Pollinators and Flower Visitors

All sorts of small animals can be found on flowers. All of them can safely be called flower visitors. Of the flower visitors, some are pollinators. What is the difference?

Plant Story--Oxalis, Wood Sorrel

Wood sorrels, Oxalis, with flowers like little yellow stars, are common plants in disturbed areas across much of North America. They are worth a second look. 

common wood sorrel, Oxalis stricta

Gardening is Changing

Gardens and yards are changing. People are reducing their use of herbicides and pesticides. Planting more water-wise plants. Adding natives. Appreciating mixes of plants not just monocultures, whether in the lawn or the flowerbeds. All of this is revising our ideas of what an attractive yard is. 

front yard, natives (and others), no lawn grass

Travel--Cloud Forest in Ecuador

I visited the cloud forest of Ecuador in May. As mountains everywhere rise, they block the movement of clouds. Day after day, clouds full of water, rising off the ocean, hit the same areas on the mountains. On the Pacific slope of Ecuador, that is at about about 3000 feet in elevation. Every day, the clouds roll in, shading everything, covering the forest in fog. Actual rainfall is moderate (80", more than most of the eastern U.S. but low for tropical rainforests) but the humidity is 80-90% most of the time. Under these conditions, a very tall mountain forest grows, lush with epiphytes (plants that grow on other plants), mosses, vines, orchids...all kinds of botanical wonders. Which then support diverse animals. 

clouds on Ecuador forest

Plant Story--Black Medic, Medicago lupulina

Blooming near you in North America, generally ignored, is black medic, Medicago lupulina (pea family, Fabaceae). This is a little invader from Eurasia that is found all across the North America. 

black medic, Medicago lupulina

Fly Pollination

 Flies don't get much respect, we think of them mainly as pests. However, they are important pollinators.

Travel Story--Chicago Botanic Garden

Botanic gardens have many functions: as places to grow and protect rare plants, as places to show diverse plants to the public, as places to recommend yard and garden plants, as places to breed plants for human uses, and more. The Chicago Botanic Garden is no exception.  website

I visited for the first time in June. It is beautiful.

Chicago Botanic Garden