National Pollinator Week

Holes.

Hole originally drilled in limestone to hold a shelf on an outside wall of my home, but taken over by a native bee and packed with soil and pollen.

Holes are a good thing.

Holes drilled by a native bee in a log and also in the wood frame on my back patio.

Holes in wood and masonry and bare ground and leaves suggest that pollinators are at work and planning for the next generation.

Continuing the celebration of National Pollinator Week, let’s talk about those critters making the round holes: let’s talk native, or wild bees. According to the U.S. Geological Survey on native bees, there are roughly 20,000 native bee species in the world, about 4,000 of which are endemic to the U.S. Native bees are found on every continent (except Antarctica) and are some of the most important, if unnoticed and unappreciated, of the hard-working pollinators.

Many native bees are so tiny that you wouldn’t see them unless you’re really looking.

Tiny miner bee on a Zexmenia (Wedelia acapulcensis).

Other native bees, like this Horsefly-like Carpenter bee, Xylocopa tabaniformis, are larger.

Horsefly-like carpenter bee on a Engelmann’s daisy (Engelmannia peristenia). Additionally, check out the holes on the petals–probably made by a leafcutter bee.

Native bees are remarkably beautiful.

Colorful metallic sweat bee on a Coral honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens).

Regardless of size or looks, native bees are the bomb when it comes to pollinating abilities. They are some of the best and most efficient pollinators you’ll ever want to invite into your garden.

Not all native bees make holes in wood or leaves and petals for their nests, but they all need certain environmental qualities to live and thrive. We know that native bees are declining and some of the common reasons are as follows: reduction of habitat, pesticide use, lack of pollinator plants.

How can you be a part of the solution to slow the native bee decline? Make your garden welcoming to these important creatures. Many native bees (like bumblebees) nest in the ground. You can allow a portion–it doesn’t have to be a large area–of your property to host some bare soil: no mulch, no cement, no hardscaping, no garden or turf of any sort. I keep a fenced-off work and storage area where my compost bin is located. It’s not mulched, though I’ve allowed some native plants to seed out. (I just can’t help myself.) To some eyes, it’s “messy,” but to native bees’ eyes, it’s a welcoming neighborhood with good homes for their babies. And we all want good homes for our babies, right? A sterile, uber-clean look is not something that native bees like. While I haven’t spent much time searching the area for bees’ nests, I have noticed that my gardens host more native bees since I allowed this area some wildness.

Many home gardeners are building native bee/insect hotels and that’s a fun way to help native bees find protected homes for their offspring.

This leafcutter bee flew in and out of the hole over the course of several days.

When she was done, she’d packed the hole holding her eggs with pollen, leaves and who knows what else. Her babies are safe and sound.

Here’s the same bee type nectaring away on a Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea).

I wrote about my insect hotels here, but there’s plenty of information available on the Internet or through garden resources about building insect hotels or houses. These are simple and fun projects to do with kids.

One of the easiest things that will allow native bees to settle in to your garden is to leave firewood (that you won’t use) or downed tree limbs on your property.

Certain species drill into wood and lay their eggs, so it’s a effortless way to ensure that they have a safe home for their bee babies.

Horsefly-like carpenter bee working in her nest in a wood log.

I’ve laid logs of wood in various spots around my garden; bees have no trouble finding the wood and getting to work making nice homes for their families. If you cut down a tree, keep some of the wood and maybe even the stump. You can drill holes to give your native bees a head start, or leave them to it. Either way, it’s a win and native bees and your garden will be healthier for it .

Another way to help slow the decline of native bees in your area is to refrain from pesticide use. There are myriad reasons why home gardeners shouldn’t rely on pesticides, but allowing native bees to nectar and collect pollen, and to create those cool holes in leaves for their nests, are but a couple. Remember that pesticides kill–that’s their job. For example, if you’re spraying for adult mosquitoes, the pesticide will kill bees, butterflies, moths, and all other insects that the chemical comes in contact with. Pesticides don’t discriminate–they kill all “pests”, aka, insects.

Plant for pollinators!! That’s the fun part. It’s best to use native bloomers if you can get them.

Horsefly-like carpenter bee working a Hill Country penstemon (Penstemon triflorus).

Leafcutter bee on a Purple coneflower.

Mason bee (Osmia) (?) on Golden groundsel (Packera obovata).

Horsefly-like carpenter bee on Henry Duelberg sage (Salvia farinacea ‘Henry Duelberg’).

If native plants are not readily available, choose well-adapted, non-native perennials and annuals and have fun planting!

Metallic sweat bee on passalong daylily.

Don’t forget that flowers bloom in seasons other than spring–plant for year-round flowering (even in winter if you live in a mild climate) so that pollinators are kept busy and happy. You’ll enjoy the beauty of the blossoms and the insects that visit and you’ll help repair the world in your own back yard. And front yard too!

When my children were little, we enjoyed observing the the visits of giant, gentle bumblebees–you know the type, the huge black, yellow and fuzzy bees. The bees were especially fond of a large salvia shrub with blue blooms and at times, there were 20 or 30 of these bees working the blooms all at the same time. They were fascinating to watch–so focused and single-minded as they gathered nectar and pollen and so gentle, that I could pet them. (I didn’t do that in front of my little ones. No sense in encouraging that!)

There was a field not far from our street, full of native wildflowers and grasses. Of course, it was going to be developed at some point and in fact, two new neighborhood streets with tidy little single family homes were built over the field. From a neighborhood perspective, it was the best possible outcome; certainly better than a hotel or yet another shopping center. But after the construction began, we never saw the bumbles again.

