Plant it and they will come
This week, you can read my guest blog post on the Wild Pollinator Partners blog, called Down to the Nitty Gritty: creating the Churchill Alternative School butterfly garden. This garden was planted in the spring of 2019, and already had butterfly caterpillars and a variety of bee visitors within a couple of months. It proves … Continue reading School butterfly garden guest post
This summer, I took a lot of photos of pollinators on flowers. I am now sorting through them trying to identify the different insects. To my surprise, some of the pollinators were actually flies. And they're actually quite beautiful, some mimicking bees and wasps with similar striping and hair. Is it a fly? Once you … Continue reading Flower flies: surprise pollinators
Would you like to attend one of my upcoming pollinator gardening presentations? Join me in gardening for bees, butterflies, beneficial insects, and birds. Saturday, March 7, 1:30 p.m. to 2:15 p.m.: Seedy Saturday Ron Kolbus Centre, 102 Greenview Avenue, Ottawa This half-hour presentation will also include tips for attracting pollinators and beneficial insects to vegetable … Continue reading 2020 presentations and tours
With flowers, bees and butterflies gone for the winter, I appreciate the birds that visit our yard even more. In a recent email newsletter from the Ottawa Wild Bird Care Centre, I was reminded that birds need food, shelter and water to survive until spring. Here's how we try to help birds in our yard … Continue reading Helping birds through winter
"What's that bird?!" I called out as I ran into the house, desperately trying to get my son's attention. We both enjoy watching birds, but he is much better at identifying them. It was mid-August, 2018 and I wasn't expecting to see any unusual visitors at our new stream. It was a Chestnut-sided Warbler! We … Continue reading Migrating bird magnet: unusual guests at our stream
According to Ottawa's Fletcher Wildlife Garden: "One of the best ways to attract wildlife to your backyard garden is by providing a regular supply of water." I've had birdbaths for years -- one raised up on a stand, and the other on the ground. These do attract birds who want to drink or bathe, but … Continue reading Building our stream and pond
When Dark-eyed Juncos return to our yard in the fall, we know that winter isn't far behind. They spend spring and summer further north where they breed in Boreal forests. When Juncos move south in winter, they use a wider variety of habitats, like our gardens. In 2019, our first winter guests arrived at the … Continue reading Juncos: welcome winter guests
