The bugs were out yesterday after the rain. With the recent lack of water and the heat there weren't many bees or bugs flying about. It was a quick change yesterday. The double rainfall brought a sprouting of seeds too - and aren't they mostly our most robust weeds - so quick to spread and sprout. As I research 'the ethical gardener' theme, I find that bees love dandelions, plantain and clover - so not mowing the lawn until after they bloom is kind to bees. How does an urbanite balance between the perfect, manicured lawn and the environmentally friendly environment?
Perhaps we can take an alternative path - planting bee-friendly trees. I find out that there are varieties of trees that are bee friendly. I've never had these delicacies: black locust makes a honey that is almost water-white. Tulip poplar nectar is reddish and highly prized, and linden makes a pale, delicately flavoured floral honey.
So planting nectar-rich trees is another way of supporting our pollinators. In my own garden is a prized pollinator tree. It is the Heptacodium miconidoides - Seven Son Flower tree. It is full of bees at the end of the summer when it has dense white clusters of flowers. It is one of Paul Zammit's picks at the Toronto Botanical Gardens for the pollinator garden. Find out more about the TBG pollinator garden.
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