Tag Archives: Native

History of Bees

Bee History

We are in the dog days of summer and many summer flowers are the stopping off place for many insects that also enjoy the summer flowers. Bees are looking for pollen and nectar that help maintain and build their hives over the winter. Honeybees are one of the first animals that were domesticated by man. Honey and beeswax have long been a sought after products by man. These little workhorses are good at turning pollen and nectar into a food fit for Kings and the wax was used for many things. It does not go bad without refrigeration and stays good for some time. It was also fermented to make mead a drink talked about in ancient times used by Vikings and Roman Gods. The wax used as a preservative and a source for light.

The honeybee is not native to North America and was brought to the colonies along with other English livestock to help settle the United States. They were difficult to bring over onboard ships but once here they established and were foraging ahead of the colonization of America. As agriculture grew and we moved west honeybees went also giving homesteaders food and sugar to use to survive the stark and bleak farm homesteads.

There is a law of supply and demand that at about a radius of 4 miles is what a bee can travel and bring pollen back to hive. The forage out in this radius and bring back the best pollen and nectar that can be gotten in the shortest time but the easiest to harvest. If you live on the outer region of this radius bees may be at your flowers one day and somewhere else the next. It is wise to grow several types of flowers that bloom at different times ensuring a constant supply of pollen and nectar.

Honey bees are under attack for many reasons, but planting many types of flowers where they can get pollen and nectar to make honey and beeswax to live through the winter will help. The horticultural crops that they pollinate in spring and early summer have long gone and now they need more summer and fall flowers a must to sustain their health and the health of the hive.

©Ken Wilson & Gardening Whisperer 2015

This entry was posted in Horticulture Tips, Insects and tagged Honey, Horticulture tips, Native, Pollen on September 12, 2015, by Ken Wilson. Edit

Book Review “Brining Nature Home” by Douglas W. Tallamy

Book Review “Bringing Nature Home”

by Douglas W. Tallamy

Bringing Nature Home

…How Native Plants Sustain Wildlife in Our Gardens

By Douglas W. Tallamy

Bringing Nature Home …How Native Plants Sustain Wildlife in Our Gardens, Douglas W. Tallamy, Timber Press, Portland, Or; Copyright 2077; 272 pages. Reviewed by Kenneth Wilson “The Gardening Whisperer”.

This review is prepared to be on www.Gadeneningwhisperer.com

“Doug Tallamy is currently professor and chair of the department of entomology and wildlife ecology at the University of Delaware in Newark, Delaware, where he has taught insect taxonomy, behavioral ecology, and other subjects. Chief among his research goals is to better understand the many ways insects interact with plants and how such interactions determine the diversity of animal communities. He has also written a book with Rick Darke, “The Living Landscape”: It is about designing for Beauty and Biodiversity in the Home Garden.” by Timber Press.

“Doug won the Silver Medal from the Garden Writer’s Association for his book, Bringing Nature Home.”

In the book “Bringing Nature Home” Mr. Tallamy builds the case that insects are the key to all other plant life in an ecosystem and that their mass diversity helps sustain the balance. As part of a food chain, these insects move biomass through the system, therefore, giving others something to eat and survive. He states that it is only native plants that these insects survive on and the removal of native plants and the replacement of alien plant forms disrupt this process. His hope is that more natives will be used in more home plantings which will restore the ecosystem, therefore, bring back more of the native species of animals that feed on these insects.

In the first part of the book, Tallamy gives several examples of plants and insects that are alien to the United States and how they have disrupted the balance in a given ecosystem. Tallamy also tells why and how insects cannot eat alien plants. If an alien plant has no checks by insects it will take over an area forcing out native plants.

Tallamy states that their chemicals in native plants that certain insects need to survive and they pass these chemicals along to other animals up the food chain. Passing these chemicals along with forms a food chain that keeps the ecosystem stable and healthy.

In the back portion of the book, Tallamy provides a list of insects and what plants they survive on. There are insects herbivores that eat plants and their insects that eat insects carnivores these keep those fast-growing insects in check. The back chapter has a list of native plants and how many species live on given known genera of plants consequently giving a good idea which plants will give the best diversity. Along with this Tallamy gives a helpful list of native plants to be grown in specific regions of the United States.

It is a must-read book if you love wildlife in your back yard. I feel that this is only the tip of the problem with diversity as when indigenous lands are stripped of their soils that are built up from ages of broken-down rubbish deposited from year’s plant debris. When you remove the soil organisms that help native plants to survive it makes it difficult to reestablish some native plants. Tallamy examples of restoring natives are from ten (10) acre plots in Delaware. It is much more difficult in the area of .25 acre lots where neighbors do not hold the same values for nature. The key to his whole theory is the diversity of insects living on native plants. One or two plants per small urban lots are not enough to change the ecosystem there must be large strips of native areas to keep the diversity alive and help the ecosystem.

©Ken Wilson Gardening Whisperer 2015

This entry was posted in Book Reviews and tagged Alien Plants, Diversity, Ecosystems, Insects, Native, native plants. on May 18, 2015, by Ken Wilson. Edit

Bees and Pollinators

There have been many emotional talks on the decline of bees in the past few years. The graphic representations show that bee hives have declined since the mid-forties. Then when several massive bees kill in the past have happened fingers were pointed at insecticides. In order to get massive headlines, they place blame at the newest insecticide, Neonics. GET RID OF ALL INSECTICIDES. Well, that is a blown up headline-grabbing statement and not a real solution to the problem.

Let us address the biggest factor in the decline of beehives since the mid-forties one (1) there is less demand for honey and beeswax, these were both used for the war effort. The second (2) would be the demographics of America have changed; the population has moved out rural areas to the cities. Along with this families began to place alien plants around there houses ones that did not attract bees as they feared they would been sting.

