Bee balm, Common Milkweed and Dragonflies

Wildflower Update:  This week common milkweed, bee balm, slender mountain mint and purple conflowers began blooming.  Butterfly weed is in full bloom.  Below, two species of bumblebees and a hummingbird clearwing moth.  Above, a dragonfly feeding on a swallowtail butterfly.

 

Pollinators and Wildlife:  I saw four fawns this morning while bush-hogging.  I do not have a cab on our tractor and can see them moving through the vegetation when I get close to them.  They were all very small and hardly able to walk/run.  I saw four Monarchs on Saturday.  Three were flying around above one of the large milkweed colonies on our farm near Long Creek.
Below ... Swallowtails are more frequent this week as the Great Spangled Fritillariy population has gone down.  We have thousands of fireflies this week near dusk.

Work on the Farm: I am still bush-hogging and maintaining our 50 or so large milkweed colonies.


We support:
Round House, Jeans and Workware, Made in the USA for 112 years.
http://www.round-house.com/
Red Pig Tools, Garden tools, Made in the USA.
http://www.redpigtools.com/servlet/StoreFront
FEDCO, Co-op Garden Supplies, Seeds, Trees and Bulbs
http://www.fedcoseeds.com/
Johnny's Selected Seeds and Garden Tools
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/
Roundstone Native Seed ... A Kentucky Company!
https://www.roundstoneseed.com/
Prairie Moon Nursery, Native Seeds and Plants
https://www.prairiemoon.com/
Kelley's Beeskeeping ... A Kentucky Company! ... at least for now.
http://www.kelleybees.com/
and these organizations ...
Xerces Society
Journey North
Monarch Watch
Firefly Watch - Museum of Science, Boston
Sierra Club

Tennessee coneflowers and bumblebees

We have hundreds of bumblebees working the hairy vetch, musk thistle, dutch white clover and milkweeds.  I am not a bumblebee expert by most seem to be Common eastern bumble bees (Bombus impatiens, below).  However, working the hairy vetch are large bumblebees with second and third segments being yellow.  I do not have a good picture of one yet since they as they are always hanging upside down on the vetch blooms ... maybe B. pennsylvanicus / not pictured ... yet.

We still have dozens of fritillaries visiting our milkweed colonies.

Our rattlesnake master plants are about to bloom (below).

We have seen a few Monarchs around our many milkweed colonies but, only one each time.

We have several areas where we have planted Tennessee coneflowers and they are blooming now but, do not draw many pollinators.

I am trying to get ahead on the bushhogging since school is out for the summer.  Our seven acre wildflower/pollinator field we planted last month looks good with the partridge peas up about 3 inches.

We support:
Round House, Jeans and Workware, Made in the USA for 112 years.
http://www.round-house.com/
Red Pig Tools, Garden tools, Made in the USA.
http://www.redpigtools.com/servlet/StoreFront
FEDCO, Co-op Garden Supplies, Seeds, Trees and Bulbs
http://www.fedcoseeds.com/
Johnny's Selected Seeds and Garden Tools
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/
Roundstone Native Seed ... A Kentucky Company!
https://www.roundstoneseed.com/
Prairie Moon Nursery, Native Seeds and Plants
https://www.prairiemoon.com/
Kelley's Beeskeeping ... A Kentucky Company! ... at least for now.
http://www.kelleybees.com/
and these organizations ...
Xerces Society
Journey North
Monarch Watch
Firefly Watch - Museum of Science, Boston
Sierra Club

Great Spangled Fritillary butterflies ... hundreds!

School is out so it is back to work on our farm.  A few pictures to get the summer started ...  We have had hundreds of Great Spangled Fritilliaries over the past two weeks on our farm.  They love our butterfly weed ... and Chloes poop!  This weekend I saw two Monarch butterflies ... a male and a female ... both in hurry gliding in a large colony of common milkweed ... which is beginning to bloom.

We are seeing the first worker bumble bees working the hairy vetch and dutch clover in the field behind our house and milkweed.

Below ... our little yard rabbit, Tennessee coneflower blooming and a Silvery Checkerspot.

