Very interesting! We have Monarch caterpillars feeding right now on the milkweed that is native to North Carolina. I had heard about the invasive “butterfly bush.” The name is a bit deceptive! 😄
Monarchs love milkweed, I hope more Americans will follow your example and have some in their gardens, all connected they could form butterfly highways.
Yes, we peoples have to take our blinders off at times, as city dwellers or otherwise. Breath deeply, and enjoy our smelling capacity that is left. . . (hopeful without air pollution, smoke etc.). Keep the overlooked nose healthy.
I assume that your Island has a constant wind flow as natures broom.
The Chinese expat Butterfly Bush is gorgeous while maintaining its boundaries towards the native caterpillars, amazing how a plant can do that. Or is it the caterpillar out respect for the plant that it stays away? Still seems very useful to others . . .
yes, there is constant wind. It comes mostly from the southwest which gives the trees closest to the dunes in the southwest a special shape; a bit like some fashionable hairdo, they are very low in the southwest and break the wind for the next tree that can grow a bit higher. I will try to remind and post a picture someday.
I like the idea of the caterpillar having so much respect for the nectar-rich plant that it doesn't eat its leaves. Nature never ceases to amaze and who knows that might be the case, or perhaps the butterfly bush believed less in the goodness of caterpillars and just put up some defense mechanism by making badly tasting leaves. But the thought is interesting: if those caterpillars do behave responsibly, they are better than us. After all, we kill the planet that feeds us...
Lovely pictures! Interesting about the Carder Bees. I think I have heard them referred to as Mason Bees.
Have an enjoyable two days communing with nature. Good to get away from all the anxiety that the daily news provokes! Looking forward to your photos. 😸
Bumble bees, how are they have become. I can recall, that a a child, I saw a lot of them in California. Now I get excited when ever I see one. The flower is also gorgeous. How blessed you are to able to have the time to enjoy nature. Thank you for sharing all that you see.
Future generations will ask us questions that are hard to answer. We can't say we didn't know (Carson's Silent Spring is from '62, and we also all noted that you no longer need to wipe the bugs off your windscreen), we can't say we couldn't stop it (in a democracy, things ought to change when you all want it). We just let those that earned billions by destroying the planet get away with it.
“Joy and sadness” isn’t that truly awful that bees are now rare in your area of the US. I read a lovely blog from a farmer in the UK who farms organically - no wormers, herbicides, pesticides etc.and he has seen a massive increase in insect and of course the bird life.
That is how it should be everywhere, I am always happy to see some people showing others that it can be done. By buying organic you can support these farmers
That is so shocking to me. My garden today was humming with different bumble bees. I have given over the garden to wildlife and only plant flowers and shrubs which benefit the insect population (and in turn this benefits the birds, mammals and amphibians). This has made a fantastic difference to the numbers of bumblebees, hoverflies and butterflies and gives me great joy.
Well that’s really good news. I have come to realise that many homeowners are just not aware of the perils of pesticides and RoundUp, nor town Councils, but farmers choose to use these chemicals for profit.
Thanks for sharing. It looks like a great initiative. The data are worrying, with lots of work to do in the individual states, assuming Washington can't do much (but I am not sure of the U.S. Federal authority on this issue). In Europe, this is typically the kind of issue where the European Commission can lead (but we have huge insect loss too), giving each individual EU member state's government the excuse that they had no other choice 'because it comes from Brussels'.
Very interesting! We have Monarch caterpillars feeding right now on the milkweed that is native to North Carolina. I had heard about the invasive “butterfly bush.” The name is a bit deceptive! 😄
Monarchs love milkweed, I hope more Americans will follow your example and have some in their gardens, all connected they could form butterfly highways.
“I love nature, I love landscape because it is so sincere. It never cheats me. It never jests. It is cheerfully, musically earnest.”
H.D.Thoreau
Enjoy your days.
Thank you, beautiful quote!
It’s lovely & necessary for our sanity and souls to pause, look & then proceed onward 🐝💜
yes, I love those short moments of joy, watching a busy bee.
Beautiful Alexander!
