A Cuckoo Came to Our Pollinator Picnic!!!!

Photo: Coelioxys on Santolina blossoms

There is a short border of Yellow Lavender (aka Cotton Lavender, aka Lavender Cotton) around the community herb garden at Moberly. Although we usually trim it low to keep it tidy, I decided to let one corner bloom to see which insects visited the flowers. Eagle-eyed Erin Udall from the Environmental Youth Alliance spotted a cuckoo bee hanging out on one of the flowers which is composed of tiny yellow florets. You've never seen me whip out my camera so fast to capture a shot of this bee. Erin explained that this bee is a cleptoparasite that lays its eggs in the nest of other bees. Our distinguished human visitor, botanist Douglas Justice, (with tongue firmly in cheek) asked: "Shouldn't we be squashing this bee if it preys on other bees?" "No!", we exclaimed in unison, "It's a sign of healthy biodiversity. Leave the cuckoo alone!" The Coelioxys responded by flying off to another celebrity appearance and was not available for comment.

Check out Sean McCann's blog for super cute photos of cuckoo bees sleeping on tansy stems.

Take Me Outside Day at Moberly Cultural Herb Garden

As the fall weather turns colder the impulse to hibernate starts to manifest in our animal brains and it takes an extra effort to get motivated to go outside. Yesterday was Take Me Outside Day, and so we celebrated by taking a group of grade five students out of the classroom into the garden. We cleaned up the garden and put her to bed.

Students collected seeds from red flax, echinacea and coreopsis. They were excited to find an earwig and a tiny translucent white spider in the seed bowl. The girls were shocked when they opened scarlet runner pods and found bright purple beans inside that matched their nail polish.

 Some guys just dug holes in the sand pit and filled them up again, but sometime's that's the kind of thing being outside is all about.

Herbalist Lori Snyder taught the students about three plants in and around the garden and gave the students a taste of her infused rose petal honey. Students learned how to identify Plantago major and use it to treat bee stings.

The Latin name for these flowers is Echinacea purpurea and they are in the Asteraceae family. The Greek word "echino" means sea urchin. In fact Echinacea is the same Latin name used for the sea animal. You can see the resemblance to sea urchins in these coneflower heads. Tapping the dried heads over a bowl releases the seeds. As it hasn't rained much at all this month, the seeds will quickly dry out in the classroom.

Artist/gardener Loree Boehm led the students on a visioning exercise for a new garden we are planning. The students had some great ideas. "I think we should learn more about plants," I overheard one student muse aloud. Amen dude. Let's get outside more often.

The Elusive Green-Eyed Sand Wasp

 At the beginning of summer I tried to get a photo of a sand wasp at City Hall Community Garden. Finally on Wednesday I took some pics of the Bembix wasp on rudbeckia at the Moberly Cultural Herb Garden.

These sand wasps have a bulge in population every seven years which really freaks people out. They are confident, but not aggressive creatures, provisioning their solitary nests with caterpillars and fly larvae. I think they're quite beautiful!

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!

Hummingbird garden Party will Go Today Rain or Shine!

Even with a thunderstorm predicted with afternoon we can still have our garden party, even if it is under the cozy cover of the Mobery Community Centre! Please join us whatever the skies provide!

I spent last night sewing the finishing touches on my costume. Don't forget to wear red!

Join at us the Moberly Cultural Herb Garden for a garden party celebrating the healing power of plants and gardens. 

There will be tea and treats and garden tours with Madame Beespeaker.

 Erin Udal from the Environmental Youth Alliance will discuss the programs the EYA have been creating to help the bees in our city and how you can help. 

Herbalist Lori Snyder will talk about local herbs you can find to boost your health. Some of the medicines you need might be the ones right under your feet! 

Meet the new Moberly artist in residence

 Melanie Schambach and artist/gardener Holly Schmidt.

Where: Behind the Moberly Community Arts Centre, 7646 Prince Albert Street, one block east of Fraser and 60th

When: Sunday August 11, 2-4 pm.

Dress-up Theme: Dress like a hummingbird flower: wear red!!!!!!!

FREE and all ages are welcome.

You are Invited to a Hummingbird Garden Party!

Join at us the Moberly Cultural Herb Garden for a garden party celebrating the healing power of plants and gardens. 

There will be tea and treats and garden tours with Madame Beespeaker.

 Erin Udal from the Environmental Youth Alliance will discuss the programs the EYA have been creating to help the bees in our city and how you can help. 

Herbalist Lori Snyder will talk about local herbs you can find to boost your health. Some of the medicines you need might be the ones right under your feet! 

Meet the new Moberly artist in residence

 Melanie Schambach and artist/gardener Holly Schmidt.

Where: Behind the Moberly Community Arts Centre, 7646 Prince Albert Street, one block east of Fraser and 60th

When: Sunday August 11, 2-4 pm.

Dress-up Theme: Dress like a hummingbird flower: wear red!!!!!!!

FREE and all ages are welcome.

Bees Love Vetch

Yesterday I talked to the Moberly Remix summer camp kids about butterfly plants. There are a couple of Buddleja bushes near the entrance to the Community Centre that the Anise Swallowtails are enjoying right now, and I noticed that this vetch is climbing around a couple of plants in the herb garden. Vetch does double duty as a bee and butterfly plant. It is delicate and climbs upward on our snowberry bushes and artichokes without harming the plants. Vetch is also a nitrogen fixer. Honeybees and bumble bees love it!

The Joe Pye weed (see the post below) is also a nectar source for the swallowtail butterfly family.



Check out this snowberry that is fruiting and flowering at the same time--it's such a good bee plant.

This little bee is too bushed to boogie. I took the photo at about 7:30 pm when all good little bees are in bed. He's curled around the leaf of Jupiter's beard.

Mid-July at Moberly Cultural Herb Garden

 The best thing about a thriving herb garden is that it attracts clouds of pollinators, including honey bees in the Joe Pye Weed (Eutrochium).

 The sunflowers and echinacea are now in bloom.

 The artichokes haves bee cleaned of aphids by ladybugs and birds.

 The coreopsis blooms next to wooly lamb's ear.

Leaf cutter bees are making polka dots holes in bean and rose leaves.

Here's a red zinnia waiting for a hummingbird.

 The sea holly and California lilac are attracting the most variety of insects.

 The sweet peas have the strongest perfume in this garden.

Swallowtails swoop between the cedars.

And I have had my portrait done! I love it!

Rain, Rain, GO AWAY!

Are you as tired of the rain as I am? It's tempting to make like this wasp and hunker down in a cozy spot to wait it out. I have been neglecting my peas because my friend Catherine says "you must not walk among the peas in the rain." I guess the same must be said of garlic, because mine is badly infected with rust, which travels on the moist air. Oh well, I think it's far enough along in the development that it won't make a big difference, but next year I will choose an earlier maturing variety.

I had a workshop down in the Athlete's Village and saw lots of St John's Wort blooming along with a patch of white melilot which was attracting honeybees. Too bad it was right near a lot of semi-truck cabs idling for no good reason--one of my pet peeves. Grrrrr.

I have two new posts up at the Moberly Cultural Herb Garden Blog.