Last summer, I began to notice more moths in the garden. Although I haven't seen any large, spectacular ones, the moths I spotted have been diverse and interesting. Some don't even look like moths. Unseen, but important pollinators Recently, UK researchers studied what plants moths visit and how they behave, compared to more well-known daytime … Continue reading Night shift: moths in the garden →

After months stuck indoors because of cold weather and then the pandemic, spring's arrival has been especially welcome this year. I've particularly enjoyed early spring bees in the garden. Like a doting godparent, I fretted, fussed, and followed them around with my camera. After all, they're daughters of last year's bees -- my old garden … Continue reading Daughters of old friends: early spring bees →

Edit: The webinar was recorded and you can watch it at the Canadian Wildlife Federation's WILD Webinars page, or on their YouTube channel. A Two-spotted Bumblebee queen visiting 'PJM' Rhododendron flowers in our backyard garden. (May 16, 2020) Had you planned to attend one of my pollinator gardening talks this spring? There were obviously all … Continue reading My Canadian Wildlife Federation webinar →

The calendar may say that it's spring, but the weather tells a different story. Today, April 9th, it actually snowed in Ottawa. While I wait for a chance to putter outside without my winter coat, I'm catching up on some reading. Soon, I'll see Hepatica blooms in the garden again (April 30, 2019). Since Christmas, … Continue reading Waiting for spring reading →

After I created our front yard pollinator garden, I realized it has one big problem -- there's no place to sit and watch the bees, birds, and butterflies. We have to stand on the driveway, or on the sidewalk a few feet from speeding traffic. I now recognize the value of seating in a garden. … Continue reading A front row seat to the garden →

Now that my seeds are organized, I know what I've got and what I need to do with them. It's time to get to work. Planting seeds indoors Even though the ground is still frozen outside, I can plant seeds inside. The Pussy Willows in our backyard are also impatient waiting for warm spring weather … Continue reading Getting my act together, part 2: stratifying and planting →

I've been growing pollinator plants from seed for four years now. I'm embarrassed to admit that my seeds and planting process are always a disorganized mess. Now that I have some unexpected, extra time on my hands, I've resolved to sort this out once and for all. A small selection of the native seed packets … Continue reading Getting my act together, part 1: organizing seeds →

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 →

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 →