Syrphid flies

Today felt almost summery, so here’s some more bugs from earlier in the summer. Syrphid flies this time. I admire how much they look like bees until you get close enough to spot those big fly eyes. Sometimes I don’t even realize what I saw until I upload the pictures from the camera, they’re so […]

Labor day

Such a happy water hyacinth. I think it’s celebrating not being salad for raccoons. Or maybe it suddenly realized that Labor Day is the end of summer, so if it was going to flower, it better do it now. You’d think with that bright yellow target just beckoning to bees it would have more pollinators […]

Catmint for bees

The promised thunderstorms finally paid off. The cat even came inside and curled up by the window listening to the cooling rain. Just this afternoon, he was sitting in the middle of the catmint, noshing away, while bumblebees buzzed around him. Like these:

More fruit for squirrels to wish they could steal

Never mind the late lamented peaches. More flowers are coming, promising more fruits. The raspberries are still going steadily, and the eggplants are just beginning to flower. Since raspberries have thorns and raw eggplant is bitter, I just might get to eat some of these.

Squash bees are back!

The volunteer winter squash are back, and so are the squash bees. I found several male blossoms on the plant, all folded up and limp. One of them turned out to be a squash bee dorm, with two bees curled up in the bottom.

Coneflowers are buzzing

Coneflowers are buzzing. Buzzing with bumblebees. Buzzing with honeybees. Buzzing with … flies? That doesn’t even look like a syrphid fly. But you know what? There’s lots of coneflowers for everyone.

Pollinator Week

It’s National Pollinator Week. So take a pollinator to lunch this week. In their nests and in the ground Native bees are all around. Hummingbirds and bats and bees Will multiply your fruit with ease. Plant some flowers, plant a bunch, And take a pollinator to lunch! http://nativeplants.msu.edu/

Re:Stalking the Wild Asparagus

If you’re interested in foraging wild foods, there are good resources on the web, but a library copy of Stalking the Wild Asparagus, by Euell Gibbons has its own charm. The title essay tells how as a youth he went looking for something, anything for his family to eat and found armloads of wild asparagus. […]

More bees on the collards

Bees on the left. Bees on the right. Bees on every side of the collard plants. Like many crucifers, from brussels sprouts and mustard greens to radishes and Chinese broccoli, collards pack a lot of flavor. Now, with the heat and flowers bolting so fierce bright and yellow, every part of the plant must be […]

The Week of Wild Roses

One longtime volunteer in the yard is a big shaggy heap of arching thorny stems that turns into a charming Pasture Rose covered with sweet, pink flowers. They only last about a week or two, and every year it startles me with how suddenly they appear. All spring it’s a hairy mess keeping me away […]