With this movement has come another factor land went from land used for farming to suburban home dwellings. Thus the removal of so much of the native bee habit has made it harder to endure. The removal of this diversity of plant material has had a great impact on bee survival.

The next headline-grabber In the past ten (10) years is a struggle of what is called Colony Collapse Disorder, this is a broad term for several ailments, one (1) deformed wing virus two (2) nosema fungi, three (3) Varroa mites, four (4) small hive beetles, and four (insecticides). This remains a concern for beekeepers but these problems are not insurmountable and they have several solutions.

To me, the greatest problem facing “THE BEES” is a disease that shall be known as “Stupid”. All applicators both commercial and privet applying any product to plants must read and follow directions correctly. There has been more damage to the bee population from “Stupid” than any other cause.

In a talk given by Joe Bischoff of AmericanHort, he shares facts that give several possible solutions that have been thought out where concerned will win.

Neonics & Pollinators

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJRqOde_zuE

Many individuals are focusing on this problem. One of the solutions is having pollination zones for both Honey bees. This will help native insects, honey bees and butterflies. If these zones are packed with native plants it will

help the diversity of all life. There are areas in all communities that need sprucing and adding to the beauty of America. “America In Bloom” (AIB) should also take up this cause.

At least people are looking at this dilemma from a more realistic and positive resolution to this crisis. Also looking into what plants attract bees more would also help homeowners and city officials. It is sort like that movie saying if you plant it, they will come.

This entry was posted in Horticulture Tips, Insects and tagged America In Bloom, Bees, Colony Collapse Disorder, Honey Bees, Native, native plants., Pollinators on May 6, 2015, by Ken Wilson. Edit

Red Maple “The Native”

Red Maple “The Native”

The native Red Maple is very diverse and has many cultivars because of this multiplicity in its gene which allows it to ranges from Canada through the southern states. From east and west, it runs from the plans to the coast. The diversities of this plant can be seen as it grows from the low swamps to the rocky outcrops of Missouri.
Because of the range of habitat of this tree, it can grow in the moist area of the yard as well as dryer sites. While growing in dryer areas however the roots tend to come to the surface and can give rise to some problems as the tree matures.
Red maples bloom early in the spring before the leaves sometimes present themselves, as early as February, in Missouri. This early bloom gives the bees a source of pollen and nectar early in the season so when they become active there is a food source for them. The samara seeds are called helicopters they are produced in late spring. The tree can have both male and female flowers on the tree or both. This attribute is tremendous as it gives rise to some seedless cultivars.
The fall color can be yellow-red to dark red this is another characteristic that been selected out in many cultivars this gives rise to so great fall color show. The Red Maple will mature in seventy-five to eighty years an can live up to one hundred years.
The growth of this tree is faster than sugar maples slower than silver maples. It is listed as a soft maple due to growth rate but it was used furniture in the early pioneer days.
Native Red Maples are used to making a very sweet maple sugar. It can grow to a height of fifty-plus feet. However, its width can vary if the tree is fifty feet tall the width can be from ten to fifty feet wide.
As a native, it is great to plant in certain areas but around urban communities, it is better to plant one of the fifty-plus cultivars for great fall color. In the late 1800s Acer rubrum was crossed with Acer saccharinum giving rise to what is called the Freemanii maples which are half silver and half red maple, today there are about a dozen in cultivation in the United States.

As for the cultivars selected from mutations and or selections of Acer rubrum, there are about forty plus varieties. Any of these are an excellent selection for urban use depending on location. I will add later on the many red maple varieties.

This entry was posted in Old and True Varieties, Uncategorized and tagged Maples, Native, native plants. on January 22, 2015, by Ken Wilson. Edit

Bucks’ Unlimited Oak

‘Bucks’ Unlimited Oak

In an age of small dominative plants that do not drop anything on to the manicured lawn of urban America, it is refreshing to see a tree that produces large amounts of acorns being triumphed is astonishing. However, this fast-growing Swamp White Oak was selected not for the urban homeowner but rather for the wildlife and to be used in areas where the is deer and turkey populations abound. The attributes of this new and great tree are earlier flowering and fruiting large number of acorns thus giving wildlife, turkey and deer and waterfowl a good diet of natural food, making this an excellent tree to put into your food plot for the wildlife.

This unique and great find was made by the late Bill Yoder of the Missouri Department of Conservation State nursery. Production and sale of this tree are with forest keeling nursery. It was also found by John Burk, Wildlife Biologist that deer would move past Northern White oak to dine on Swamp White Oak, once again making this a superior tree for attracting deer.

Known as ‘Bucks’ Unlimited Oak, this natural selection offers consistent annual yields with heavy, early production. This beautiful, long-lived oak species will develop a stately profile and live as long as 300 years on a variety of sites from upland forests to floodplains. And, while the main claim to fame for Bucks’ Unlimited Oak is its wildlife-attracting mast, this tree will also produce top-quality timber. This new Find Buck’s Unlimited Oak is a natural selection that will be a great addition to the vast line of Oaks.

Swamp White oaks are a great asset to be used in parks and large areas where their massive beauty can be appreciated.

A portion of sales of Buck’s Unlimited Oak by Forest Keeling will be returned to the Center for Agroforestry for more research and ongoing studies

This entry was posted in New Varieties, Plant Varieties and tagged Buck’s Unlimited, Native, New Plant, New Plants, Oaks on November 18, 2014, by Ken Wilson. Edit

A portion of sales of Buck’s Unlimited Oak by Forest Keeling will be returned to the Center for Agroforestry for more research and ongoing studies