Category Archives: garden
Good Bee Hunting
I found lots of bees today on my way to and from my community garden plot. On the way over, I saw some beautiful coreopsis with cute little Halictus (I think) sweat bees filling their saddle bags with pollen. In … Continue reading
Garden Tour in Watertown for the Bees
This Sunday, May 11, from 1:30 pm to 5:00 pm. I’m participating in the Watertown Chemical-Free Garden Tour. This is a semiannual garden tour featuring yards and gardens where no chemicals have been used for at least a year. Needless … Continue reading
Guess what: Bumblebees can sting twice
Bumblebees do not care if an intrusive gardener cuts down some overenthusiastic butterfly bush. They hardly notice if that gardener carries away that branch, should there happen to be luscious purple flowers to forage on. But if the bouncing of … Continue reading
Small carpenter bees everywhere
The Eastern Carpenter bees have tiny little cousins, called naturally enough, the Small Carpenter Bees. Instead of digging into wood, the Small Carpenter bee nests in a broken or cut stem, adding cell after cell, forming a row of larvae. … Continue reading
Carpenter Bee on patrol
Right about when the bumblebees show up, the Carpenter bees come out too. Bumblebees are placid, fuzzy fellows that take no notice of you. While they look like extra large bumblebee, the Eastern Carpenter Bees have a shiny tail, and … Continue reading
Miner bees are where it begins
National Pollinator Week officially began yesterday, so that’s my excuse for doubly belatedly posting about the bees that have emerged so far this spring. Spring begins with bumblebee queens hunting for a sheltered spot to build a new nest. On … Continue reading
Found some pollinators in the chives
Sunday was a beautiful sunny day to go visit the Pollinator plot at the community garden. The chives have been flowering for some days, and I was looking forward to seeing the bees. Sure enough, the chives were hosting a … Continue reading
It’s not too cold for peach blossoms
The peach tree has clusters of pink blossoms poking out from the ends of its branches like brightly painted fingernails on fingertips. The plum tree is still covered with fluffy white blossoms, but it’s been too cold for many bees … Continue reading
Bees in the spring
I saw a honeybee visit the crocus today. A bumblebee seemed to be looking for a good spot under the crocuses to start her nest. Crocuses nestle in the sheltered pocket where snapdragons have stayed green all winter. Crocuses bloom … Continue reading
Facing down the bee mimic
On these beautiful sunny days, I never get tired of watching the bees. It’s so soothing to watch them forage on the asters, the butterfly bush, the goldenrod. Bumblebees, honeybees, Carpenter bees, flying up and down the hill over and … Continue reading
A Native Bee Rancher 