Habitat Gardening: Dreams and Realistic Expectations

Habitat gardens provide for butterflies and other creatures

Habitat gardening is becoming popular in the United States and elsewhere.  There’s something satisfying about planting a garden that attracts a wide range of birds and other creatures.  Many gardeners dream of a garden filled with butterflies and birds.  But how realistic is that dream?  And how long will it take for a new garden to meet those expectations?

One thing gardening teaches us is patience.  The best garden features – shade trees, large flowering shrubs, nesting birds – take time.  But you’ll probably see some changes right away, when you begin to garden for habitat.  For example, a water source and fast-growing flowering plants begin attracting insects and birds the first year. 

Native plant gardens change dramatically in the first decade. Here’s what you’ll likely experience, when you convert your S. California garden from conventional garden plants to California native habitat species:

The first year: plants are low and small

Year 1

• Birds and insects will start coming to a water source almost right away.  Water is scarce, and creatures are skilled at finding it.  Install several water sources to supply this critical resource.
• Any native that flowers will start attracting some pollinators.  There may not be very many pollinators the first year, but annual wildflowers, perennials and flowering shrubs will see some activity the first year.
• Any plant that produces seeds will attract some seed-eating birds (like gold finches and white-crowned sparrows) particularly in late summer and fall.  The more annual wildflowers, the more seed eaters you’ll see the first year.

Years 2 and 3: sub-shrubs are larger; annuals still play key role.

Year 2 & 3

• Flowering perennials, shrubs and sub-shrubs become larger, producing more blooms.  These attract noticeably more insect pollinators and hummingbirds.  We suggest planting annual wildflowers, in open spaces around shrubs, to create still more spring-summer pollinator food. If desired, begin to photograph and document the insect and bird species visiting your garden.
• As shrubs and trees grow, more use of them as perches and cover by birds and small creatures (lizards).  So you’ll see more of the common birds.
• More summer-fall, seed-eating migratory birds will pass through, as food sources increase.  They will likely come as small flocks, and won’t stay long.
• Omnivorous and insect-eating birds occasionally visit; same with dragonflies

Years 4 and 5: even larger shrubs are maturing.

Year 4 & 5

• As perennials and shrubs mature, noticeably greater numbers and more species of insect pollinators.  May start seeing some rarer native bees, flower flies.  Photograph and document these – you may be surprised!
• Insects, including butterflies and other pollinators, begin reproducing in the garden, if larval food sources are available.
• More pollinator moth species (if dusk- and night-bloom plants present)
• Dragonflies and damselflies start to reproduce in earnest in dragonfly ponds.  You’ll see more adults even without a pond, due to increased insects.
• Increased numbers of insect-eating insects (Robberflies; predatory wasps).
• Insect-eating birds increase noticeably.  Watch for Phoebes, Kingbirds, Swifts, Swallows, Flycatchers, Mockingbirds, Bushtits.
• Established plants provide wild greens and leaves for tea or medicinal use (depending on what species you’ve planted).
• If you have hummingbird plants, regular visits from Anna’s & Allen’s hummingbirds. 
• Hummingbirds may begin to nest in larger, dense shrubs & small trees
• If trees are large and dense, some common birds begin to nest: Northern Mockingbird, House sparrows, House finch.
• Regular visits from seed-eating finches, other migratory seed-eating birds. White-crowned sparrows and Lesser goldfinch may become regulars.
• As leaf mulch and seeds build up, visits from ground feeding birds: California towhee, White-crowned sparrow, Doves.
• Occasional visits from hawks, seeking prey
• Increased numbers of lizards due to increased insects, cover (unless there are cats, which preclude lizards)
• As fruiting shrubs and trees begin to produce, begin to see fruit-eating birds: Northern Mockingbirds, Orioles, song birds in winter

 

 

Years 6 through 10: As garden matures, more creatures nest in the garden.