Not one.

Not ever.

I recently saw a giant black and yellow and fuzzy bumblebee in my back garden. I only saw her twice, didn’t get a good photo of her, but she was there, early two mornings, working the flowers. I have no idea where her home is. I can only hope there are more like her and that they have a safe ground home somewhere and plenty to survive on.

Pollinators are life–they pollinate the food we eat, products we use, and they make the world a lovelier and more interesting place in which to live. Pollinators deserve our attention and respect; they deserve to live. If you don’t have a pollinator garden, well, why not give it a whirl? It’s not hard to plant for pollinators–you’ll be amazed by their beauty and impressed with their work ethic.

Happy National Pollinator Week!

June 20-26 is the week set aside this year to celebrate pollinators and the important work they do.

Syrphid or Flower fly nectaring at a Zexmenia (Wedelia hispida)

EVERY week should be a week to celebrate pollinators and the important work they do.

Miner bee (Perdita ignota)(?) visiting a Fall aster (Symphyotrichum oblongifolium)

Texas Crescent (Anthanassa texana) considering a trip to the Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)

Pollinators constitute the thread that holds together the world’s food web and native plants production. Upwards to 90% of native plants are pollinated by insects, birds, and bats; 1 out of every 3 bites of food humans partake of is pollinated by (primarily) bees–honeybees, and wild, or native bees. According to Pollinator Partnership, 1,000 different plants that humans use in a variety of ways are pollinated by pollinating animals,

American lady (Vanessa virginiensis) at a Purple coneflower bloom

…and in the U.S. alone, pollinators produce products worth $40 billion annually.

Two-spotted Long-horned bee (Melissodes bimaculatus) at a Purple coneflower

The bottom line is that pollination and pollinators are principal players in the good health of all eco-systems.

Sweat bee (Augochloropsis metallica)(?) and an Engelmann’s daisy (Engelmannia peristenia)

What is pollination? It’s the process whereby pollen is moved, usually either by pollinating animals or the wind, to other plants thus assuring reproduction of the plants with development of seeds and fruit–and the next generation of viable plants.

Fly and Fall aster

Pollination produces new plant life.

Gulf fritillary (Agraulis vanillae) resting on a Giant spiderwort (Tradescantia gigantea)

What are pollinating animals? Pollinators include, but are not limited to: birds, bats, moths and butterflies, flies, mosquitoes (Boo!), native/wild bees, and honeybees. There are many, many other insects that pollinate. Additionally, in parts of China where overuse of chemicals has killed all natural pollinators, people must hand pollinate some agricultural fields.

That frightening fact should scare all of us into taking care of the Earth’s pollinators.

Honeybee (Apis mellifera) nectaring at a Blue passion-flower (Passiflora caerulea)

We know that pollinators are declining throughout the world because of habitat destruction, over and mis-use of chemicals, certain big agriculture practices, the unfettered spread of invasive plant species and the decline of native-to-region plant species, as well as other reasons, like pollinator diseases.

Orange Skipperling (Copaeodes aurantiaca) working at a Rock rose (Pavonia lasiopetala)

The outlook for the health of pollinators and therefore, the rest of us, is tricky at best.

Sweat bee (Lasioglossum) (?) collecting pollen from a Clasping coneflower

So, what can we do? The easiest thing is to plant for pollinators in our own home gardens, or neighborhood school gardens, or local parks–or all three, plus anywhere else you can think of.

It’s so simple!

Get rid of some (or all!) of the water-wasting turf so common in home and commercial landscapes. Mono-culture turf feeds nothing, except for problematic insects, and requires more irrigation, more chemicals, and more effort than planting native or well-adapted flowering perennials and annuals.

Once your garden bed is prepared and planted, sit back and watch the show. If you plant it, they will come.

Gray Hairstreak (Strymon melinus) working a Purple coneflower

Your garden doesn’t have to be huge, but do plant a variety of blooming plants for the whole of your growing season–the more, the merrier!

Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta) visiting a Purple coneflower

It’s always best to use native plants if you have access to a local seed source or a nursery that promotes native plants. But non-native, well-adapted blooming annuals and perennials will also do the pollinator trick. Ask the nursery or plant provider if any pesticides were used when growing the plants you want to buy. If so, don’t buy them and TELL the nursery why. Pesticides and insects are not a good combination–EVER.

Minor bee (?) nectaring at a Zexmenia flower

Contact your County Extension Agent’s office for a list of good pollinator plants for your area. As well, locally owned nurseries are usually great sources of information on pollinator plants. The Pollinator Partnership, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Research Center, and National Wildlife Federation are all excellent on-line sources for learning about pollinators and how you can be a part of the solution to their problems.

Three honeybee amigos hanging out with three Purple coneflowers .

Pollinators are beautiful.

Gulf fritillary visiting Clasping coneflowers

Pollinators are vital links in the fitness of the Earth’s eco-systems.

Gray hairstreak resting on the foliage of Rock rose

Minor bee (?) heading for the nectar and pollen of a Winecup (Callirhoe involucrata)

Pollinators deserve to live and thrive.

Soldier beetle (Cantharidae family) sipping nectar from a Purple coneflower

Plant for pollinators in your garden. Encourage neighbors and community organizations to do the same. Lobby your local, state, and national representatives to set aside land so that these essential creatures can continue their work and contributions to the well-being of our world.

Happy National Pollinator Week!