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Tag Archives: pollinators
Pollinator Protection Vital to Urban Agriculture
2017 Virginia Urban Agriculture Summit Pollinator Protection Poster
Sustainable landscape management helps improve soil productivity and conserves and protects water resources. Through use of native plants, it benefits our local habitat and wildlife, including pollinators. MGs created a poster for use at the 2017 Virginia Urban Agriculture Summit that focused on pollinator protection, which seems especially relevant for this Pollinator Week, celebrated from June 18–24. Continue reading
Posted in MG in the Garden, Pollinators
Tagged Best management practices, National Pollinator Week, pollinator week, pollinators
Five Things You Didn’t Know About . . . Annuals
Unlike perennials, which live for more than two years, annual plants sprout, bloom, produce seeds, and die in a single growing season. If the garden was a stage, perennials would be the leads and annuals would be supporting performers. Continue reading
For Your Pollinator Garden
Do you want to create or add to a pollinator garden? Do you look at lists of plants that claim to be superior at attracting pollinators, then wonder which ones really perform best?
If you wish to target bees, then consider native Monarda fistulosa (wild bergamot). Continue reading
Posted in MG in the Garden, Pollinators, Tried and True Native Plant Selections for the Mid-Atlantic
Tagged black and gold bumble bee, brown-belted bumble bee, European honey bee, glance, green sweat bee, Mary Free, Monarda fistulosa (Wild Bergamot), pollinators, syrphid fly, two-spotted bumble bee, Video
On the Echinacea – What’s that Insect? Answers!
We wrap up pollinator week with one last challenge: can you identify the insects in the video? These hairy pollinators were buzzing around the Echinacea at Green Spring Gardens on Wednesday. Continue reading
Posted in MG in the Garden, Pollinators, Public Education
Tagged insects, Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia, Native plants, pollinators
On the Echinacea – What’s that Insect?
This year, June 2oth is not only the summer solstice, but the beginning of Pollinator Week, created to advance public awareness of the significant environmental benefits provided by pollinators. This is the perfect opportunity to stroll through an MGNV demonstration or other public garden to enjoy the flowers and see how many different pollinators you can find. Stop and observe pollinators in action. Notice their characteristics and behavior. But most of all, appreciate their efforts and the many benefits that they provide. Continue reading
Posted in Demonstration Gardens, Pollinators, Public Education
Tagged Echinacea, insects, Native plants, pollinator week, pollinators
The Master Gardeners’ Bookshelf – American Botanical Paintings: Native Plants of the Mid-Atlantic
American Botanical Paintings: Native Plants of the Mid Atlantic, a recently published book intended for both artists and gardeners, was created by a local nonprofit group, Botanical Artists for Education & the Environment. This group is composed of botanical artists who participated in painting classes offered by Anne-Marie Evans in Falls Church, VA. The BAEE undertook the publication project with the intention of stimulating an appreciation of native plants and encouraging their use in home landscaping. The introductory text includes a contribution from the renowned entomologist Dr. Douglas Tallamy on the vital role of native plants in local ecosystems. Continue reading
Posted in The Master Gardeners' Bookshelf
Tagged Books about gardening, Botany, habitats, Native plants, pollinators
