Hi GPODers!
Over the course of the past month we’ve seen some fabulous snow photos from Caroline Blais, who lives just outside of the village of Belwood in Ontario, Canada (Caroline’s Snow Day in Ontario and After the Storm in Caroline’s Garden). While Caroline’s property is obviously still completely buried in snow right now, she has gifted us with her next submission that is a welcome reminder of the spring that is slowly approaching and the life that is soon to fill gardens again.
Greetings again from our very snowy farm! We are expecting another wallop of snow this week which makes it feel like the snowiest winter in recent memory. Thank you for featuring some of my winter photos, so I thought I would switch gears and send you some pictures of pollinators. We are fortunate to have a very large property and have spent the last couple of years transitioning from a working sheep farm to a rural escape that is a refuge for all kinds of creatures. We have been adding more native plants to the gardens and have been rehabilitating the area around our large farm pond. A former hay field is now becoming a meadow and we are working on developing an arboretum. Our property has always been free of the use of any chemicals and we believe that this has contributed to the diversity of birds and insects.
After visiting the Butterfly Conservatory in Niagara Falls I was inspired to add over ripe fruit to thrifted glass plates as food for butterflies. It didn’t take long for the thieving squirrels to discover the fruit! Each day I would set out new offerings so the butterflies were always able to get their share. Our gardens have large planting of monarda and echinops, which the pollinators visit frequently. Our meadow has a large amount of Queen Anne’s lace (Daucus carota), which also attracts lot of pollinators even though it is invasive. We have a great number of apple trees on the property as well which also provide food for bees and wasps and the trees and flowers hum with activity! I hope that you enjoy these photos taken during the warmer summer months.
I think we’re all counting down the days until we see the first busy bees buzzing around our garden beds, and I always find bumblebees particularly delightful to watch. This bumblebee is enjoying a wealth of nectar from a spire of light purple salvia.
As Caroline mentioned above, there are many apple trees on their farm property that provide food and shelter to a multitude of pollinators and wildlife through the seasons. Here, a honey bee visits a fresh apple blossom.
Caroline also mentioned that lots of Queen Anne’s lace (Daucus carota) can be found in her meadow, a very common occurrence in large open areas that aren’t treated with herbicides. Removing flowers before they go to seed can help stop the spread, but completely eradicating this plant takes time and dedication if you’re avoiding chemicals in your garden. Though this weed, and many others, can feel like a never-ending battle, pollinators can at least get some benefit from these plants as we wage the war. Bees and butterflies utilize the flower’s nectar, and it can be used as a larval host plant for the eastern black swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes).
I’m absolutely amazed at Caroline’s incredible photography and these beautiful shots of insects that can often flutter away before you have a chance to capture them clearly. In this photo, a Northern pearly-eye butterfly (Enodia anthedon) is enjoying the fruit juices left on Caroline’s thrifted glass plates.
Caroline’s ability to photograph all of these pollinators gives a great taste of the diversity of life that she has been able to welcome. Its also a great inspiration to set out an over-ripe fruit plate this summer, and see what guests you get to observe visiting for a snack. You might catch a glimpse of a white admiral butterfly (Limenitis arthemis) if you’re located in the northeast or midwest of North America.
Of course, leaving out fruit will inevitably attract some other garden guests and likely feed other visitors as well as the butterflies. But there is plenty of food to go around, and this squirrel does look pretty cute with its citrus bounty.
And as Caroline has proven, with a little patience (and a lot of work), you can create and capture some truly magic moments when you set up your landscape to support the insects and animals that share your space. It all becomes worth it when you get to see a white admiral sharing a meal with a question mark butterfly (Polygonia interrogationis). Yes! The smaller, brown butterfly on the right is a “question mark” butterfly, which can easily be mistaken for its relative the “eastern comma.” Learn more about these punctuation mark pollinators here: A Question Mark, a Comma, and a Question of Origin.
From a working sheep farm to butterflies on plates and bees on blooms, it’s incredible to think about the amount of life that has been supported on Caroline’s property and the important roles that the landscape has had. It’s also encouraging to imagine the possibilities that await, no matter what your gardens currently look like or what purpose your landscape has.
Caroline sent in so many stunning photos of pollinators and the plants they visit on her farm, we’ll be back in Ontario tomorrow to admire more of her photography. In the mean time, have a great day and remember that the first bursts of spring energy will be here before we know it!
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Have photos to share? We’d love to see your garden, a particular collection of plants you love, or a wonderful garden you had the chance to visit!
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