Tag Archives: pollinators

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)

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)

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

Pollinator Week, June 19-25, 2023

Pollinator Week is an international celebration of the valuable ecosystem services provided by bees, birds, butterflies, bats and beetles. The week of June 19-25 will spotlight a unique opportunity to learn about some fascinating and important animals, the pollinators.

Tiger swallowtail on Monarda

Often overlooked or misunderstood, pollinators are in fact responsible for 1 out of every 3 bites of food that we eat. Beginning in 2006, pollinators started to decline rapidly in numbers. Participating in Pollinator Week can help save these important animals.

MJ Frogge

What you can do to help pollinators:

  • Educated yourself on pollinators that live in your area.

https://xerces.org/pollinator-conservation/about-pollinators

  • Avoid pesticides in your home landscape.
  • Plant a pollinator garden using native plants.

https://xerces.org/pollinator-conservation/pollinator-friendly-plant-lists

  • Consider certifying your pollinator habitat.

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

  • Provide a water source such as a bird bath, small pond or water feature.
  • Go to the Pollinator Partnership web site to learn more about pollinators. http://pollinator.org/
  • Share the information you learn with others.
  • Establish green corridorsby working with your neighbors to include several backyards in a pollinator habitat plan.
  • Attend a pollinator event.
Pollinator Week

Trees for Pollinators

Trees provide many well know benefits to the landscape. The importance of flowering trees as a source of pollen and nectar for pollinators is sometimes overlooked. Spring is a great time to plant trees, here are a few to consider adding to your pollinator habitat.

Red maple-Acer rubrum: Pollinators: bees, butterflies, wasps and flies. Early April blooming with scarlet red flowers and red fall foliage.

Wild plum-Prunus americana: Pollinators: bees, butterflies, moths, wasps and flies. Early April blooming with white flowers. Small trees have fruit for wildlife.

Eastern redbud-Cercis canadensis: Pollinators: bees, butterflies, wasps and flies. Late April blooming with small purple flowers. Small tree in the legume family, 20-30 feet tall.

Peachleaf willow-Salix amygdaloides: Pollinators: bees, butterflies, wasps and flies. Late April blooming with pollen loaded white flowers.

Northern catalpa-Catalpa speciosa: Pollinators: bees and moths. Blooms, late May – early June. Flowers are orchid-like and fragrant. Large heart-shaped foliage that turn yellow-brown in fall.

Tulip tree-Liriodendron tulipifera: Pollinators: bees, beetles and flies. Bloom time May-June. Gorgeous flowers are large, greenish yellow cups with a basal orange band. Native to the US, Larval host to Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus).

Other trees:

American linden-Tilia americana: Pollinators: bees, moths, wasps, beetles and flies. Summer yellow-white flowers. Fragrant flowers. Fall yellow foliage. Native tree that reaches heights of 60-80 feet.

Littleleaf linden-Tilia cordata: Pollinators: bees, moths, wasps, beetles and flies. Summer yellow-white flowers. Fragrant blooms. Fall yellow-green foliage. Great street and residential tree.

Shadblow serviceberry-Amelanchier laevis: Pollinators: bees and flies. White flowers emerge in early spring. Purple-black fruit. Green summer foliage turns copper-orange in fall.

Crabapple-Malus spp.: Pollinators: bees and flies. May blooming flowers, with long bloom time, are white, pink and red.

Black cherry-Prunus serotine: Pollinators: bees and flies. White, May blooming flowers. Native tree, 60-80 feet tall.

MJ Frogge

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/

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

Spring Blooming Plants

Many great pollinator plants are blooming now.  It can be hard to find a good collection of spring blooming plants to add to your pollinator habitat. Here are a few to try.

Trees: Eastern redbud, cherry, apple, crab apple, wild plum, pear, willow, maple and Shadblow serviceberry.

Perennials: pasque flower, Dutchman’s breeches, white trout lily, Virginia bluebells and spring beauty.

Spring blooming flower bulbs: snowdrops, Siberian squill, grape hyacinth, crocus, striped squill and glory-of-the-snow.

MJ Frogge

Backyard Farmer Garden

I had the chance to visit the Backyard Farmer Garden this month. The garden is located in the center of University of Nebraska-Lincoln, East Campus.

It is a great place to explore, see All America Selection (AAS) winners and view great gardening techniques. This teaching garden is also a pollinator habitat. Here are a few plants I found:

Dill, Anethum graveolens– great plant for swallowtail caterpillars.

Compass plant, Silphium laciniatum– native plant with yellow flowers, for bees and butterflies.

Joe-pye weed, Eutrochium purpureum– Tall, late summer blooming perennial, for bees.

Gay feather, Liatris spicata– Purple prairie plant for bumble bees.

Hope you can take time to visit this wonderful garden.

MJ Frogge