garden pollinator class lunch n learn right now.
Half the nations (commercial) bees are in california for February for the almond trees.
Here's an example why cultivars are not always as good as natives. The right most hydrangea has sterile show floresences, but not actual nectar for the bees. Brings them in, but then doesn't give them any food. The other one's shown have the infloresences that contain the actual food.
#plantnative
#themoreyouknow
more Native plant resources for Mid-atlantic region
honey bees are european. But if you want to support the native bee population, you really need to plant native flowers. You can have some non-native in your gardens for what you like, but I really encourage focusing on the native plants to help your biodiversity and the environment.
#plantnative
Thus ends today's pollinator posts of the class I was in. I have lots of resources if people are interested in more stuff for native planting and gardens.
@Kurtroedeger Locally there is a native plant center and we have picked quite a few plants that provide food and shelter for bees and butterflies. Right now, the passion fruit vine and the milkweed are covered in butterfly caterpillars; the heather is quite noisy with bees
@Kurtroedeger True. However, it is a host plant for hummingbird moths and is exceptionally deer 'recoverable' whereas other native hydrangea do not bloom at all after deer chomping on them. I have a large lot and my 7' Annabelle is the perfect house decoration (I net it during the summer to improve bloom survival) and I don't have to worry about it escaping into the woods where I have planted oakleaf and panicle hydrangeas that I also have to net to get ANY flowers for pollinators due to deer. ๐คท๐ปโโ๏ธ
Deer resistant plants is a whole other topic. Those guys are voracious and they could avoid something one year and demolish it the next. I do love the showy hydrangea cultivars, especially when you can play with the pH of the soil for different colors. Just want to suggest having natives around to feed the buzzy bees also, which you noted you have and that makes me ๐๐๐
7' sounds awesome.
@Kurtroedeger American NATIVE Oakleaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia) delivers abundant, showy flowers in summer to a shaded border. A Southern Beauty & A Personal Favorite #CatsOfCoSo #NativeGardens #SAVETheBees #BeeFriendly
https://www.birdsandblooms.com/gardening/growing-trees-shrubs-grasses/oakleaf-hydrangea/
New word of the day:
Herbivory
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/herbivory
#themoreyouknow