April 12, 2025. Where we are transplanting native plants while a snapping turtle deliberately walks south feet from my feet. These three Dwarf Blazing Stars were grown from seed in spring 2024. The flower spires will be about 12 inches tall. These little plants are not going to take over the world. #nativeplants, #minnesota, #zone4b, #growyourown, #pollinators
@Minimus A lot of beings are celebrating the first dandelion blossoms with you. #growyourown, #pollinators
One of my favorite flowers, the very ephemeral bloodroot, Sanginaria canadensis has made its appearance. Native to most of the eastern half of the US and southern Canada, it’s an early spring pollen and nectar source for native pollinators. The seeds are dispersed by ants.
@Pollinators I looked it up to be sure and it's the Lorenzo Langstroth's 1861 book Hive and the Honey Bee, which is the third edition. It was not in the first edition.
Copy of it here:
@firephoto And thank you to the 1853 Hive and Honey Bee book. #pollinators.
"Just BeeCause" teableau for 04/05/25
"Just because," because bees are a just cause.
Close-up of gorgeous solitary wasp
A good day for first solitary wasp to emerge
A newly eclosed Osmia georgica posing on cocoons that still have adults inside. This species is really easy on the eyes. And native! #osmia #bees #insects #pollinators
Just an example of an insect hotel you should never, ever buy. The jagged ends of the reeds can damage the wings of mason bees as they try to back out. Splinters might even trap them inside. Manufactured by Dobar (Gronau, Germany) and sold by Lidl. #InsectHotel #BeeHotel #bees #insects #pollinators #lidl
Huge compilation of tips for maintaining an insect hotel, by Elsa Youngsteadt and Meredith Favre. #InsectHotel #BeeHotel #bees #wasps #insects #pollinators #pollination https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/how-to-manage-a-successful-bee-hotel
The #coltsfoot is out! It lives in the sandy areas alongside our road. I was so startled when we first moved here - what were these #dandelions doing out so early??
But they aren’t dandelions. The flowers do look different if you examine them closely, as do the stems that hold them up. Plus, the leaves don’t even make an appearance until the weather has warmed up, and those don’t look anything like dandelion leaves at all.
Does anyone know which #pollinators come to these? Our vernal miner bees aren’t even out yet, as far as I can tell.
The hungry little queens have awoken
#bumblebee #crocus #irisreticulata #garden #bloomscrolling #pollinators #puutarha
Video of a female mason bee (Osmia sp.) backing out of a tunnel at my insect hotel. This is the observation wing (pulls out and has plexiglas cover) so I'd be delighted if she chose to nest there. #BeeHotel #InsectHotel #bees #insects #pollinators #osmia
@Snoro Pollinators do not approve of this trend. #pollinators.
@lionelb @BathNature It is a very fine proboscis. Is there a blossom just that size? #pollinators.
At first I thought this the same as yours but this visitor to my garden is more unusual.
This is (unsurprisingly!) a Dotted Bee-fly (Bombylius discolor).
The range is limited but I am in the middle of it.
@mizblueprint @GhostOnTheHalfShell @ai6yr Thank you for providing habitat for the blue orchard bees and others. #pollinators.
In bee news, male Osmia are showing up at the insect hotel in my back yard (Swarthmore, PA, USA). The females never choose to use these tunnels, sadly, opting instead for the smaller, paper-lined cavities in the wood blocks. #InsectHotel #BeeHotel #MasonBees #bees #nature #pollinators #insects
@Hellybootwader Oh very nice. Does the area at your work connect to hedgerows or mature trees for habitat connections? #pollinators, #rewilding.
More Common Quakers (pic 1) and Clouded Drabs (pic 2), but first sighting in 2025 of an Early Thorn, one of the leaf-mimic moths. Not as bright and colourful as some of the thorn moths in the height of summer but nice to see one nonetheless (pics 3 & 4). See how the light affects its colouration. 3 & 4 are the same moth.
