I love how the different trees and plants on our property provide a continuous sustenance for the different pollinators we have.
It starts early in the spring with the willow trees flowering and the honeybees waking up from their winter nests. The next phase is the poplar trees, Saskatoons and the first phase of dandelions all flowering. By this time the bumblebees and butterflies have emerged and many birds have returned to breed. Almost as soon as the first dandelions turn white, the wild roses and lilies begin to flower. After that the flowers I have planted should be in bloom.
I walked around capturing a few of the pollinators hard at work.
A bumblebee flittering from dandelion to dandelion. You can stand almost anywhere a hear one buzzing, totally concentrating on its job.
A Polyphemus Moth taking a rest on the side of our shed. Apparently, it is rare to see one during the day as they are nocturnal.
We have a number of Tiger Swallowtail Butterflies that fly all over. They are a beautiful yellow and black which makes them stand out against the green of the trees.
We get a number of different smaller bees that move from flower to flower. None of these will sting unless you interrupt their work.
This is a Morning Cloak butterfly. I managed to get it to land on my hand twice. I wasn’t wearing bright colours so maybe it was just curious? Depending how the sun is shining on it, it appears orange or a dark red.
Birds are accidental pollinators. As they move about searching for nest material or fly from tree to tree they may get pollen stick to their feet which is then transferred to the next plant they visit.
We have many different summer birds that come to breed and then leave again in late summer. I have been able to identify some common birds such as American Robins or Red-Winged Blackbirds. Others, I had to search based on their appearance and song to identify.
When our son was visiting last week, he encouraged me to download and use two birding apps that help to identify birds.
The Merlin app allows you to see all the birds common to your area. You can also record birds singing and it will identify the bird. As we usually have a cacophony of birds singing at one time, I was able to identify eight different birds in a 30 second recording. The bird name comes up and is highlighted yellow when it is heard; if it is heard again the name will again turn yellow.
You can also upload a picture of a bird and it will identify it for you. It may give you choices between two if the picture is farther away but, if you do both sound and picture I.d., you should be able to correctly identify the bird.
The eBird app allows you to create a checklist of when and where you saw the bird(s) and you can report it so that others will see what birds are in the area. So far I have two that are considered rare sightings for our area: the Yellow Warbler and Vesper Sparrow. I can easily identify both now by their distinct song.
Our property is a safe haven for pollinators as we have lots of flowering plants. The fallen trees provide nests and nesting materials to both insects and birds. We don’t use pesticides which apparently can harm bees. It is enjoyable watching all these pollinators in action.
Nice photo catch!