Pollinator week is wrapping up, so I hope you have given a big round of applause to the tiny creatures that help make the world go round! We are officially in the summer season - hummingbirds are speeding about the gardens, bees are busy, and butterflies are beginning to fill the air. Summer also brings an end to "Second Saturdays for Spring", although you may have noticed the absence of the last blog post which would have been scheduled to show up on Saturday, June 12th. A certain dog was expected to share a certain recipe, but he was busy romping all over coal country. Corrs ...? Read more as we share a few tips to help pollinators this season and check in with Corrs to find out what he's been up to and what he's planning. (Planning? Who are we kidding - Corrs just DOES.) Weeds for the Win and Other Simple Ideas KEEP IT WILD Weeds can play an important part in the lives of beneficial insects and pollinators. It is true that not all weeds are good, but it is also true that not all weeds are bad. Some common "weeds" that get yanked out and banished from gardens like thistle, milkweed, and goldenrod can provide valuable nectar sources, habitat, and food supply for countless species of butterflies and bees. Consider allowing a specific area of your garden or property to be a wild space - let beneficial weeds grow and watch who shows up! Be sure to leave the ground undisturbed as well, for bumblebees typically nest under leaves, rocks, and other debris. DON'T MOW YOUR BEES This may sound silly, but when mowing the lawn curb your speed and keep your eyes peeled. Give bees the right of way and be patient when they need one last sip of the clover you're mowing down. OFFER SAFE WATER SOURCES Shallow dishes with rocks placed in them can give insects an opportunity to grab a drink with a place to stand. If you have a bird bath, consider adding a rock or upside down clay flower pot to offer an "out" to bees or other winged friends who can't swim. Make sure your "ladder" has a porous or rough surface so bees can easily climb out. Get creative! Creeker Car Parts can give you some ideas on safe bee watering - check out their Bee Bars even snag one for yourself. www.facebook.com/media/set/?vanity=creekercarparts&set=a.1643341899209179 SAY IT DON'T SPRAY IT A common mistake is buying plants to attract butterflies and other pollinators, happily planting and watering them, then gleefully dousing the flower bed with chemicals to keep it weed free and bug free. Don't do it. Hand pulling weeds is the safest method of weed control, but if that is not feasible consider other options besides chemicals that may cause detrimental effects to bees and other friendlies. The Xerces Society has many articles and brochures to provide more in-depth information about keeping pollinators out of harms way, and you can find a list of horticultural maintenance products to avoid at Beyond Toxics. Read up if this is new news to you. https://xerces.org/pesticides/risks-pesticides-pollinators https://www.beyondtoxics.org/wp-content/uploads/NeonicPesticide_list_final_59620_CfFS.pdf Plant Spotlight: Butterfly Weed This native plant is very important to Monarch butterflies. Called "butterfly weed" or ascelpias tuberosa, it is late to rise in the spring but will adorn your garden with nectar rich bright orange flowers by summertime. In the Mid-Atlantic states, butterfly weed is just starting to bloom. If you see yellow/black/white caterpillars like this decimating your plants later on this summer, let them have at it (your plant will recover) and definitely don't hurt them - they are Monarch butterflies in the making! The caterpillars start off small then get rather large just like the ones Hedgie is observing. After they are big and fat, if you're lucky, you'll see a very exquisite little jewel case show up nearby packed with a growing Monarch. By watching it closely you will be able to see the wings of the butterfly get more defined and visible as it gets closer to hatch day. Asclepias tuberosa is a native perennial in Pennsylvania and many other Eastern states, but it is also available at nurseries that know how valuable this pollinator friendly plant is. It is deer resistant and drought tolerant, too. Where is Corrs?
Corrs is undoubtedly a fan of the summer season...for off road racing enthusiasts, this is the time of year when the dirt flies high and often. When we asked Corrs if he could help demonstrate a recipe for the June 12th blog post, he was already packing his bags for a race. Blog post or race spectating? For Corrs, fun always prevails. Instead of posing on a table with a tasty salmon cake, he was spotted posing for the next sticker in the Douglas and Friends series. With the release of Douglas and Friends in the San Juans: Day 2 on the way, we know that Corrs is excited not only to be gracing the cover of this book, but to also be the star of the newest 388 Ranger Lane sticker that will be adhered to copies purchased through Ranger Lane or Etsy (The Picketwire). The big question is, did he just sit on this bike for a photo op, or did he take it for a spin to pick up some pierogies? He didn't say which. Corrs will occasionally be popping into summer blog posts to share his off road adventures. It's rumored he will be reviewing the trails of the Allegheny National Forest sometime in the near future.
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Tales of Douglas Furr (and his friends)narrated by Crissy Clossin Archives
February 2024
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