and looks like winter, but birds have been singing and I’m confident spring is on the way. It will be time for planting before we know it. Depending on what we plant, we can help monarchs and other backyard wildlife.
In particular, milkweeds attract monarchs, and other butterflies and pollinators. These are the ones I grow in my garden, and I’ve found monarch caterpillars on all of them.