Archive | October 2024

THE LINK BETWEEN PUMPKINS AND SQUASH BEES

Oct31

        If somebody asks you, what native animal do you associate with the pumpkin, I suspect you would say the bat.  Obviously, this is because both pumpkins and bats are iconic symbols of Halloween.  While nobody can argue that point, the truth of the matter is the squash bee far more appropriate.  Let me explain why. 

       The squash is one of the more than 500 species of native bees that live in Georgia.  One of the things that makes it different from other bees is it specializes in pollinating summer squash, butternut squash, winter squash, zucchini squash and pumpkins.  An example of just how good they are pollinating pumpkins is if there are enough squash bees and bumblebees living near a pumpkin field, a farmer does not have to bring in hives of honeybees to pollinate all of the squash plants growing in the field.

One reason why they are such excellent pumpkin pollinators is squash bees are flying about visiting pumpkins very early in the morning long before honeybees begin looking for pollen.  This is important because male pumpkin flowers bloom early in the day, consequently, when squash bees visit pumpkin flowers, they become covered with pollen that is transferred to female squash flowers when they open later in the morning.  I think that is neat!

Who knows?  The pumpkins that decorate your yard may be the result of squash bees pollinating flowers in a pumpkin patch mile away from your home.  I would like to think that is the case.

 

AMERICAN ROBINS EAT LOTS OF FRUITS AND BERRIES IN FALL AND WINTER

Oct28

       Earthworms and other invertebrates make up a significant portion of the American Robin’s summer diet. However since invertebrates become more difficult to for the birds to find during fall and winter, how to these familiar backyards birds cope with the scarcity of these important foods?

       The answer is they change their diet.  This begins to take place late summer.  By winter, fruits and berries comprise 80 percent of the birds’ diet.  Here is a list of some of the native plants that bear fruits or berries eaten by American Robins during the coldest months of the year:  possumhaw, American holly, flowering dogwood, winged sumac, American beautyberry, pokeberry, sassafras, poison ivy, and viburnum.

       If you have been wondering why you do not see many robins in your yard during the fall and winter, it could not many of these plants grow on your property.  If that proves to be the case, some of the plants mentioned above might work well in your landscape.  If they do, some of them to your backyard plant community.

BACKYARD SECRET – BLACK GUM TREES ADVERTIZE THEY HAVE FRUIT

Oct23

        The Black gum tree displays strikingly beautiful scarlet red foliage each autumn.  Long before it displays its eye-popping finery scattered red leaves appear scattered about its dark green canopy.  These red leaves appear from summer into early fall during the time many migratory songbirds are migrating south for the winter.

       Some biologists theorize the red leaves literally advertise that the trees are harboring a bounty of food needed by southbound migrants to fuel their arduous migration. Supposedly, when the birds spot the leaves they fly down and inspect the tree.  When they do, they quickly find the tree laden with energy-rich half-inch dark fruits (actually drupes).

       By so doing, the birds benefit not having to expend a lot of time and energy to find food and the tree’s seeds are scattered far from the tree.      

MANY ASPECTS OF BLUEBIRD MIGRATION REMAIN A MYSTERY

Oct20

       Since we see eastern bluebirds in Georgia throughout the entire year, one would think bluebirds do not migrate. However, the truth is some do and some do not.  For that reason, ornithologists call them partial migrants.  In you think the bluebird’s migratory behavior is a bit odd, you are not alone.  Even the men and women who study these fascinating birds are having difficulty unraveling the mysteries swirling about the migratory behavior of this beautiful bird.

       For example, biologists have been unable to identify the routes used by the birds during migration. Similarly, they have yet to figure out why some bluebirds migrate, and others stay at home throughout the winter months. Likewise, we do not understand why some southbound migrants fly past their traditional wintering grounds in the South and wing their way to Bermuda and Cuba.

       Here are a few things we do know.  Some bluebirds hatched in the South and the central United States don’t migrate at all, preferring to remain on their breeding territories throughout the winter.  Others migrate just a few miles.

       As a rule, practically all of the birds raised in southern Canada and the Northeast migrate.  The vast majority of these bluebirds spend the winter in the Southeast.

       I cannot help but wonder when some of these mysteries will be unlocked.  In the meantime, whenever I see a bluebird during the winter, I wonder if was raised locally are near in Columbus, Ohio, Brookfield, Massachusetts or some other locale miles and miles from Georgia.

      

HOW MANY SPECIES OF NATIVE BEES LIVE IN YOUR YARD?

Oct13

        I have often wondered how many species of native bees forage in my backyard.  I have long realized that my yard hosts a variety of native species.  However, not being an expert in bee identification, all I can say is that a number of native bee species are hard at work in my yard each day.  This observation is based solely on the colors, patterns, and sizes of the bees that I see.

       Research conducted by University of Georgia suggest our yards are homes to far more native bees than most of us would have ever have imagined.  In a two-year study of bee populations living yards in Athens, Georgia, they were able to locate more than 100 species of native bees.  What makes this figure even more remarkable is these urban bees represent roughly 20 percent of the 500+ species of native bees known to exist in the entire Peach State.

       Interestingly, the yards where the greatest diversity of bees was found were adjacent to patches of forested habitat.