Reflecting on 2023

This was a dry year in southeast Nebraska. Watering plants and keeping the water features full was a priority this year in the Cherry Creek Habitat.

Looking at the data, we are on target to have more moisture that 2022. The University of Nebraska at Lincoln, Weather and Climate keeps monthly and annual precipitation totals (in inches) since 1887.

https://lincolnweather.unl.edu/data/monthly-precipitation.asp

Insect observations seem down this year. Saw very few Monarch butterflies and caterpillars. I observed this year:

leaf cutter bees (Megachile species)

bumble bees (Bombus species)

black swallowtail butterflies (Papilio polyxenes asterius)

painted lady butterflies (Vanessa cardui)

Chinese mantis (Tenodera sinensis)

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Plants that bloomed and did well in the Cherry Creek Habitat this year include:

common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca)

butterfly milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa)

cup plant (Silphium perfoliatum)

partridge pea (Chamaecrista fasciculata)

sawtooth sunflower (Helianthus grosseserratus)

hoary vervain (Verbena stricta)

wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa

tall thistle (Cirsium altissimum)

rosinweed (Silphium integrifolium)

chicory (Cichorium intybus)

brown-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia triloba)

pitcher’s sage (Salvia azurea)

Joe-pye weed (Eutrochium maculatum)

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I am looking forward to a peaceful, restful winter and anticipating the first blooms of next year. What will 2024 bring?

Best holiday wishes, Mary Jane Frogge

Goldenrod

Goldenrod is blooming in the Cherry Creek pollinator habitat. This late summer and fall blooming perennial of the Compositae family, is native to North America, where there is well over 50 species. They have mostly wand like stems, variously shaped leaves and heads of small yellow flowers. Because they are such common plants in rural areas, some people may think of goldenrods as weedy and unsuitable for the flower garden. Most of these plants are striking in appearance.

These low maintenance, nearly pest free plants deserve a place in your pollinator habitat. This time of year you can find bees, bumblebees, butterflies, moths, wasps, beetles and flies all visiting the flowers on this beautiful plant. Goldenrods make nice border plants or do well in a wildflower or prairie garden setting. Goldenrods do not cause hayfever. Their pollen is too heavy to be carried by the wind. Ragweed, which inconspicuously blooms at the same time, is the culprit.

MJ Frogge

What is Blooming in August?

Excited to see so many wonderful summer blooming plants in the Cherry Creek Pollinator Habitat this month.  The butterflies and bees are in large numbers and it is great to be in the habitat watching all the activity.  Rosinweed, tall thistle, chicory, brown-eyed Susan, pitcher’s sage, purple coneflower, black-eyed Susan, cup plant and Joe-Pye weed are all blooming now. All these plants are fairly easy to start from seed.

MJ Frogge

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What is blooming?

Hoary vervain (Verbena stricta) is blooming in the habitat now.  This perennial, native plant has beautiful purple-blue flowers and blooms for at least 6 weeks.  It gets 2-3 feet tall and prefers drier soil conditions.  I always see bumblebees visiting the flowers, as well as butterflies and solitary bees.

MJ Frogge

Snow Fall

Lincoln received its first major snow fall of the year yesterday, nearly 9 inches. I enjoy visiting the Cherry Creek Pollinator Habitat after a snow fall to see the tracks from animal activity. The deer had been through for a visit. Many bird visitors too. Found two imprints of bird wings in the snow. Hope you have a chance to get outside and enjoy your habitat in the winter. There is so much to see.

MJ Frogge

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Is 2023 the Year?

Is 2023 the year you create a pollinator habitat?

Starting a new project can sometimes be overwhelming. Where do you start? Here are a few resources to help you plan your new space for pollinators.

MJ Frogge

GRO Big Red Virtual Learning, Nebraska Extension

Pollinators Bees, Butterflies and Beyond, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCJfOy2IBZk

Creating a Pollinator Habitat, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8T0aKpxrox4

Pollinator Blooms for All Seasons, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQrdGPx8haM

Nebraska Pollinator Habitat Certification Program

https://extension.unl.edu/statewide/douglas-sarpy/nebraska-pollinator-habitat-certification/

Application and plant list

Click to access ce-application-for-nebraska-pollinator-habitat-fillable.pdf

Cherry Creek Pollinator Habitat Summer 2015

Pollinator planting card-Great Plains

https://www.dev.pollinator.org/gardencards

Pollinator Partnership

https://www.pollinator.org/

Xerces Society

https://www.xerces.org/

Asters

Asters are hardy perennials that bloom late summer until the first hard frost. Many asters are native to Nebraska and a late-season source of pollen for migrating monarchs, other butterflies, moths, bumblebees, solitary bees, honey bees and soldier beetles.

Asters are easy to grow and look great in a mass planting. They can be planted with other native plants like purple coneflower, coreopsis, black-eyed Susan and native grasses.

