We’ve got to help the pollinators!  Our next meal depends upon it! Melodramatic, but true!

We need Bees … and more!

If I got your attention, then it was worth it.  All across the nation, we are at odds with the very insects that pollinate our fruit trees and vegetable gardens.  Our food supply is dependent upon these tiny creatures.

There are many different species of pollinators; butterflies, hummingbirds, and all types of bees.  Not just honeybees, but bumblebees, wasps, and more.

Missing from our landscapes are all the plants that bees and their fellow pollinator buddies have used for nectar and food  for years.  Where did they go?  The way of many of our native plants.  Our roadsides are conscientiously mowed every season by the state, cutting down native plants like milkweed that are critical for monarch caterpillars.

We all have to accept some of the blame – I HATE thistles in our pasture fields; butterflies and bees LOVE them! We use pesticides to get rid of the bad bugs in our gardens and on our farms and kill the good ones along with them.  I could go on and on, but I’ll get off my soap box and give you a few suggestions about what we all can do to .

Here’s one of many inspirational websites that I visit often.  It’s easy to get involved.  Take a look: Million Pollinator Gardens.  Wouldn’t it be great if your garden was registered?

So how do we as farmers and gardeners go about keeping our pollinators happy?

Good to Know:

Mason Bees
Bees are busy; they’ve got things to do and places to be.  If you don’t bother them, they’re going to leave you alone. But if you still get real uneasy about getting stung, you can do your part by putting the welcome mat out for Mason Bees.  In areas where cool temperatures limit honeybee activity during the spring blooming of fruit trees and blueberries, native Mason Bees are the pollinators that get the job done.

Smaller than honeybees with dark bodies that often have a metallic sheen, mason bees can work blossoms at lower temperatures than honeybees. In much of North America, mason bees emerge when the redbuds bloom, with populations highest during apple blossom time.

Sometimes called orchard bees or blue orchard bees, most Mason Bees are solitary insects that nest in holes in trees, or in hollow stems of old elderberries, brambles or similar vegetation. Mason Bees are so named because they pack mud into their nests, like brick masons.  If you want to invite them into your garden, build them a home!

The Gardening for Wildlife Foundation has a wonderful how to on building “bee hotels” for these solitary bees.  Click here for plans.

If you’re going to spray insecticides, read the labels, purchase responsibly,
apply according to directions, and do it late in the evening.

Bad Bugs
Sometimes, no matter what, it becomes necessary to eliminate the bad bugs.  Using a natural product or introducing a natural predator is certainly a preferred method.  One thing farmers are particularly sensitive to is when to apply chemicals.  The time of day is pretty critical. One year we “borrowed” several hives of bees from a local “bee farmer”.

It was absolutely amazing how early these little guys were out in the field working and how late they stayed on the job.  We were able to work in harmony with these little creatures by spraying very late in the evening – usually after dark, when the bees were all safe with the hive.  Most blooms are closed then, too, so they were protected from the chemicals and when the bloom opened at first light, the bees were back at work in a safe environment.

And there are butterflies!

It goes without saying that I am passionate about butterflies, and they are great pollinators.

As a child, I roamed the farm with my butterfly net capturing (mostly chasing) these elusive creatures.  I built elaborate cages so I could gather caterpillars, feed them and see what emerged. (Remind me to do a blog post on this one!).

The thing about butterflies is that they love flowers.  Certain species love some flowers more than others. And most importantly…. some species require certain plants to lay their eggs on so that their caterpillar will have specific dietary needs. Here again, be careful with sprays – especially the ones butterflies consider favorites.

Providing a butterfly habit requires that you consider nectar sources as well as food sources for the caterpillars.  You’ll find a more detailed description of all this on our Butterfly Habitat page.

You can call it “attracting butterflies to your garden”, but really, what you need to construct is a butterfly habitat. That’s the difference?  Lots!  Butterflies need a place they can call home, one with pretty flowers to feed upon, water, a place to rest, and above all — a place to raise a family.

Come to the Greenhouse at BackHome-OnTheFarm and talk with us about how to give butterflies a home in your garden. We have lots of expertise, plus plants and supplies to help you make a start!

Where to start?

• Grow lots of nectar plants.
  Certain species are attracted to specific plants.  Plant in clumps or groups — they’re more attracted to smorgasboards!  Try to provide flowers throughout the season, remembering that some species like the Mourning Cloak overwinter and will be out early.  Monarchs traditionally head south and are out of our area by mid-September.
• Grow caterpillar plants.  
  Some butterflies require specific plants on which to lay their eggs — mostly because their caterpillars can only feed on certain plants.  Monarchs in particular will only lay their eggs on milkweed, and probably one of the main reasons for their decline is that native milkweed just isn’t readily available.  You can blame the use of weedkillers, but remember too that roadsides are usually mowed mid season.  If you want butterflies, do a little research about what their caterpillars prefer and you’ll have tons of winged visitors to your garden!  One word of caution: Caterpillars feed on these plants … that means they eat them.  Be prepared to live with some less than perfect plants in your garden.  Remember, you put them there for a purpose.
• Choose a sunny location.  
  While it’s important for your flowers, it’s also critical for the butterflies.  They need the sun to keep their bodies warm enough to fly.  The longer the sunny days are, the more they can feed, mate and reproduce.  That means more butterflies.
• They need shelter.  
  Find a gardening space that is sheltered from the wind.  This helps in a number of ways.  The butterflies (which need warmth to fly) are not cooled by the breezes, and they don’t have to use up so much energy to feed, mate, or lay eggs.
• Provide moisture.
  Some butterflies are “puddlers”.  They like to drink from the wet edges of mud puddles or wet sandy areas.  Fill a shallow bowl with rocks and water, sinking it into the ground or on a very low pedestal.

From Gardner Lynne:  I find it helpful to research the butterflies I’d like to attract before I start. Begin with searching for a list of native butterflies and finding out what plants they need. Sources abound for this information, so as a greenhouse person, here’s a list of my favorite plants. They made the list because they are easy to grow, and well … I just like them. You’ll come up with your own list after a season or so.

It only seems natural that those mischievous supernatural beings called fairies would thrive in garden settings! Whether you’ve got a broken clay pot or a space under a big shrub in your yard, fairy gardens can grow just about anywhere!  You can entice them into your home with tiny miniature gardens in a tea cup.  Most any container will do, as long as the plants you use are going to be happy.  We all have different tastes when it comes to gardening, and so do fairies!  Some like it wild like a jungle, and other fairies like to keep their gardens neat and structured.

Visit us on Pinterest to see some of our creations, as well as ones we’ve seen at trade shows and other places.  We have lots of plants that are easy to grow and that will stay small — tons of ideas about how to decorate your special place for these sweet little creatures.

Dream it! Create it!

Whatever you can imagine, we can help you create. And remember, this isn’t just a “girly” project.  We have many young fellows that visit the greenhouse that have made their own gardens for their action figures to play in!

From Gardner Lynne: Fairies are quite taken with bright shiny things – like marbles and beads, so be sure to include them in your garden!  And don’t be surprised if  one day these little baubles have been rearranged, a sure sign that a fairy has been there!  Personally,  I have a number of fairies that are known as house fairies. These fairies in good fun are known to hide things from us — you know, all those things we must have misplaced and cannot find?