Happy Pollinator Week!! It is a great time to visit the Cherry Creek Pollinator Habitat. So many wonderful plants are blooming in June. Rudbeckia, hoary vervain, common milk weed, butterfly milkweed, purple poppy mallow, common yarrow, beebalm and fleabane. All these plants are great for our pollinators.
MJ Frogge
Today I started flower and herb seeds under grow lights. Growing your own transplants is a great way to add annuals, perennials and herbs to your landscape for pollinators. I started basil, parsley, borage, salvia, tithonia and calendula.
Spindly growth is a common problem when growing transplants indoors. It is best to place the seedlings under artificial light. It is not necessary to have a grow light plant stand. A standard shop light fixture with one cool and one warm fluorescent tube light works fine. Or you can purchase an inexpensive ready to go, out of the box, shop light with LED lights. For best results, the lights should be approximately 1 inch above the seedlings. Raise the light as the seedlings grow. Leave the lights on 12 to 16 hours a day.
For more seed starting tips: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhLhtIHWvc4
Many flowers do well or better as direct planting outside. Plant zinnia and sunflower seeds after the chance for frost has past and the ground temperature is consistently warm, over 55 degrees F. This usually occurs in mid to late May.
MJ Frogge
The Pollinator Talks & Tours on August 3 is a terrific opportunity to learn more about pollinators, plants and take a tour of pollinator habitats. The tours will be led by staff from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, Entomology, Backyard Farmer, Nebraska By Heart, Nebraska Forest Service and Nebraska Statewide Arboretum.
All events (with the exception of the 2 p.m. tour) begin from the Backyard Farmer (BYF) gardens east of UNL Keim Hall, 1825 N. 38th St in Lincoln, Nebraska.
At the BYF garden, FREE herbal tea will be available and for kids—pollinator activities, face-painting and make-your-own antennae.
Schedule of Events:
This event is sponsored by the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum, arboretum@unl.edu, 402-472-2971.
Event Links:
Looking for more family fun on August 3?
Enjoy the Pollinator Tours and Talks and then head over to the first official day of the Lancaster County Super Fair in Lincoln! Details at http://superfair.org
Here’s to Sharing the Buzz!
Soni
Nebraska Extension provides research-based information to help you make informed decisions any time, any place, anywhere – http://lancaster.unl.edu
What is blooming in the Cherry Creek Pollinator Habitat in April? Today I found pasque flower, wild plum, redbud and dandelions. Yes, we have dandelions in the pollinator habitat. They are a great early blooming plant for pollinators. I found tiny native bees visiting the plants. Let a few plants remain and bloom in your habitat. Remove the dead flowers before they go to seed.
MJ Frogge
The monarch migration has begun! We are seeing so many monarchs in the Cherry Creek habitat this week. This is really good news. Thousands of monarchs died in Mexico due to a surprise snow storm, in March, before they started their migration this spring. The fact that there are so many this fall is a good sign. We will remain hopeful that the population will rebound.
Monarch on zinnia in the Cherry Creek Pollinator Habitat in September.
Several monarchs on the zinnias in the pollinator habitat during fall migration.
To continue helping monarchs and other pollinators in the fall it is important to have fall blooming perennial plants like asters and tall sedum. Also consider annual flowers such as zinnias and sunflowers in the landscape too.
Enjoy the great fall weather!
MJ
Spring is here at the pollinator habitat. Many of our native plants have started to grow. Prairie ragwort, shell-leaf penstemon, bee balm and purple poppy mallow are all leafing out. The wild plum is blooming! Approximately two weeks earlier than last year.
MJ
Tiger lilies in my landscape that will be replaced with pollinator plants.
This spring, summer and fall I have asked myself these same questions as I walk through my landscape. I had a shrub that had a lot of winter damage. I removed it and was amazed at how it opened up the yard. It was in a prime, full sun location. In another part of the yard I have tiger lilies. Their pollen stains my clothes and I avoid them when they are blooming. These two areas will be planted with native perennials and other plants beneficial to our pollinators. I am still working on my list, but common milkweed and Culver’s root have already been planted. I know I need more early spring and early August blooming plants. It is important for pollinators to have plants blooming April through October. I am excited at the opportunity to plan these new garden areas and it will help me survive another cold Nebraska winter.
MJ
Common milkweed planted where I took out shrub that had severe winter injury.
We have been enjoying beautiful fall days this week in the pollinator habitat. Chris helped me unload another truck load of bark. Thank you Chris and I promise this is the last load for this year. Soni and I spread the bark and placed new pavers, donated by Jim. The pavers make it easier to walk through our dry stream bed that was added for erosion control and direct foot traffic through the habitat. I planted the seeds of native plants that we have collected this month. We also have planted several trees. Redbud, oak and spruce trees will benefit all wildlife when they mature.
MJ
View of habitat in the fall.
New paver walkway.
Praying mantis in container flowers looking for next meal.
Common milkweed seeds ready to relocate by the wind.
Another beautiful fall day! It is a perfect day to collect seeds from native plants. Our milkweeds are going to seed, so it is important to collect some before they all go poof in the wind. After collecting the seeds, you can replant them in a new location as soon as possible. They will germinate next spring. If you are saving the seeds, be sure to give them time to dry out completely before you store them. They will rot if not dried properly. Be sure to label the envelope or container you store them in.
Monarch Watch needs milkweed seed donations to continue their Monarch habitat restoration efforts. Monarch Watch is a nonprofit educational outreach program based at the University of Kansas. Visit their website at monarchwatch.org to learn more about their efforts in saving monarch butterflies.
MJ
Swamp milkweed seeds.
The Buzz at Cherry Creek 