Year 6-10

• Greater diversity of insect pollinators as flowering plants mature.  Most gardens at this stage supply food for literally thousands of individual pollinators. Consider adding plants that attract specialist pollinators: mallows, Annual sunflower, Malacothrix species, Oenothera species.   
• Greater number of bird species, including those that specialize in insects or fruits.  You may even see flocks of Cedar waxwings, Bushtits, songbirds in fall or winter.
• Plenty of edible fruits for your family as well (if you’ve planted currants & gooseberries, elderberries, strawberries, wild rose).
• More birds nest in large shrubs, woody vines and trees; greater diversity of nesting birds, including Bushtits, Northern mockingbirds, Orioles and others (depending on the trees).
• Consider adding seating in areas with good views of birds, butterflies.  You can do some serious nature observation from this point forward.
• Regular visits from dragonflies and swallows, phoebes, flycatchers.  The increased numbers of insects are a magnet.
• Regular nesting of hummingbirds.  Visits from migratory Rufus hummingbird are possible (they are the really feisty, copper-bronze colored guys).
• More insects, including butterflies and native bees, complete life cycle in the garden (depending on availability of larval food and nest sites).  Consider providing nest sites for ground- and wood-nesting bee species.

Mature garden is a functioning ecosystem.

Year 11 and beyond

• The garden should be a functioning ecosystem, both above- and below-ground.
• Many species of pollinators visit and complete their lives in the garden.  Add seasonal flowering plants – or those that attract specialist pollinators – as needed.   Don’t forget the shady areas of the garden.  Some of the shade-loving perennials are great habitat plants.
• Replace dead plants with new ones that flower and produce fruits or seeds. Choose species you like, including some unusual ones.  Expect some turnover in garden plants – that’s natural.  Fill in open spaces with annual wildflowers until new plants get bigger.
• There should be birds in the garden most of the time. Birds can be observed conducting all of their usual activities.  The water sources are great places to bird-watch, utilized by both the ‘regulars’ and exotic migrants.
• Natural leaf mulch/duff supports wide range of creatures, from insects to salamanders, lizards and others.  Take an opportunity to observe this interesting community occasionally.  The duff teams with life!
• Congratulations!   You continue to create wonderful habitat for creatures who need it.  As green space shrinks – and climate changes stresses wild areas – garden habitat becomes ever more important.  Keep up the good work!

Want to learn more about habitat gardening?   See:

We encourage your comments below.   If you have questions about habitat gardening or other gardening topics you can e-mail us at :  mothernaturesbackyard10@gmail.com

Pollinator Habitat: Does One Small Garden Matter?

Mother Nature's Backyard provides pollinator and bird habitat.

Summer is our peak insect season in Southern California.  And 2017 is a fantastic year for garden insects!  The winter rains have helped a number of species – from butterflies to tiny flower flies – bounce back.  We hope you’re taking the time to enjoy them.

Habitat gardening is gaining popularity throughout the world.  As green space disappears, more gardeners are choosing plants for their habitat value. In doing so, we take it on faith that if we plant the right plants, the insects and other creatures will come.  But how much difference can one small garden really make?  

That’s just the kind of question that biologists like to ask – and try to answer.  To that end, the UC Berkeley Bee Lab (http://www.helpabee.org/) is monitoring bees in gardens throughout the state.  In S. California, they currently have sites in Camarillo, La Canada/Flintridge, Palm Springs and Riverside. We look forward to seeing the results of their monitoring efforts in these gardens.

Several species of native Buckwheats attract summer insects.

Unfortunately, the Berkeley Bee Lab has no sites yet in western Los Angeles County.  That’s a shame – there are many interesting pollinators in our local gardens.  Are the insects different from those of other areas?  Are there (as yet) undiscovered pollinator species in western L.A. County?  What locally native plants are important for the specialist pollinators?  What pollinator species can a small, typical suburban garden support?   All of these are questions begging for answers.

 

Jesus Cepeda, Cal Poly Pomona, examines trap.

And that’s why Mother Nature’s Backyard is currently participating in a study designed to  answer some of those questions – at least for the bees.  Jesus Cepeda, a Master’s Degree Candidate at Cal Poly Pomona, is conducting a study of bee pollinators in six native plant gardens in Los Angeles County.  Most are home gardens; but one is Mother Nature’s Backyard.

