Hoary vervain (Verbena stricta) is one of my favorite native wildflowers.
Hoary vervain, a native wildflower.
It is blooming in the habitat now. The plant has beautiful purple-blue flowers and blooms for at least 6 weeks. It gets 2 feet tall and prefers drier soil conditions. I always see bumblebees visiting the flowers, as well as butterflies and solitary bees.
MJ
Yesterday Soni and I were presenters at the Outdoor Discovery Program held at Platte River State Park. The weather was perfect, sunny, with a slight breeze. We taught 4th graders about pollinators and what they need for a habitat. We discussed one out of every three bites of food we eat is there because of pollinators. We asked the youth if they could make a list of pollinators and they easily mentioned bees, butterflies, bats and hummingbirds. The kids were surprised to learn that flies and beetles could be pollinators too. We talked about native solitary bees and showed them bee houses.The youth were able to view pollinators in action since it was a beautiful spring day and there were blooming wild plums near our site. The kids were provided journals so they could record their observations. Thank you Nebraska Game and Parks for providing youth this wonderful educational opportunity.
M J
Waiting for kids to arrive.
Lemon Queen sunflower with bumble bees.
On Monday the Lemon Queen sunflowers were finally blooming. My daughter and I planted them in May for the Great Sunflower Project. We will do a pollinator count when there are a few more flowers open. The bumble bees, honey bees, solitary bees and many other pollinators have found their beautiful flowers.
MJ
Bumble bees on Mexican giant hyssop.
The past two mornings I have observed bumble bees in the Cherry Creek Habitat. I am very excited about this. This has been one of my objectives to create a habitat that bumble bees would visit and hopefully nest in. The bumble bees were visiting the Mexican giant hyssop that is in three of our container planters and the white clover that recovered nicely from being fed on over the winter by rabbits and deer.
MJ
Tips on Creating Habitats for Bumble Bees
The Xerces Society has recommendations on how to create habitats for bumble bees.
There are three things that bumble bees need in the landscape to thrive: flowers from which to gather pollen and nectar, a place to nest, and a sheltered location to overwinter. Continue reading
The Buzz at Cherry Creek 