The Cherry Creek Pollinator Habitat is full of bees and butterflies this month. We are seeing many native plants blooming in July: Rosinweed, Illinois bundleflower, swamp milkweed, wild bergamot, purple coneflower, hoary vervain, and chicory. It is wonderful to have a diverse selection of plants in our pollinator habitat.
MJ Frogge
We are seeing so many great native plants blooming in the Cherry Creek Pollinator Habitat in June. Bee balm, purple poppy mallow, butterfly milkweed, common milkweed, prairie fleabane and common yarrow. It is important to have a diverse selection of plants for a pollinator habitat.
MJ Frogge
Wild bergamot, Monarda fistulosa is blooming now in the Cherry Creek Pollinator Habitat. This perennial plant is native to Nebraska and found through out North America. It reaches heights of 2 to 5 feet tall. The flowers are light purple and is an important pollinator plant to bumblebees, skippers, swallowtails, monarchs, solider beetles, wasp, leaf cutter bees and sweat bees.
MJ Frogge
Lots of activity in the Cherry Creek Pollinator Habitat this month. Soni added new blocks to the solitary bee house. It did not take long for solitary leaf cutter bees to start filling them up.
There is also many flowers blooming this month. Common milkweed, butterfly milkweed, purple poppy mallow and yellow sweet clover.
MJ Frogge
Yesterday was Earth Day. This was the first nice weekend day that was not cold or snowy. My family and I celebrated by hiking at Pioneers Park through the Fleming Woods. It was a beautiful day, we saw many migrating birds and early blooming wildflowers. Blooming now is cut-leaf toothwort, white fawn lily and false rue anemone.
Here are a few suggestions to celebrate Earth Day this week:
Plant a tree. Trees for Lancaster County Nebraska:
https://lancaster.unl.edu/factsheets/282.htm
Recycle. Most large cities have drop off recycling sites.
Lincoln NE: https://lincoln.ne.gov/city/pworks/solid-waste/recycle/dropoff-sites.htm
Go outside and celebrate. Attend Lincoln Earth Day Celebration, Saturday, April 28th, 10 am – 3 pm at Union Plaza, Lincoln NE. More Information: https://lincolnearthday.org/
MJ Frogge
We were treated to a beautiful fall day in the pollinator habitat yesterday. I took advantage of this, by weeding and a little fall clean up. Not too much clean up, it is good to leave some plant material and leaves. It is important not to disrupt overwintering areas for beneficial insects. I also planted wildflowers seeds. A Master Gardener had secured a donation of seeds for us to use. In the collection was purple coneflower. Thank you Kay! I collected seeds earlier in the fall from the habitat. So I planted shell-leaf penstemon and whorled milkweed too.
MJ
Bumble bee on Pitcher’s sage.
Pitcher’s sage (Salvia azurea) has been blooming in the habitat for a few weeks. It has an amazing blue color. This native perennial is in the mint family, but is not an aggressive spreader. The stems are tall and erect, with the plant reaching a height of 2-5 feet. Plant it in full sun. Nearly every day this month, I see bumble bees on the flowers of this plant. They love it and so will you.
MJ
Pitcher’s sage in the Cherry Creek Habitat.
Prairie ragwort is a native plant that blooms May through June. This wildflower is a biennial or short-lived perennial that is approximately one foot tall. It attracts many pollinators like bees, flies, moths and butterflies.
MJ
Prairie ragwort blooming now in the Cherry Creek Habitat.
The Buzz at Cherry Creek 