Cepeda is a bee biologist.  He wants to know whether native plant gardens attract the same types of native bees as are found in natural areas. He’s also interested in questions of seasonality, floral density and floral species relationships.  And so, about every six weeks, he visits each garden to see what’s flying.

 

Collection in Mother Nature's Backyard

Cepeda uses several collection methods.  He utilizes pan traps (small plastic bowls filled with soapy water) to collect the smaller species.  These are yellow, blue, white and red; he leaves them in place for 24 to 48 hours.  He also uses a net to capture some of the larger species.    He takes them back to the lab, preserves them and determines what species they are.   His results will ultimately be analyzed and published.

We eagerly await the results of Cepeda’s study (we’ll update you when we know more).  Until then, we continue to observe and photograph the insects in our gardens.  Some photos are not so great, but others are detailed enough to classify to the genus or even species level.  We’ve also managed to document some interesting pollinator behavior in our gardens.   All of this just makes us more curious about the creatures with whom we share our gardens.




Cepeda surveys a sunny, July garden

So, does one small garden matter?  The jury is still out, but the hints are promising.  Bigger is better, certainly, but even small gardens are likely to provide important habitat. We suspect that interesting answers – specific to our area - will emerge in the next few years.  The data will help us spread the news about the importance of habitat gardening.  Someday, entire local neighborhoods may provide crucial pollinator habitat.  That’s an exciting thought!

In the meantime, you can help the effort by photographing your garden insects and uploading them to iNaturalist (https://www.inaturalist.org/home).  It’s fun and easy – you may even learn the names of the insects.  And you’ll be doing something no one else can: documenting the insects in your garden for science and for posterity.

Want to learn more about habitat gardening?  See:

We encourage your comments below.   If you have questions about Duskywing butterflies or other gardening topics you can e-mail us at :  mothernaturesbackyard10@gmail.com

 

Bee Flies – the family Bombyliidae

 

 

Regional gardeners are learning to appreciate native pollinators, in part due to the activities of National Pollinator Week (the 3^rd week in June).  While most people think of bees when they hear the word ‘pollinator’, in fact a wide range of animals function as pollinators.  To learn more about pollinators in general see our June 2013 posting (http://mother-natures-backyard.blogspot.com/2013/06/life-friendly-gardening-planning-for.html).

Among the bee-like insects that serve as pollinators are the Bee Flies.  The Family Bombyliidae is a large family of flies with literally hundreds of genera and thousands of species worldwide. The exact number of species is currently unknown, due to a significant lack of research on this family.  For a good review of the main types of  flies seen in Southern California see: http://waynesword.palomar.edu/redmite6.htm

Like the native bees, Bee Flies range in size from almost microscopic (1 mm/0.05     inches) to large (40 mm/1.5 inches).   The evolutionary relationships between members of this family – and between this and other insect families – are currently poorly understood.   For more on this topic see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombyliidae

Comparison of Bee Fly and Native Bee

Many species superficially resemble bees; hence the common name ‘Bee Flies’.   Their bodies tend to be compact and dense (like a bee) with a rounded head; their coloration may also mimic that of bees.   However, Bee Flies differ from bees in several important ways: 1) a single pair of wings (bees have two pairs) held in a characteristic, swept back (‘bomber’) position when perched (see above) ; 2) no stinger; 3) very large, compound eyes (compare above); 4) segmented antennae; 5) mouths adapted to sucking; 6) long, thin legs (see above).  

Bee Flies usually are black or dark gray in color, sometimes with yellow, gold or white. Their segmented abdomens (the ‘tail end’ part of the insect) may have alternating dark and light segments.   They also tend to be hairy; prominent hairs are often visible on head, thorax (mid-segment) and abdomen (see photo above).

Adult Bee Flies feed on nectar and (sometimes) pollen.  In fact, many have mouth parts adapted for feeding on a particular species/group of plants (an example of specialization). Many have a long proboscis (tube-like, sucking mouth part) for sipping nectar.  Unlike a butterfly proboscis, which is slender and uncoils for feeding, the Bee Fly proboscis is stout and rigid.  You can often observe it in a good photograph of a Bee Fly.

