Meteorological Summer

With the garden planted and pots full of a wider variety of native plants, the turnout was worth the effort. A new and different type of Catmint bloomed throughout the season and was highly favored by honeybees. Bumblebees visit just about every type of plant during the course of the season. The last of the early summer Wool Carder bees finally found Penstemon to their satisfaction. I observed several unidentified species that failed to stay long enough for me to grab my phone, inside, and photograph. They were small, about the size of a Sweat Bee. One black with a gold stripe. Another gray with an orange circle on the back. By July, it was not uncommon to see as many as ten bees in the garden at once, half and half Honeybees and Bumblebees. This was the most, ever. I did not see a Hummingbird until the first day in August. A solo Wood Carder in the back patio area 8-10, and the first Monarch in two seasons on 8-22. Of note, I spent less time in the garden areas because I played senior softball. Therefore observations might be considered skewed. A neighbor and I noted fewer butterflies in recent years, despite growing attempts to attract them. The white butterflies are the most common visitors. I saw one Red Admiral and a couple of unidentified ones on my Butterfly Bush. By late August, most of the flowers had started to fade. I made a trip to the nursery to purchase some Blanketflower to put in pots to increase the choices until the end of the season. A warm Fall was predicted, and I wanted to support all pollinators until their final visit to my garden, whenever that may be.

Publicado el enero 9, 2024 07:58 TARDE por joffenbacher