DIY Around the Yard
Gardening for Butterflies and Moths
Maintaining a variety of native flowering plants and trees will provide an enticing buffet for butterflies and moths and create a moving tapestry of flight in your backyard. Discover butterflies and moths and the native plants they rely on as host during their caterpillar stage.
In the past we didn’t design gardens to play a critical ecological role in the landscape, but we must do so in the future. As quickly as possible we need to replace unnecessary lawn with densely planted woodlots that can serve as habitat for our local biodiversity. Author Doug Tallamy offers lots of suggestions for getting started with your own Homegrown National Park.
Homeowners can plant the borders of their properties with native plants such as white oaks (Quercus alba), black willows (Salix nigra), red maples (Acer rubrum), green ashes (Fraxinus pennsylvanica), black walnuts (Juglans nigra), river birches (Betula nigra) and shagbark hickories (Carya ovata), under-planted with woodies like serviceberry (Amelanchier canadensis), arrowwood (Viburnum dentatum), hazelnut (Corylus americnus), and blueberries (Vaccinium spp).
Even modest increases in the native plant cover on suburban properties significantly increases the number and species of breeding birds, including birds of conservation concern. As gardeners and stewards of our land, we have never been so empowered to help save biodiversity from extinction, and the need to do so has never been so great. All we need to do is plant native plants!
In the past we didn’t design gardens to play a critical ecological role in the landscape, but we must do so in the future. As quickly as possible we need to replace unnecessary lawn with densely planted woodlots that can serve as habitat for our local biodiversity. Author Doug Tallamy offers lots of suggestions for getting started with your own Homegrown National Park.
Homeowners can plant the borders of their properties with native plants such as white oaks (Quercus alba), black willows (Salix nigra), red maples (Acer rubrum), green ashes (Fraxinus pennsylvanica), black walnuts (Juglans nigra), river birches (Betula nigra) and shagbark hickories (Carya ovata), under-planted with woodies like serviceberry (Amelanchier canadensis), arrowwood (Viburnum dentatum), hazelnut (Corylus americnus), and blueberries (Vaccinium spp).
Even modest increases in the native plant cover on suburban properties significantly increases the number and species of breeding birds, including birds of conservation concern. As gardeners and stewards of our land, we have never been so empowered to help save biodiversity from extinction, and the need to do so has never been so great. All we need to do is plant native plants!
Building a Mason Bee House
"Mason bee" is a common name for species of bees in the genus Osmia, of the family of Megachilidae. Their name mason comes from their habit of making compartments of mud in their nests, which are made in holes made by wood-boring insects or in hollow reeds.
Instructions for Building a Mason Bee House
Unlike honeybees or bumblebees, Osmia are solitary. Every female is fertile and makes her own nest. These solitary bees produce neither honey nor beeswax. There are over 300 species across the Northern Hemisphere, and more than 130 species of Mason bees in North America.
These bees emerge from their cocoons in the spring, with the males first to come out. The males remain near the nests waiting for the females to emerge. After mating, the males die, the females begin provisioning their nests. Females visit flowers to gather pollen and nectar. Once her provision mass is complete, the bee will back into the hole and lay eggs on top of the provision mass. Then, she creates a partition of "mud" which doubles as the back of the next cell. This process continues until she has filled the cavity. The female-destined eggs are laid in the back of the nest, and the male eggs are in the front. Finally, she plugs the entrance to the nest and may seek out another location to build a nest.
By summer, the larva has consumed all of its provisions and begins spinning a cocoon around itself and enters the pupal stage. The adult matures either in the fall or winter. These solitary bees pollinate our spring fruit trees, flowers, and vegetables. They are not aggressive, and one may observe them very close range without fear of being stung. They add beauty, activity, and pollination to our gardens.
Instructions for Building a Mason Bee House
Unlike honeybees or bumblebees, Osmia are solitary. Every female is fertile and makes her own nest. These solitary bees produce neither honey nor beeswax. There are over 300 species across the Northern Hemisphere, and more than 130 species of Mason bees in North America.
These bees emerge from their cocoons in the spring, with the males first to come out. The males remain near the nests waiting for the females to emerge. After mating, the males die, the females begin provisioning their nests. Females visit flowers to gather pollen and nectar. Once her provision mass is complete, the bee will back into the hole and lay eggs on top of the provision mass. Then, she creates a partition of "mud" which doubles as the back of the next cell. This process continues until she has filled the cavity. The female-destined eggs are laid in the back of the nest, and the male eggs are in the front. Finally, she plugs the entrance to the nest and may seek out another location to build a nest.
By summer, the larva has consumed all of its provisions and begins spinning a cocoon around itself and enters the pupal stage. The adult matures either in the fall or winter. These solitary bees pollinate our spring fruit trees, flowers, and vegetables. They are not aggressive, and one may observe them very close range without fear of being stung. They add beauty, activity, and pollination to our gardens.
Installing a Rain Barrel
Rain barrels catch rainwater from your home's downspouts and store it for later, when the groundwater can soak it up and filter it, or, for us gardeners, when a dry spell means watering our plants and trees. Adding a rain barrel to some or all of the downspouts on your home will not only reduce run-off leading to the Chesapeake Bay, it will allow you to conserve about 1,300 gallons of water during summer months, according to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. The only catch: getting it installed. Master Gardener Jim MacNicholl offers this tutorial on How to Install a Rain Barrel to get you started.
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