Vitex in Bloom

The important role played by the pollinators is becoming more apparent as people recognize that many of their species are declining in numbers. I am regularly approached by individuals who say that they are just not seeing any pollinators in their lawns and gardens. Some are not getting the vegetable crops that they expected as a result of not having adequate numbers of pollinators. One person told me that he had a “perfect” lawn in his front yard with no dandelions, weeds, or clover. However, he had a garden in his back yard that was not producing anything. He said that maybe he should stop spraying and let some clover grow for the pollinators. Many of the causes of the decline in pollinators are man-made and can be attributed to the loss of habitat and forage. To spread the word of the importance of the pollinators, this week has been declared National Pollinator Week. Visit the Pollinator Partnership web site at http://www.pollinator.org/ for ideas of ways to help protect the pollinators. The Partnership manages the North American Pollinator Protection Campaign in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

One way that we can rapidly turn environmental conditions in favor of the pollinators is to plant a pollinator garden. This can be almost any landscape planting, herb, kitchen, or vegetable garden. Native plants are especially valuable to the bees, bats, butterflies, moths, mammals, and various insects that pollinate our flowering plants. Lists of sources of native plants can be found at http://www.plantnative.org/. Today’s photo shows a moth collecting nectar from vitex, or chaste tree.  Vitex is a large flowering shrub or small tree that was brought to America in the 1600s. It blooms in the summer when the pollinators often experience a dearth of nectar, making it an important food source. The moth hovers around the spires of vitex blooms in a flight that resembles another pollinator, the hummingbird. This moth has evolved the appearance of a bee, a protection from predators.

--Richard

Beekeepers Meet and Share

Beekeepers share the craft of handling and caring for honey bees through educational associations at the local, state, and regional levels. Typically, local associations cover an area of one or more counties and meet monthly with programs devoted to beekeeping activities as they change throughout the year. Our local group, the Memphis Area Beekeepers Association, meets monthly in Memphis and has membership across portions of three states, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Arkansas. State-wide beekeeping associations typically meet once a year in the fall after the honey harvest for an educational program which often includes beekeeping expert speakers brought in from outside the state. Rita and I recently traveled to the mountains of northern Arkansas for the Arkansas Beekeepers Association's annual meeting. Next, we traveled to the hills of Middle Tennessee to attend the Tennessee Beekeepers Association's annual conference. Speakers at both of these meetings covered topics of honey bee health. Beekeepers honed their beekeeping craft skills by participating in honey show events. The manufacturers of bee hive equipment brought their products to demonstrate to beekeepers. Many attended the conferences to meet with friends that they only see once a year.

The topics discussed at the meetings included new trends in beekeeping that move away from the use of chemicals. Other presentations featured the marketing of honey and bee hive products and reports on research being conducted on honey bee health. Rita and I have served as officers of both the Memphis Area and Tennessee beekeeping organizations. I am concluding my service as president of the TBA. Today's photo shows a honey bee collecting nectar from the blue-colored flowers of vitex. Vitex is a large shrub or small tree which blooms throughout the end of summer and into the fall when few flowering plants can be found by the honey bees.
--Richard

Vitex in Bloom

The Vitex, or chaste tree, is in bloom with its long, upright clusters of light blue flowers. This large shrub or small tree is a favorite for landscape plantings throughout the South. Like the honeybee, Vitex was brought to America by the colonists. Vitex is especially appreciated by beekeepers and those who want to attract insect pollinators. Vitex is very attractive to a number of species of bees and native insect pollinators, and it blooms over a long period of time. During the summer months, Vitex is one of the few plants available in some areas during times of dearth when other plants are not producing nectar.

I met Karen and Steve Cantor while I was snapping pictures of their Vitex tree in the lawn of their Midtown Memphis home. Click on the picture, and you can see a honeybee collecting nectar from the delicate flowers of the Vitex. At the time, the tree was being worked heavily by carpenter bees. They are the large bees that look like bumblebees, except they have a shiny black abdomen. A few honeybees and solitary bees were also foraging on the Vitex as well. Their lawn was in bloom with a number of flowering plants. The Cantors are true stewards of the environment. They also plant a number of different varieties of sunflowers. Such plantings provide a continuous supply of food and habitat for the pollinators as well as diversity of pollens for good nutrition for the developing bees. We talked briefly; the Cantors are quite knowledgeable of our impact on the environment. I had a few supers of honey that I had just harvested from our bees at the Memphis Botanic Garden, so we shared a taste of some light and flavorful spring honey. I thank the Cantors for using their landscaping efforts to create a beautiful lawn and a feeding area for the bees.
--Richard