We support:
Round House, Jeans and Workware, Made in the USA for 112 years.
http://www.round-house.com/
Red Pig Tools, Garden tools, Made in the USA.
http://www.redpigtools.com/servlet/StoreFront
FEDCO, Co-op Garden Supplies, Seeds, Trees and Bulbs
http://www.fedcoseeds.com/
Johnny's Selected Seeds and Garden Tools
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/
Roundstone Native Seed ... A Kentucky Company!
https://www.roundstoneseed.com/
Prairie Moon Nursery, Native Seeds and Plants
https://www.prairiemoon.com/
Kelley's Beeskeeping ... A Kentucky Company! ... at least for now.
http://www.kelleybees.com/
and these organizations ...
Xerces Society
Journey North
Monarch Watch
Firefly Watch - Museum of Science, Boston
Sierra Club

Blackberry winter, Tulip Poplars and Yarrow

Wildflower Update: This evening I was able to get a few pictures of tulip poplar blooms ... first with a ladybird beetle ...

 

Ir was a blackberry winter last week with lows in the 40's.  A heavy blackberry bloom this year in areas where I did not bushhog earlier in the spring.

 







The yarrow is blooming ... I love their fern-like foliage.

We have some large patches of a non-native plant, ox-eye daisies.  I have used their seed pattern in class as an example of fibonacci numbers in nature.

Pollinators and Wildlife:  We saw our first fireflies this week.  I am not sure we have any first generation bumble bees yet.  Lots of swallowtails but still no Monarchs sighted and no sign of larva on our milkweed plants (one colony below).  I have seen a few kingbirds working near our house.

Work on the Farm: I have put more supers on our honeybee hives.  We planted seven acres of wildflowers near Long Creek.  It is part of a ten year pollinator program with the Fish and Wildlife Department.  It took two evenings because it was a five foot no-till drill.  We are needing rain but it appears it is on the way this weekend.

Star-of-Bethlehem in our front yard around some trees ... left over from an old homestead.

We support:
Round House, Jeans and Workware, Made in the USA for 112 years.
http://www.round-house.com/
Red Pig Tools, Garden tools, Made in the USA.
http://www.redpigtools.com/servlet/StoreFront
FEDCO, Co-op Garden Supplies, Seeds, Trees and Bulbs
http://www.fedcoseeds.com/
Johnny's Selected Seeds and Garden Tools
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/
Roundstone Native Seed ... A Kentucky Company!
https://www.roundstoneseed.com/
Prairie Moon Nursery, Native Seeds and Plants
https://www.prairiemoon.com/
Kelley's Beeskeeping ... A Kentucky Company! ... at least for now.
http://www.kelleybees.com/
and these organizations ...
Xerces Society
Journey North
Monarch Watch
Firefly Watch - Museum of Science, Boston
Sierra Club

Columbine, Stonecrop and Bishop's Cap

 

Wildflower Update: Last week, flowers on the limestone outcroppings were blooming.  Above our milkweed patches are now several inches tall, just in time for Monarchs to arrive.  The Mayapple blooms are winding down.  Jack-in-the-Pulpits and Bishop's cap are in bloom.

Lots of columbine last week.

 

 



Also, Stonecrop below ...

Pollinators and Wildlife:  We have seen several swallowtails nectaring.  However, I helped take a student group to the Keys during Spring Break and last week met our children in Champaign, IL to run in the half-marathon.  It has rained nearly every day in April and we are reviewing after school for the AP Biology exam.  My outside time has been cut back!

Work on the Farm: I have put on some supers but have been busy at school so this coming week will be time to catch up on work.

We support:
Round House, Jeans and Workware, Made in the USA for 112 years.
http://www.round-house.com/
Red Pig Tools, Garden tools, Made in the USA.
http://www.redpigtools.com/servlet/StoreFront
FEDCO, Co-op Garden Supplies, Seeds, Trees and Bulbs
http://www.fedcoseeds.com/
Johnny's Selected Seeds and Garden Tools
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/
Roundstone Native Seed ... A Kentucky Company!
https://www.roundstoneseed.com/
Prairie Nursery, Native Seeds and Plants
http://www.prairienursery.com/
Kelley's Beeskeeping ... A Kentucky Company! ... at least for now.
http://www.kelleybees.com/
and these organizations ...
Xerces Society
Journey North
Monarch Watch
Sierra Club

Large White Trillium ...

