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07-15-2016, 04:21 AM - 3 Likes   #1
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The Great Canadian (and American?) Bumble Bee Count

Thought I would post this for the Canadian members, a fun cause to contribute photos to! I'm not sure, but it looks like there are contributions from America too.

https://greenlivingottawa.com/2016/07/08/the-great-canadian-bumble-bee-count/
Bumble Bee Watch

07-15-2016, 10:33 AM   #2
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Thanks for mentioning this. I have been contributing to Bumble Bee Watch for years now but more data is still needed to keep tabs on these important pollinators.
07-15-2016, 04:20 PM   #3
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Here in Delaware I planted a native perennial on the sunny side of my house; Swamp milkweed. It has attractive flowers, is drought resistant and the bumblebees absolutely love it. I am hoping that it will also attract monarch butterflies. Both the bumblebees and the monarch butterflies desperately need help and this is a really good way to help them.
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07-16-2016, 01:26 AM   #4
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To the best of my knowledge, Monarchs feed only on milkweed. It is considered a pest by ranchers and thus disappearing.

07-16-2016, 07:34 AM   #5
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Monarchs cannot survive without milkweed; their caterpillars only eat milkweed plants, and monarch butterflies need milkweed to lay their eggs on the leaves of milkweed. However, adult Monarchs do eat from many other flowers/plants nectar.
07-16-2016, 07:35 AM   #6
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jddwoods, that swamp milkweed is beautiful; I'll have to look into whether it's available locally!
07-16-2016, 07:39 PM   #7
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QuoteOriginally posted by csa Quote
Monarchs cannot survive without milkweed; their caterpillars only eat milkweed plants, and monarch butterflies need milkweed to lay their eggs on the leaves of milkweed. However, adult Monarchs do eat from many other flowers/plants nectar.
I sit corrected. Thanks, Carol.

07-16-2016, 08:03 PM   #8
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Albert, you are most welcome. The Monarchs are such beautiful butterflies!
07-17-2016, 05:51 AM   #9
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I signed up - looks like a great way to learn about bumblebee ID, get your ID attempt confirmed by an expert, and best of all contribute to bumblebee knowledge.

QuoteOriginally posted by csa Quote
jddwoods, that swamp milkweed is beautiful; I'll have to look into whether it's available locally!
If you can't find plants locally, it's easy to grow from seed (which ships easily). Also check out Butterfly Weed, Asclepias tuberosa. It has gorgeous orange nectar rich flowers, is also well behaved in gardens, and is of course a host for the Monarch.
07-17-2016, 07:50 AM   #10
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QuoteOriginally posted by BrianR Quote
I signed up - looks like a great way to learn about bumblebee ID, get your ID attempt confirmed by an expert, and best of all contribute to bumblebee knowledge.



If you can't find plants locally, it's easy to grow from seed (which ships easily). Also check out Butterfly Weed, Asclepias tuberosa. It has gorgeous orange nectar rich flowers, is also well behaved in gardens, and is of course a host for the Monarch.
Yes, I found a place to get seeds, in case my nurseries don't have any of the milkweed. I'll also look for the Butterfly Weed, as I've seen pictures of it, and it's also beautiful. I get a few bumblebees here on my Russian Sage, so hopefully can encourage more to my yard with these additional plants!

I'll sign up, also!
07-17-2016, 11:37 AM   #11
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QuoteOriginally posted by csa Quote
jddwoods, that swamp milkweed is beautiful; I'll have to look into whether it's available locally!
Here are some details on the Swamp Milkweed. This used to be considered a weed but now it is considered a valuable native wildflower. It is much more attractive than the milkweeds you see in meadows throughout North America. It is attractive enough that it looks great in my sunny native perennial garden on the side of my home. I planted it along with Black Eyed Susans, Purple Coneflowers and perennial lavender. This combination is like a magnet for honeybees, butterflies and bumblebees. As of now, the flowers on the swamp milkweed have faded but I am seeing Monarch Butterflies laying their eggs so I will soon see the progression from caterpillar to chrysalis to butterfly on the plants.

Good Luck with it if you plant it, it is easy to grow and could reseed an additional plant or two.

John,
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07-17-2016, 11:49 AM   #12
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QuoteOriginally posted by BrianR Quote
I signed up - looks like a great way to learn about bumblebee ID, get your ID attempt confirmed by an expert, and best of all contribute to bumblebee knowledge.



If you can't find plants locally, it's easy to grow from seed (which ships easily). Also check out Butterfly Weed, Asclepias tuberosa. It has gorgeous orange nectar rich flowers, is also well behaved in gardens, and is of course a host for the Monarch.
If you find out where you can get butterfly weed seeds on line please post the website. It is another plant that I have seen growing wild in meadows in northern Delaware and Southeast Pennsylvania but I would prefer to purchase it rather than digging it up from someones meadow. It is a lot like the swamp milkweed except for the bright orange flowers. Here, growing wild in a Delaware meadow.
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07-17-2016, 12:14 PM   #13
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QuoteOriginally posted by jddwoods Quote
If you find out where you can get butterfly weed seeds on line please post the website. It is another plant that I have seen growing wild in meadows in northern Delaware and Southeast Pennsylvania but I would prefer to purchase it rather than digging it up from someones meadow. It is a lot like the swamp milkweed except for the bright orange flowers. Here, growing wild in a Delaware meadow.

https://www.prairiemoon.com/ has a variety of Asclepias seed available. Shipping is cheap to the US, silly to Canada.

Like you, I'm also averse to digging plants from the wild, especially Asclepias tuberosa which can be a bugger to move once it's going. An exception is from active farmland early spring - the farmer doesn't want it, it will probably get hosed with roundup or mowed down by cattle. However...I'm pretty OK with collecting a few seeds from unprotected land (i.e. up here I don't collect from National or Provincial parks), so if you know where a patch lives, go back later in the summer.

I'll also say that Common Milkweed, Asclepias syriaca, really is the bomb if you have the right place for it. it will spread like mad via the roots, so you do need a large area where you can let it run rampantly. And best to do it out of sight from active farmers. But when a big patch is blooming, the scent and sight is just magnificent.

My final bit of advice for people shopping for bee or butterfly plants - quiz your nursery about the plants history. Make absolutely sure it hasn't been treated with any pesticides that may harm the little pollinators you're trying to attract.
07-17-2016, 12:16 PM   #14
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"If you find out where you can get butterfly weed seeds on line please post the website."

Just "google" it; many sites to purchase the seeds.

https://www.google.com/search?q=Butterfly+Weed+seeds&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8
07-18-2016, 11:37 AM   #15
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Thanks for sharing that.
I've been contributing to Beespotter for years, their geography is limited, and the sightings are reviewed. It gathers good data, but only as good as the people in the field provide of course.

Lost Ladybug Project is another great citizen science project to support.

Join us on Facebook, look for the Native Bee Awareness Initiative. There are other groups, likely in your area as well.

Finally, a couple books which may be of interest:
https://www.amazon.com/Bees-Your-Backyard-Guide-Americas-ebook/dp/B00YFTCC3K...+your+backyard

https://www.amazon.com/Bumble-Bees-North-America-Identification-ebook/dp/B00...can+bumblebees
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