Pollinators in Action

I had to stop a moment and watch with fascination pollinators in action in my front garden, particularly on my sea holly, 'Blue Glitter.' When I walked by, I couldn't believe the cloud of action surrounding this perennial. Wasps, which I believe to be Zethus spinipes, and several smaller flies and bees were zipping all about. I thought, hey, it would be cool to try to capture that on video! So, I tried to capture a small slice of the action with my camera. It is just over a minute and will not win any academy awards, but you can sense the flurry of activity.

Moving along I am always amused by the Wool Carder Bees. This is the second year they have claimed their own "condos" among the spires of Lamb's Ear and nearby Verbascum. They hover in mid air – their maneuvers worthy of a spot among the Blue Angels. When another bee invader comes too close, they ram into him to "bump" him away. This video may be a bit dizzying, but you can spot a "hover" or two and an attack.

I'll try to improve my video making skills (as in short and sweet), because I will attempt this again. It is very fun to capture these little garden moments in action. Thank you for your patience and I hope you enjoyed.

Spiced Up Sidewalk

This tiny patch of lawn in front was just begging to be dug up! And so it was.

I planted creeping phlox (brought with me from ME), dianthus, hens and chicks (plucked from a nearby apartment), a mungo pine, thymes and even some chives (also from ME) as this area gets FULL sun. A lamb's ear sprouted up (maybe from ME) and I encouraged it. (Some bulbs were thrown in there, too, for the next spring.) I got a little carried away and dug up some more lawn on the other side and started reshaping the front bed ... anyway, these plants should do well with minimal watering.

It filled in nicely right away.

 

I was surprised to find some petunias (red) and snap dragons from the nearby baskets - fun! And I sprinkled some alyssum seeds in there to see if they would like it - they did.

 

I had a little trouble at first with the neighborhood dogs - we have a number that "walk themselves." But a little cayenne or chile pepper sprinkled around this tiny patch does the trick! Too much for those sensitive noses. So, I encourage you to "spice up" your sidewalk.