Unlike bees, Bee Flies often don’t actually land when feeding.  They hover above the flower, steadying themselves with their front legs.  In fact, the front legs in some species are notably shorter and more slender than the other legs - an adaptation to hover-feeding.   This hover-feeding behavior may be the first clue that you’re observing a Bee fly, not a bee.

While not as specialized as the bees, Bee Fly species are thought to be important pollinators, particularly in dry climates.  Their frequent visits to flowers and hairy bodies facilitate the movement of pollen from flower to flower.  They likely function as pollinators in local gardens as well as in the wild.

The larvae of Bee Flies are predators or parasites of other insects, often the larvae or juveniles of ground-dwelling bees and wasps, butterflies/moths, grasshoppers,  beetles, Neuroptera (lacewings, antlions)  and other Diptera (flies, gnats, midges).  Many Bee Fly larvae are generalist predators; they feed on several species, depending on availability.  Eggs are often laid in or near insect burrows, providing the larvae with easy access to food..   

While the larval food aspect can be alarming (particularly for those interested in conserving the solitary native bees), Bee Flies may actually play an important role in controlling populations of grasshoppers, beetles and other pest insects.   They are a normal part of the local ecosystem, helping maintain the balance of plants, insects and other creatures.   A functioning, sustainable garden ecosystem should also contain some Bee Flies, at least in dry areas like Southern California.  

A number of Bee Fly species are known from Southern California, particularly in the wilds. The best source of photos that we’ve found is Dr. Peter J. Bryant’s  Natural History of Orange County and Nearby Places : http://nathistoc.bio.uci.edu/diptera/Bombyliidae.htm    Unfortunately, local Bee Flies  are not well-studied; so the number of species and details of their life history are poorly documented.  While this lack of information is lamentable, it also presents a great opportunity for the observant citizen scientist.   In our next posting (July, 2015), we’ll give some hints on photographing and studying pollinators.

 

Bee Fly (Villa lateralis) on Common yarrow (Achillea millefolia)
Mother Nature's Backyard garden, Gardena California

Villa lateralis

The Bee Fly species we see with some regularity in local native plant gardens is Villa lateralis. The genus Villa contains over 250 species, found on all continents except Antarctica.   In the U.S., most Villa species tend to be western. 

Villa flies have rounded heads, clear or smoky wings with a distinctive, simple vein pattern, and a ‘chunky’ body with striped abdomen.    The genus has not been extensively studied, and the last North American taxonomic review is over 100 years old [1].  Hence, it may be difficult to key individuals out to the species level.   In fact, the exact number of Villa species is not currently known.

The local Villa lateralis (also known as Anthrax lateralis var. perimele) is widely distributed from North America to Panama, including Southern California.   The species has variable morphology and can be difficult to classify. Individuals from Eastern North America appear to be distinct from those of the West.

Local individuals we’ve seen have black bodies with prominent gold-yellow hairs on the thorax.  The abdomen has alternating stripes of black, yellow-gold and white (see below).   If you look closely you can see the different colored hairs on the stripes.  The alternating colored stripes are the most distinctive feature seen with the naked eye.

Bee Fly (Villa lateralis) on Common yarrow (Achillea millefolia)
Note wing veins and stout proboscis.

The wings of Villa lateralis have a simple, characteristic vein pattern (see above and   http://www.drawwing.org/insect/villa-lateralis-wing).  The proboscis is stout and not overly long – about as long as the width of the head.  You can see it in the photograph above, as the insect sips nectar from a Yarrow flower.

This species seems to favor plants in the Sunflower family (Asteraceae), at least in local gardens. We’ve observed them most often in June and July in native plant gardens.  We’ve seen them feeding on late-blooming bush sunflowers (Encelia californica), common Yarrow (Achillea millefolium), Goldenrods (Solidago species and Euthamia occidentalis), Telegraph plant (Heterotheca grandiflora) and Goldenbushes (Hazardia species).  The Natural History of Orange County and Nearby Places has several photographs of Villa lateralis on Buckwheat (Eriogonum species) and Alkali heliotrope (Heliotropium curassavicum var. oculatum) flowers; we’ll need to look for them on these garden flowers as well.

