Pollinator Gardening
Just For Fun April 11, 2021
We all know the benefits of pollinators. Many of the crops that we grow would not be possible without pollinators. The State Botanical Garden of Georgia has a program where they designate four plants as the pollinator plants of the year. All four are native plants. The goal is to get more nurseries growing these pollinators and to encourage people to plant them in their gardens. Let’s go through each of one and give a brief plant profile on them.
False rosemary is the first pollinator plant of the year. It is a perennial. It does look like rosemary, but the leaves have a minty smell when crushed. They have dainty light purple flowers that bloom in the spring. Unfortunately, for us, this plant does not do well, as it needs a warmer climate than what we have in the mountains. It is hardy to USDA zone 8a; we are in zones 6a-7, depending on your elevation.
Sweet pepperbush is great plant that will grow in our area. It is native to the Eastern US. It blooms in the summer and grows to be 4-8 feet tall. There are some dwarf cultivars of it available too. It has white blooms that attract birds, butterflies, and hummingbirds. It can take part shade, which is good for our area, as we have many trees and lots of shade. It doesn’t have many problems with disease or insects. It does have a cousin called the mountain pepperbush that can grow in the North Georgia Mountains. The mountain pepperbush grows to be 12-20 feet tall.
Butterfly weed is a plant that every pollinator garden should have. It is our native milkweed. You can see it blooming along the side of the road during the summer. It has bright orange clusters of small flowers. It attracts butterflies and native bees. This one is not as tall, only growing to be 1-2 feet tall. I don’t recommend moving from the roadside to your house, because native plants don’t like to be transplanted, especially after bloom. You can purchase this from local nurseries. It likes to be grown in full sun.
The last plant is downy goldenrod. It’s a fall bloomer and grows 1-3 feet tall. It’s a great plant for native bees and other pollinators. There are a number of different species of goldenrod. We start to see a lot of goldenrod bloom at the end of August and into September. Many beekeepers will stop collecting honey from bees once goldenrod starts to bloom. Goldenrod honey is not as marketable, and by not collecting honey, it gives the bees a chance to build up their stores for winter.
Planting a pollinator garden is beneficial to your garden and to the pollinators. If you have questions about pollinator gardening contact your County Extension Office or email me at [email protected]
I will be hosting a raised garden bed program at Hamilton Garden on April 22 at 10 am. There will be an educational portion of the program that everyone is welcome to attend. I will also have some 4×4 ft. raised beds available for people to purchase for $40. To reserve your raised bed call 706-439-6030 and I will put you down.
Pollinator Census
Lifestyle August 16, 2020
2020 is the second annual Great Georgia Pollinator Census. Last year the pollinator census was a huge success. It was the first of its kind and really generated some great data on pollinators. It’s also a great way for citizens to become involved, learn about, and protect pollinators. This year’s census will be held on August 21 st and 22 nd . Let’s talk about how you can be involved this year.
The pollinator census comes together because of the hard work of Becky Griffin. Becky works at GMREC just south of Blairsville. With concerns about pollinator decline, the census allows us to capture critical data that can be used year after year to track the health and well being of pollinators.
Some locations will have guided counts. If you’re unsure of how to participate, joining a guided count is a great way to be a part of the census. Hamilton Gardens at Lake Chatuge will be holding a guided count on Friday August 21 st at 2:00 pm. If you would like to participate from home that is also possible.
If you want to join the pollinator census at home it’s very simple. Go to the ggapc.org website. Click on the link to the handy counting sheet. Print out the counting sheet and take it outside with you to start your count. Each census count will be done by observing a flowering plant for 15 minutes. Fill out the information at the top of the chart. This includes information on the name of the plant, date, time, and temperature. Also, circle the weather conditions at the time of your count.
For the census, there are eight categories that you count insects. They are: carpenter bee, bumblebee, honeybee, small bees, wasps, flies, butterflies, and other insects. Let’s go through how to identify each of the insects in these categories.
Carpenter bees are going to be the largest of the bees that we see. They look very similar to bumble bees. The major difference is that carpenter bees have no hair on their abdomen (also known as their hind end). Carpenter and bumble bees have yellow and black hair. Bumblebees will have all black hair on their abdomens.
Honeybees are smaller than bumblebees and will have brown or blackish stripes mixed with golden- brown. They have hair down their whole body. Small bees are any bee smaller than a honeybee. We have many different species of small bees out there that are native pollinators. These native pollinators are very important for pollinating native plants. Small bees can be down to the length of a staple.
Wasps include paper wasps and potter wasps. They are important pollinators for certain plants like rattlesnake master. Flies are pollinators too. They will only have two wings and large eyes. Some flies have coloring to make them look like a bee or wasps to avoid predators. In nature, this is called mimicry.
Butterflies are usually pretty easy to identify because of their wings and variation of colors. The other category includes all other insects that may land on the plant while you’re watching it. This could be beetles, dragonflies, lacewings, or ants.
After you’ve done your count for 15 minutes go to ggapc.org to enter your results. You can do the census as many times as you’d like on the 21 st and 22 nd . If you see an insect leave your plant and come back count that as a new visitor.
If you have questions about the pollinator census contact your County Extension Office or email me at [email protected].