A Bee’s Eye View

If you were a bee, what would you see? Thanks to the wonders of macro photography and scientific research, it’s easier than ever to imagine what a bee sees. Here’s a fascinating peek at a pollinator’s world filled with stigmas, stamens, pollen and nectar. We often forget flowers are sex organs after all, decked out with ingenious mechanisms to encourage visitation and ultimately pollination.

The photos above show the “cavernous” centers of two daylilies and an echinacea cone. Imagine being a bee or other pollinator at the edge of a daylily bloom — it must be like peering into a volcano!

A New Invasive: Box Tree Moth

Box Tree Moth, courtesy of Cornell: Photo by Matteo Maspero and Andrea Tantardini

An article in today’s Washington Post caught my eye about a new Asian species of moth spotted in this counrty, one I hadn’t heard of before. I quickly did a bit of research. According to Cornell College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, we indeed have another invasive species to worry about: the box tree moth. As if spotted lanternflies weren’t bad enough!

Tips for Creating A New Garden

Great gardens don’t invent themselves. In fact they can be a lot of work to create. Here are my suggestions for making the task of creating (or revitalizing) a perennial garden from scratch easier and more satisfying.

To begin, dedicate a small notebook to your gardening projects or use an app like Google Keep. Don’t rush the planning stage. Jot down the answers to these questions, and track your progress.