Wildflower Update: Below is Upland Cress from our greens patch.  Beloved in the south and known as Creasy.  I plant a patch each year next to our Turnip/Mustard Greens which is open to the community and usually draws over 50 pickers a year.

Large White Trillium is just starting to bloom ... lots of small woodland flowers ... Rue Anemone and Bishops Cap.  These were all taken with my phone ... camera USB port broken where I have most of my pictures.

Pollinators and Wildlife: This weekend I saw a few swallowtails in a hurry to nectar and several bumblebee queens nectaring.  It is turkey season here and the courting sounds start at day break and continue all day.  Lots of bees of all sorts on the turnip/mustard blooms.

Work on the Farm:  Our high school took its 8th trip to MarineLab in Key Largo last week during Spring break.  I was able to check our hives on Saturday ... all is well with good numbers and lots of bees bringing in pollen.  The tulip poplar bloom (our honey maker) should begin in a week ... hopefully it will quit raining so our honeybees can get to work.


We support:
Round House, Jeans and Workware, Made in the USA for 112 years.
http://www.round-house.com/
Red Pig Tools, Garden tools, Made in the USA.
http://www.redpigtools.com/servlet/StoreFront
FEDCO, Co-op Garden Supplies, Seeds, Trees and Bulbs
http://www.fedcoseeds.com/
Johnny's Selected Seeds and Garden Tools
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/
Roundstone Native Seed ... A Kentucky Company!
https://www.roundstoneseed.com/
Prairie Nursery, Native Seeds and Plants
http://www.prairienursery.com/
Kelley's Beeskeeping ... A Kentucky Company! ... at least for now.
http://www.kelleybees.com/
and these organizations ...
Xerces Society
Journey North
Monarch Watch
Sierra Club


Firefly Watch / AMNH
Bumblebee Watch / Xerces

Wildflower season starts!

Wildflower Update:  This week was a big week for our twinleaf patches (picts above).  For years while coaching in the Spring, I have missed this early bloom ... but this year was wonderful ... hundreds of blooms.  Also, our limestone outcroppings have started to green up with a few blooms.

 

Polinators and Wildlife:  I have seen a few butterflies ... several blue azures.  Lots of small bees along with our honeybees but, no bumblebees to date.  Turkey calling every morning a daybreak.  Lots of rabbits on the move when I am bushhogging!

Work on the Farm:  I have started selectively bush-hogging.  I bushhogged all our milkweed colonies (over thirty large colonies, some are over 100 feet long).  Milkweed should be coming up next week.  Since then, I have bushhogged section of each field to keep the blackberries and sumac controlled, leaving large sections for wildlife which I will bushhog later in the early summer.  

    We have several flats of wildflowers to transplant later in April.  Lots of several species of milkweeds ... thanks Prairie Moon Nursery!

We support:

Round House, Jeans and Workware, Made in the USA for 112 years.http://www.round-house.com/Red Pig Tools, Garden tools, Made in the USA.http://www.redpigtools.com/servlet/StoreFrontFEDCO, Co-op Garden Supplies, Seeds, Trees and Bulbshttp://www.fedcoseeds.com/Johnny's Selected Seeds and Garden Toolshttp://www.johnnyseeds.com/Roundstone Native Seed ... A Kentucky Company!https://www.roundstoneseed.com/Prairie Nursery, Native Seeds and Plantshttp://www.prairienursery.com/Kelley's Beeskeeping ... A Kentucky Company! ... at least for now.http://www.kelleybees.com/and these organizations ...Xerces SocietyJourney NorthMonarch WatchSierra Club

Firefly Watch / AMNH
Bumblebee Watch / Xerces
Monarch Watch