Yes, we peoples have to take our blinders off at times, as city dwellers or otherwise. Breath deeply, and enjoy our smelling capacity that is left. . . (hopeful without air pollution, smoke etc.). Keep the overlooked nose healthy.
I assume that your Island has a constant wind flow as natures broom.
The Chinese expat Butterfly Bush is gorgeous while maintaining its boundaries towards the native caterpillars, amazing how a plant can do that. Or is it the caterpillar out respect for the plant that it stays away? Still seems very useful to others . . .
Your back page photo is a down loader also (-:
🌻🦌🦋🌳
yes, there is constant wind. It comes mostly from the southwest which gives the trees closest to the dunes in the southwest a special shape; a bit like some fashionable hairdo, they are very low in the southwest and break the wind for the next tree that can grow a bit higher. I will try to remind and post a picture someday.
I like the idea of the caterpillar having so much respect for the nectar-rich plant that it doesn't eat its leaves. Nature never ceases to amaze and who knows that might be the case, or perhaps the butterfly bush believed less in the goodness of caterpillars and just put up some defense mechanism by making badly tasting leaves. But the thought is interesting: if those caterpillars do behave responsibly, they are better than us. After all, we kill the planet that feeds us...
Lovely pictures! Interesting about the Carder Bees. I think I have heard them referred to as Mason Bees.
Have an enjoyable two days communing with nature. Good to get away from all the anxiety that the daily news provokes! Looking forward to your photos. 😸
Thank you, Jean. Your comment made me search on the internet, I liked this article (where the carder bee looks very different from 'mine'): https://bestbeebrothers.com/blogs/blog/mason-bees-nesting-pollinating-and-more
It is interesting reading
But then look at the Common Carder Bee picture and you see it is the one I had on my photo: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombus_pascuorum
Wonderful! Have fun on your two days away in nature!
Thank you, Maia, I got back home late last night. It was lovely!
I always leave a dense clump of nettles in a sunny spot for the butterflies.
Bumble bees, how are they have become. I can recall, that a a child, I saw a lot of them in California. Now I get excited when ever I see one. The flower is also gorgeous. How blessed you are to able to have the time to enjoy nature. Thank you for sharing all that you see.
Thank you, it always does (although it seems like quite a few mosquitoes read your lines and decided to feed & nourish on my body...)
Future generations will ask us questions that are hard to answer. We can't say we didn't know (Carson's Silent Spring is from '62, and we also all noted that you no longer need to wipe the bugs off your windscreen), we can't say we couldn't stop it (in a democracy, things ought to change when you all want it). We just let those that earned billions by destroying the planet get away with it.
“Joy and sadness” isn’t that truly awful that bees are now rare in your area of the US. I read a lovely blog from a farmer in the UK who farms organically - no wormers, herbicides, pesticides etc.and he has seen a massive increase in insect and of course the bird life.
That is how it should be everywhere, I am always happy to see some people showing others that it can be done. By buying organic you can support these farmers
oh, that is so sad! I now realize how privileged I am that I see them every day.
That is so shocking to me. My garden today was humming with different bumble bees. I have given over the garden to wildlife and only plant flowers and shrubs which benefit the insect population (and in turn this benefits the birds, mammals and amphibians). This has made a fantastic difference to the numbers of bumblebees, hoverflies and butterflies and gives me great joy.
Well that’s really good news. I have come to realise that many homeowners are just not aware of the perils of pesticides and RoundUp, nor town Councils, but farmers choose to use these chemicals for profit.
Litigation - and ongoing . . .
Bayer to rethink Roundup in U.S. residential market after judge nixes $2 bln settlement
https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/us-judge-rejects-bayers-2-bln-deal-resolve-future-roundup-lawsuits-2021-05-26/
Thanks for sharing. It looks like a great initiative. The data are worrying, with lots of work to do in the individual states, assuming Washington can't do much (but I am not sure of the U.S. Federal authority on this issue). In Europe, this is typically the kind of issue where the European Commission can lead (but we have huge insect loss too), giving each individual EU member state's government the excuse that they had no other choice 'because it comes from Brussels'.