(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Gardening With a Purpose – Bee Seasons [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.', 'Backgroundurl Avatar_Large', 'Nickname', 'Joined', 'Created_At', 'Story Count', 'N_Stories', 'Comment Count', 'N_Comments', 'Popular Tags'] Date: 2023-04-03 Western honeybee gathering pollen from a crocus flower in my Willamette Valley neighborhood in mid-March. After the March 20 spring equinox , the annual flowering and pollinator season is finally here. In the Northwest, crocus. violets, and flowering trees and shrubs are blooming. Tree in bloom in a natural habitat in the Willamette Valley. March 27 2023 As for flowering plants, there are also seasons for types of bees. The Xerces Society has a link to a publication that highlights the various types of bees, when they are active, and how to nurture them in your garden. Wild Pollinators of Eastern Apple Orchards and How to Conserve Them This 18-page, full-color guide helps readers identify wild pollinators, provide them with food and habitat, and avoid pesticides that are toxic to them. By encouraging wild bee abundance and diversity, agricultural growers may be able to buffer rising honey bee rental costs while creating an environment that better supports both wild and commercial bees. xerces.org/... Although the guide is targeted to pollinators of eastern US apple orchards, the information is useful for gardeners in other parts of North America. The native bee chart in this guide indicates which species are ground-nesting – dig tunnels in garden soil; cavity nesting – bumble bees – use holes in stone walls or old mouse dens; or tunnel nesting – make nests in dead plant stalks, beetle holes in dead wood, or in bee hotel tubes; and when the various types of bees are likely to be busy gathering pollen and nectar. Native bee seasons from the Wild Pollinators guide xerces.org/... The flower season chart shows bloom times for varieties of plants throughout the growing season. Flower bloom seasons from the Wild Pollinators guide xerces.org/... The Xerces Society also has a link to a great guide for creating a pollinator friendly garden: Designing a Pollinator Habitat – by the Xerces Society www.storey.com/... Providing habitat for pollinators can be as simple as planting a small garden. Here are some key considerations when creating a welcoming space for pollinators. Planting Layout Groupings of single flower species reduce the energy required for foraging because pollinators can spot the plant quickly (minimizing their search time). And with an abundance of flowers in one location, pollinators can more quickly and efficiently from flower to flower and collect a full load of pollen and nectar to bring back to the nest. Research suggests planting flower groupings (clumps) of at least 3 feet (1 m) in diameter of an individual species. Large clumps of individual species are easier for flying pollinators to find in the landscape, especially in the case of small urban habitats or small pollinators with flight ranges as short as 500 feet (152 m). Flight Range The flight range of pollinators is a necessary consideration for restoration and management of pollinator habitat. The distance a pollinator can fly varies among species, and thus the distance between food and nesting sources must be carefully considered. This may be most important for bees because — unlike butterflies, flies, and beetles — they transport pollen and nectar to a nest and therefore are locked into visiting the flowers surrounding their nest. Other pollinators may forage much more widely, roaming across the landscape in search of food or egg-laying sites, sometimes over many miles — even hundreds of miles, as in the case of monarch butterflies. The ideal is to have nesting and forage resources in the same area. Bees are able to adapt to landscapes in which nesting and forage resources, as long as these two key habitat components are not too far apart. The distance a bee can fly between nest site and forage area is related to its size. Small species may fly no more than 500 feet (152 m) while larger species such as bumble bees may fly more than a mile (1.6 kilometers). A general rule of thumb is to have flowers no more than a few hundred feet (100 m) from potential nesting areas. Plant Diversity Diversity is a critical factor in the design of pollinator plantings. Natural flower-rich habitats may have 50 or 100 species, but for most conservation areas, as few as 10 carefully chosen plant species will provide a good foundation. Gordon Frankie, a professor at the University of California in Berkeley, and his students have found that when eight or more species of plants are grouped together at a single site, they tend to attract a significantly greater abundance and diversity of bee species. From this foundation, a richer habitat can develop with subsequent plantings, or by colonization from nearby natural areas. With several plant species flowering at once, and a sequence of plants flowering through the growing season, habitats can support a wide range of pollinators. If there are particular pollinators you wish to support, identifying and planting their key host plants may increase their abundance. Including a diversity of plants with different flower sizes, shapes, and colors, as well as varying plant heights and growth habits, will support the greatest numbers of diversity of pollinators. Diverse plantings that resemble natural native plant communities are also the most likely to resist pest, disease, and weed epidemics. Plant species found in association with each other in local natural areas are likely to have the same light, moisture, and nutrient needs and are more likely to thrive when grouped together. Thus, it is very useful to look around at natural areas in your community to see what plants are growing together, and which of these flowers seem to have the most visitors. Bloom Time Succession To provide a continuous food supply, choose at least three different pollinator plants within each of the three blooming periods: spring, summer, and fall. Under this plan, at least nine blooming plants should be established in pollinator enhancement sites; more is even better. Include Early and Late Bloomers It is especially important to plant flowers that bloom in the very early spring. These flowers are a critical resource for early emerging bees such as bumble bee queens, mining bees, and mason bees. An abundance of early to mid-spring blooming flowers will also help jumpstart populations of the handful of native bee species — such as bumble bees and some sweat bees — that produce multiple generations each year. These bees can be very abundant. Adequate forage available early in the season will increase reproductive success and lead to more bees in the middle and end of the year. Early forage also may encourage bumble bee queens that are emerging from hibernation to start their nests nearby, or simply increase the success rate of nearby nests. It is equally important to include plants that flower late in the season to ensure that queen bumble bees are strong and numerous going into winter hibernation. I am planning to add more plants to attract bees and other pollinating insects to my urban garden this spring, including kinnikinnick, a heath family ground cover, and a chokecherry tree for early season blooms. These will complement the variety of shrubs and perennials I have already planted for mid and late season pollen and nectar-rich flowers. I’ll be on the lookout for different types of bees visiting the flowers in my garden this spring and summer. Have you noticed any bees or other pollinating insects in your habitat this spring? [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/4/3/2160894/-Gardening-With-a-Purpose-Bee-Seasons Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/