The OMG Wasps at Moberly Cultural Herb Garden

This is what happens when you plant a community cultural herb garden in Vancouver. The children come. They snack on lemon balm and rub wooly lamb's ears leaves on their cheeks. Their parents come and snip some herbs to keep the moths out of their closets. The grandparents come and clip mint and chamomile for soothing teas.

The birds come and eat seeds and aphids.

 The pollinating insects come and feed on nectar and pollen. The carnivorous insects come and feed on smaller insects which then feed on smaller insects. . . .

 The artists come and make music, build trellises, make costumes, and have garden parties. The healers come and make smoothies and healthy treats and show us how to use the plants around us to heal and give each other hope and love.

 The magic of the garden brings some rare and distinguished visitors: eagles circle overhead, blessing the garden, and today two bright metallic blue and green sweat bees  cuckoo wasps sunned themselves in the Moberly Community Herb Garden. OMG!

 

 Bumblebees and wasps foraged together in the second blooming of this California Lilac.

A pair of chickadees took turns snatching sunflowers.

Artist in Residence Melanie Schambach puts out a sign that says "Before I die I want to. . .

My answer: Plant more gardens!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ETA: Cuckoo Wasps aka Chrysididae or jewel wasps are cleptoparasitoid wasps that lay their eggs in the nests of other insects. They have a curious defense mechanism that enables them to curl into a little ball. Ahhh, sweet!

All Petticoats and No Pollen

 I have to admit I don't know much about zinnias, but I grew some from seed this year because I read that the red ones attracted hummingbirds. I did see a hummingbird swoop down and take a sip, but they haven't exactly been a big success. Maybe one needs a critical mass of them.

Now see this zinnia is pretty enough for a Victorian seed catalogue illustration, but where's the nectar? Where's the pollen? Were Victorian plant breeders a bit too obsessed with the erotica of petticoats?

Now here's a zinnia with substance.  The bumblebees systematically go round in circles sipping the nectar in these flowers with a single row of petals.

And here's a compromise--still lots of petals, but some pollen and nectar. Now these flowers change as they mature, and I can't tell you if some of these petals fall off to reveal more florets, so I'll have to watch mine and see what develops.

 These zinnias are all in a garden plot at 16 Oaks Community Garden and they do brighten up a grey August afternoon.



Hello little ladybug larva!

Look at this amazing crop of goji berries! I am so jealous. These would be great in a bee hedgerow.

 This is one of the West Coast seeds wildflower mix--I can see them all over town. The ones with less corn poppies seem to fare better. I wish each variety was in its own little seed packet, but it's great to see these little wildflower patches here and there all over Vancouver.

"Air Pollution and Urban Grown Food Crops in Vancouver: Understanding and Reducing the Risk."

Curioser and curioser!

 Can you believe the color of these tomatoes?!

Vancouver is Bee Friendly

As I followed the path today from garden plot to garden plot, I met a lot of bees and a lot of people who love bees and sweet peas. I watered, cut flowers, and harvested beans and Swiss chard.

 When I arrived at the City Hall Community Garden there was practically a bee in every flower: poppy, calendula, cornflower, rudbeckia, oregano et al.

It's at this time of the year one can't help imagining the fairy illustrations from childrens' books coming alive in the garden.

 Of course, there were some other critters besides bees.

But big or little, IMO the bees are the divas of the garden.

16 Oaks Revisted

 It is with great delight that I recently visited Anakana's community garden plot. I was so happy to see such a bee-friendly community garden. One of the things I like to do at this time of the year as I putter around the garden watering and cutting flowers is to think about my garden resolutions for next year.

 Next year I will plant more alliums. This year I have realized what great bee plants the alliums are since the different varieties bloom at different times of the year. Here the chives are enjoying their second bloom of the season. My mom sent me a very jolly photo of the bumble bees on the chives in her garden in Cactus Lake, Saskatchewan. It's a bit like one of those "Where's Waldo?" pictures, only you are trying to see how many bumble bees you can find. It makes me smile.

 Isn't this dragonfly lovely? I thought it was an ornament until the eyes began to move independently of one another in an uncanny fashion. There must be a water source near this garden, which brings me to my next resolution: make a fountain for insects. Entomologist Eric Grissell made a cool miniature solar-powered fountain for insects in his garden. I think that's a great idea and I want to make one too!

Well the next resolution is simple: I need more bee plants blooming at this time of the year. My cornflowers, borage, coreopsis, sunflowers and radish flowers are still not enough to feed the bees in high summer.

Which brings us to this general resolution: You can always find more room for flowers!!!

This fennel plant was full of bumble bees, honey bees, ladybugs and their larvae and a cloud of tiny native bees. I have a nice big fennel plant, but next year I'd like to plant dill. Why? I love it in borscht and on top of shrimp and cream cheese open-faced sandwiches.

I like how individual plots reflect the tastes and personality of the garden. Here we have lavender and artichokes. Resolution: put more personality in the garden.

 

We like the plot that is stuffed to the gills with flowers. We call the gardener "The Flower Man". I'm intrigued that he has found some white liatris. I'd like to plant more white flowers in my garden next year. 

Here's more proof this is a bee-friendly garden: Mason bee homes. I like the improvised touches and the spirit of using recycled materials without being precious about it.

 Oregano!!!! Next year I will plant more herbs and not buy too many new seeds, but use the packages I have already saved up.

What is it? I don't know, but it's curious and I like it. It seems to be transmitting top secret information to the lettuce plants.

 I also like the way the gardeners have planted flowers around the perimeter of the garden. More food for pollinators. More delight for human visitors.

 Here you can see the perennial sweet pea on the border of the garden living happily next to annual sweet peas in an adjacent garden bed.

Finally, next year I've got to get my son out into the garden more. Once he's there, he does enjoy himself, but how do you coax him out of his cave? That is the million dollar question. What are your garden resolutions for next year?

A Garden of Jewels

I just love this garden with its jewel toned flowers. It's a good grouping of plants for a bee garden, especially at this time of the year. It's about a block west of Burrard along the railway track.

What do we have? Mallow, cornlflowers, poppies,



lychnis (not really a bee plant),


lemon balm,
and I'm not sure what the pink flowers are--maybe a geranium.

Mo' Bees

Here is a photo-tour of community gardens along the railway track: Kitsilano, Cypress, and Maple.

A bumble bee in a stunning delphinium.

A fly disguised as a bee.

I like this technique of extending the gardening space into the lawn.


An artful garden sign.

Potatoes in a trug!