This Got My Attention!

I was walking over to my car in the driveway the other day and spotted these mounded holes in the ground between my house and driveway. My heart nearly leaped out of my chest thinking about what they possibly could be. Everything from some sort of aggressive yellow jackets, giant termites to whatever else was big enough to call that hole a home. I stood there there for what seemed to be an eternity waiting to see what went in and out of any of the holes and if they were aggressive. I wondered also how I was going to get away if they didn't fancy me hovering over whatever these things were. All I know is I was a bit scared. After a bit a of waiting a larger bee flew into one of the holes. It looked like a cross between a bumble bee and a honeybee. It had fine stripes on its abdomen and was mostly built like one but much larger. It never even cared that I stood within a couple of feet of the entrance to its "home". I just needed to find out what these were and if they were harmful. After some research I found it is called a Miner or Digger Bee. Its a common name given to many varieties of  solitary bees that burrow into the ground. Its a beneficial insect and should not harm us. Whew! The one pictured in the link above is the one that I found that looked the closest to the ones here. I couldn't get a good picture of the buggers, so I'm at a loss for that. It would nice to have a high speed camera for times such as this. Upon further reading I found out they really like "lean" areas of your yard where its fairly dry. They usually will only stick around for 6 weeks or so while they raise their young and then leave. I'm happy they are here to help because I can use all of the help I can get

Great Tree To Attract Butterflies & Bees

We try to include plants and trees around our home that are both super easy to grow and also add some level of use for beneficial insects. One of our favorites we added three years ago was a Vitex tree. Vitex Vitex agnus-castus also known by Chaste Tree, Lilac Chaste Tree and Monk's Pepper -Its hardy from Zone 6a-9b and can grow up to 20 ft tall. It likes full sun to partial shade and is grown for its nice foliage. If the tree is dead-headed it will encourage more blooms later in the season Its drought tolerant and suitable for xeriscaping. BUT, what sold us on it was the fact we saw how nicely it grew in the grassy median of the interstate  not too far from us. If the tree could survive there, we knew it was the tree for us. Vitex tree going into its 3rd summer here American Painted Lady Butterfly (Vanessa virginiensis) Better view of the amazing color of this "Painted Lady" I took these pictures on a very windy day so it was hard to capture the honeybees that were buzzing around the tree.

Year of the Ladybug

Moving to the country brought an element with it I would never have guessed. Each Spring opens a door to something new outdoors. Our first year we found out everything we wanted to know and then some about grasshoppers. We were plagued by them! I now understand a bit better about a locust-like plague. They ate absolutely everything that was green. They even ate things people told me they didn't like. I guess because everything else was gone, they had to eat something.

Since then we've had the year of the fire ant, wolf spider, butterfly, praying mantis and the flea. Every season we get the opportunity to experience the full gamut of what makes each of them tick. Some years have been great fun and you wish that they would stay. Yet others have been closer to wars. We've fought fire ants and fleas that were everywhere and had the bites and stings to prove it.

What for Spring 2011? I think it will be the beautiful lady beetle aka ladybug.  We've never had so many! I've seen them from juvenile to adult. This has me very curious as to why this year? I'm thankful they've decided to spend their 2011 summer here. We need them.

 I don't treat my yard or gardens with pesticides so this may be a factor in why they've taken up residence. I love it when I see the good insects get a chance to thrive. Its just plain encouraging.

Why do I love Ladybugs so much? Lady beetles eat aphids!  Last year I battled aphids, so I guess word got around in the lady beetle community that my yard was the place to be.  Its a good thing too. Buying packaged lady beetles is a waste of money. Most of them fly away as soon as you get them. I was encouraged to see the juvenile form of the lady beetle out near my blackberry bushes, so I know that they're breeding here. Hopefully that will continue because I need all of the help I can get!

Life Cycle of the Lady Beetle

** image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

There are several different types of lady-beetles, so you need to do your homework to better identify what you have. The first insects that come to mind for me are the Mexican Bean Beetle and the Squash Beetle. They feed on your plants instead of your aphids. ---not good!

Random Pictures

Here is what's going on in my yard:



..a jumping spider hiding in a gladiola



..my rock rose that I got from this spring's plant swap is blooming



..one of four of my new castor bean plants given to me this spring. This one is a red variety



..a new variety of morning glories that I started this year. I love the color!



..one of TWO lemons on my newly planted lemon tree



..a gulf fritillary butterfly caterpillar on one of my many passion vine plants. This is their host plant. I've had quite a few of the beautiful bright orange butterflies fluttering through my back yard.

Field of Flowers

This is part of our front lawn. We are trying to make the most of how it is being used. Right now we've just left it alone, allowing a natural cycle of growth. We have a lot of clover that grows, blooms, dies and decomposes adding valuable nutrients back into the soil. The same goes for other winter "weeds" which includes the loathed henbit.

You see, there are beneficial insects that depend on areas where there are things in bloom throughout most of the year. Honeybees and butterflies are just to name a few of those who are seeking nectar. By allowing our lawn to go through the natural process, we've had something blooming in it at all times since February.

Our current bloomer is oxalis. It has really taken off this year. The waves of yellow are quite pleasing to view. So that makes the third color... first was purple (henbit), then white (clover), and currently yellow (oxalis). In the midst of all of it are bits of blue tiny flowers that I still need to identify. Seeing the population of ladybugs, bumblebees, butterflies and honeybees increase since we moved here 3 years ago amazes me. I think word is getting around that we have a pretty nice place to feast free of chemicals!

The photo here is like playing "Where's Waldo?" (click photo to enlarge) There is a honeybee on one of the flowers. Between the bee not wanting to pose and my camera's slow speed, the timing was a challenge. The bees were hopping from one flower to the next WAY before I could get focused. So 10 picture failures later...this is it!

We DO want to continue to add plants and trees to our lawn that will both feed us and them. Our plan is to build low water usage beds that will give habitat for butterflies and encourage building their population.

Maybe if we lived with a tiny patch of lawn, then having it in a condition that best worked with our needs, we would make different choices. Neighbors may not be so happy with you in a nice suburban-pristine-lawn subdivision. But, better choices could be made by considering what you are truly impacting negatively by having a basically sterile lawn. Considering a perennial bed (even if you can only in the back yard) will help. Since we are on a few acres, it just didn't seem right to sterilize the whole yard, just for the sake of aesthetics. With CCD on the rise for bees and a marked decline in other beneficial insects, our choices DO count.

Plus... it makes life just a bit more colorful I think. Now, we do mow as to not let it get too tall, and it seems we have more flowers than the fields around us. It's either that or the horses and cows have eaten all of the flowers. :)