It Is Working!

   I find it sort of funny how there are those who will profess to do all they can to protect wildlife and, yet, have no qualms about using toxic chemicals on their lawns, around their homes and in their gardens.  To be honest, it is perplexing.  Either you do or you don't.  Simple fact.  There is no "I like honeybees but not lizards.", "I like flowers but not weeds (wildflowers).", "I like birds but not 'possums." and there is definitely no "I protect wildlife but want to spray fertilizer, weed killer and insecticides over my entire place." (Wow! That sentence probably just sent all grammar experts into a tizzy! I apologize but I write like I talk.)

  I admit to not being too choosy when it comes to killing things that create mass destruction (termites) or can cause bodily harm (yellow jackets if near the house) but I do not randomly use any chemicals on a broad range.  This method is starting to show some promise!  For a number of years, I noticed a mass decline in the number of bees about the place. (Not wasps, bees...bumblebees, honeybees, etc.)  It was saddening to think that the bees might be dwindling in numbers as, without them, we are all more or less doomed.  Bees pollinate the gardens which feed us all.  Everyone should be trying to protect them.

  Imagine my delight when I found hundreds of bees visiting the spiderwort blossoms this morning.  There were so many that I actually heard them before I saw them.  The buzzing lured me to behind the greenhouse where I leave the spiderwort plants to grow with wild abandon.  This plan obviously worked!  The morning blooms were serving up their nectar to a myriad of bees!  Seeing them made me smile but also made me wish others would use commonsense when it comes to being a bit respectful to  our critter friends.

Bees Do Sleep

   The Bayou area is full of surprising finds.  With nearly every hike about the place, something new catches my eye and causes the wheels in the old brain to start whirling round and round.  With each new discovery, there comes a thousand questions.  What?  Where?  Why? When?  And the big one...How? How is usually spread out into a bajillion segments.  It makes life interesting and keeps the brain working.  

  My hikes, as a norm, start before dawn and then wind up when the sun rises above the pines.  That is when the outdoor chores begin.  This morning, Mark went fishing so I wandered about the place.  At one point, I stopped to admire the goldenrod that was in full bloom.  Goldenrod is one of those misjudged plants.  People give it a bad rap thinking it causes their allergies.   I have given up trying to explain that ragweed is the culprit as no one wishes to ever admit they may be wrong.  Oh, well, so be it.  But, I like the goldenrod and wish it would bloom year round instead of just the fall.  It seems that the bumblebees wish it would, too.  Early this morning, a tiny bumblebee was found asleep nestled down in the downy soft blooms.  Obviously, the little bee had been busy last night and decided to sleep the night away in the bloom.  It chose a full cluster that would completely surround it.  This would camouflage it from any predators.  Once it awakes, it does not have far to go before it has breakfast!

  Bees, butterflies and other insects do, indeed, sleep.  Bees and wasps that make hives usually head back inside for the night but solitary bees sleep where they find shelter.  Flowers provide that nicely.  Butterflies choose a thicket and then hang upside down among the leaves.  Just as an added note here, the cutesy butterfly houses are not a good idea.  Butterflies prefer bushes not houses.  While it may look adorable, you are more likely to attract wasps than butterflies.  Red wasps love to build their nests in these things.  (That spoken by the voice of experience.) Yep, I was given a butterfly house.  Yep, every year red wasps have claimed the house.  Nope, nary a butterfly has even looked at the adorable little house. 

  The next time you are out at the crack of dawn, check the insides of flowers.  You may find loads of little friends are using them as their beds.  During rainy times, be sure to look inside of lilies.  The cup shape provides a nice shelter for our insect friends!  Bees DO sleep!