Native Plants and Wildlife Gardens
Healthy Gardens. Healthy Planet
Born in Argentina and a resident of the United States for about forty years. A biologist by profession and a photographer and painter by avocation. I finally found the way to combine all these different interests in one single package when I became interested in pollinators. I have been photographing and painting them and studying their biology and ecology and I probably could spend the rest of my life doing so because the subject is endlessly fascinating and of tremendous esthetic, ecological and economic importance. Author, with Steven Buchman, of Bee Basics: An Introduction to Native Bees
June is the time to honor pollinators for all the benefits they bring to us and to the ecosystems. We often hear that we owe them one bite out of three of our food. What is rarely mentioned is that much wildlife also owes them a significant amount of their nourishment. Just think about all [...]
In an earlier post on bumble bees, I promised to talk about other aspects of bumble bees’ lives. I assure you that I am barely beginning to scratch the surface of all the interesting things these little creatures are capable of. Pollinator watching could be a hobby just as entertaining as bird watching. At least [...]
I frequently visit the Pennypack Ecological Restoration Trust just north of Philadelphia. When the trust was created in the seventies the 800 acres were mostly farm land; but restoration efforts have returned much of the native vegetation. Needless to say, the war against invasive plants goes on to this day. Last November, I was walking [...]
Most people hate or fear insects with just a few exceptions. Bumble bees have enough charisma to be loved, at least by children. You find children’s books, toys, and Halloween costumes about bumble bees. Perhaps what makes them acceptable is their fuzzy roundish appearance reminiscent of a tiny bear. This positive image is reinforced by [...]
When the days get shorter and other signs of winter hang in the air, most birds pack their bags and leave for warmer climates. They are not necessarily running away from the cold weather, but from the lack of their favorite food, insects. Not all leave; the ones that can make it through the winter [...]
Among all the tiny flower visitors, butterflies stand out for their beauty and bees for their role as pollinators. But many other visitors deserve our attention. The flies of the Syrphidae family are among them. In England, they are known as hover flies, and in the United States they are often called flower [...]
Plastics are a curse and a blessing. They are changing our world for better and for worse. That is why Susan Freinkel titled her book on this subject Plastic: A Toxic Love Story. I recommend her ForaTV lecture. The most serious trouble with plastics is that they are not truly recyclable. It is true that [...]
Definitions of native plants abound. None is entirely satisfactory in all circumstances but each may serve a specific function. Some strive for scientific accuracy; others serve practical purposes. Moreover, in some instances the nativity of a plant may not matter to the native-plant gardener. None of us is about to give up growing tomatoes regardless [...]
If you are like me, you probably never paid much attention to the countless little holes in the foliage all around you, unless the damage was serious enough to make you take notice. I became aware of them only after reading Doug Tallamy’s “Bringing Nature Home.” I invite you to look around next time that [...]
Stop, Thief! That is no way to gather nectar from a flower, mister Bumble Bee! You slashed the tip of the nectar filled spur of that jewelweed and helped yourself to the reward without paying for it (fig. 1). Take a lesson from your sister (fig. 2). She is entering the flower the legitimate way, [...]