The main plant disease is powdery mildew. It causes a whitish growth that appears on leaves. To reduce the chance of this disease, grow asters in full sun and space the plants, so they are not crowded.

Heath aster – Symphyotrichum ericoides, 2-3 feet tall with white flowers.

Fendler’s aster-Symphyotrichum fendleri, 6-16 inches tall, white flowers, low growing.

‘My Antonia’ white flowers, 12 inches tall.

Smooth aster – Symphyotrichum leave, 2-4 feet tall with purple flowers.

‘Bluebird’ violet-blue flowers, 3-4 feet tall.

Calico aster- Symphyotrichum lateriflorum, 2-3 feet tall, small flower heads of white or pale purple flowers with reddish-rose centers.

‘Lady in Black’ white flowers with raspberry centers, purplish-black leaves, 3-4 feet tall.

New England aster – Symphyotrichum novae-angliae, 3-5 feet tall with pink, red-violet, purple or blue flowers.

‘Andenken an Alma Pötschke’ is a fast growing, upright, compact plant that grows 30-42 inches tall. It has masses of flowers, 2″ across, with rose pink petals which bloom for 6 weeks or longer in late summer.

Kickin’ series of bushy and compact asters, 2 ft. tall and wide, late summer to fall-blooming with semi-double flowers. Comes in seven different cultivars: ‘Carmine Red,’ ‘Lilac Blue,’ ‘Lavender,’ ‘Pink Chiffon,’ ‘Silver Pink,’ ‘Mauve,’ and ‘Purple.’

New York aster-Aster novi-belgii, 3-4 feet tall, purple, dark pink, white flowers.

‘Alert’ purplish-red flowers, 1.5-2 feet tall.

Aromatic Aster– Symphyotrichum oblongifolium, 1-4 feet tall with pink, lavender-blue, purple flowers.

‘Dream Beauty’ pink flowers with orange centers, 1 foot tall.

‘Fanny’ purple-blue flowers, 2-3 feet tall.

‘Raydon’s Favorite’ violet blue flowers, 2-3 feet tall.

‘October Skies’ sky-blue flowers, 1-2 feet.

Sky Blue aster-Symphyotrichum oolentangiense, 3 feet tall with light blue flowers.

Silky aster– Symphyotrichum sericeus, 1-2 feet, one inch purple flowers, branching stems with leaves covered silvery hairs, blooms in August.

Prairie aster – Symphyotrichum turbinellum, 3-4 feet tall with lavender flowers.

MJ Frogge

New England Aster

smooth aster

calico aster

Praying Mantis

We have praying mantis in the Cherry Creek Pollinator Habitat. There are two kinds of mantis in Nebraska, the Chinese mantis and the Carolina mantis. The larger, Chinese mantis, have a body length of 3 to 4.25 inches. I mainly see the Chinese mantis (Tenodera sinensis). They are quite numerous and I often disrupt them when I walk through or water plants in the habitat. They are predators and do eat beneficial insects as well as insect pests. They are fun to watch and it can be challenging to get good photos of them.

MJ Frogge

Baby mantis from earlier this summer

Adult Chinese mantis

Leaf Cutter Bees

In May, I replace a row of nesting blocks in the Cherry Creek Pollinator Habitat solitary bee house. I checked the blocks the end of July to look for nesting activity. The leaf cutter bees have been very active! Leafcutter bees will snip discs of leaf material, about a quarter inch, from ash trees or roses. They take the leaf discs and fold them to construct small tube shaped nests inside pieces of wood or holes in trees. Inside of each cell an egg is placed with some pollen.

To make a solitary bee house, read this NebGuide ‘Creating a Solitary Bee House’: https://extensionpublications.unl.edu/assets/pdf/g2256.pdf

To learn more about leaf cutter bees, visit this site: https://byf.unl.edu/topics/leaf-cutter-bees

MJ Frogge

Teaching Youth About Pollinators

Happy Pollinator Week! This week our office is hosting 4-H Clover College. Twelve youth signed up for my session called Pollinator Party. We discussed what crops need pollinators. They looked at the list and circled foods they eat. I then asked them to highlighted a favorite food. I asked how they would feel if they could never have that food again. The shocked look on their faces was clear. They are starting to understand the importance of pollinators.

It was a beautiful day to be out in the Cherry Creek Pollinator Habitat. They notice the native flowers that were blooming. Many were fascinated by the solitary bee house and watching the leaf cutter bees fill the holes that were drilled in the wood blocks. They planted dill and zinnia seeds to benefit caterpillars and butterflies.

After exploring the habitat, each youth made a solitary bee tube house to take home and place in their landscape. It was a fun morning and by the end of the session, the kids had a better understanding of our native pollinators and how their habitat is important to protect. 

MJ Frogge