 

Bee Fly (Villa lateralis) - Mother Nature's Backyard garden, Gardena California

In a study in Oregon [2], Villa lateralis was found to be a specialist pollinator for several Asteraceae species (Erigeron foliosus; Eriophyllum lanatum; Haplopappus hallii; Solidago Canadensis).   We suspect that it may be functioning as a pollinator in local wildlands and gardens as well.  We hope some enterprising student will study this species in depth sometime soon!

Very little is known about the larval foods of Villa lateralis in Southern California. The larvae of several species of Villa destroy grasshopper eggs; others are parasitic on caterpillars. But almost nothing has been published about this species in Southern California.  If you know someone in search of a research topic, the life history of Villa lateralis is up for grabs!

For pictures and more information on this interesting species we recommend:

http://nathistoc.bio.uci.edu/diptera/Villa3.htm

 http://pick5.pick.uga.edu/mp/20q?search=Villa+lateralis#Hosts

http://pick5.pick.uga.edu/mp/20q?search=Villa+lateralis

 

_________

1.      D.W. Coquillett – Monograph of the species belonging to the genus Anthrax from America North of Mexico.  Transactions of the American Entomological Society and Proceedings of the Entomological Section of the Academy of Natural Sciences Vol. 14 (1887), pp. 159-182.  http://www.jstor.org/stable/25076488

2.       D. Yu - How do the pollinators' flower preferences affect the features of the pollination network? http://eco-informatics.engr.oregonstate.edu/previous/2014/Yu_paper.pdf

 

 

We encourage your comments below.   If you have questions about Bee Flies or other gardening topics you can e-mail us at :  mothernaturesbackyard10@gmail.com

 

 

 

Life-friendly Gardening – Celebrate National Pollinator Week (June 15-21, 2015)

National Pollinator Week (the 3^rd week in June each year) celebrates the importance of pollinators for all life on earth. Eighty percent of food crops, as well as many ornamental plants, require insect pollinators.    Life without living pollinators would be very different, indeed.

Here are some things you can do to celebrate National Pollinator Week:

 

Learn more about the key role of pollinators: http://mother-natures-backyard.blogspot.com/2013/06/life-friendly-gardening-planning-for.html.

 

Learn more about specific S. California pollinators:

·        Metallic Green Bees: http://mother-natures-backyard.blogspot.com/2012/09/metallic-green-bees-genus-agapostemon.html

·        Yellow-faced Bumble Bee: http://mother-natures-backyard.blogspot.com/2014/06/yellow-faced-bumble-bee-bombus.html

·        Western Tiger Swallowtail: http://mother-natures-backyard.blogspot.com/2014/07/western-tiger-swallowtail-papilio.html

·        Duskywing Butterflies: http://mother-natures-backyard.blogspot.com/2015/05/duskywing-butterflies-genus-erynnis.html

 

• Bee Flies: http://mother-natures-backyard.blogspot.com/2015/06/bee-flies-family-bombyliidae.html     

 

Create pollinator habitat in your garden: http://mother-natures-backyard.blogspot.com/2013/06/life-friendly-gardening-planning-for.html

Register your garden as part of the Million Pollinator Garden Challenge (MPGC):  http://pollinator.org/MPGC.htm

 

Participate in National Pollinator Week activities: http://www.pollinator.org/pollinator_week_2015.htm

 

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Maintaining Your New California Garden: Life-friendly Fall Pruning

 

Mother Nature's Backyard in November: illustrating life-friendly fall pruning.

Late fall and early winter are important pruning times in Southern California gardens.  Many California native plants, particularly those from drier low elevations, are dormant from late summer until the winter rains.  That’s why fall has traditionally been a major pruning season.  To get a better sense of the seasons in S. California gardens see: http://mother-natures-backyard.blogspot.com/2014/09/seasons-in-southern-california-garden.html.

California is known for weather that varies dramatically from year-to-year.  Seasonal effects are only somewhat predictable; thus the timing of ‘fall pruning’ needs to be flexible and based on conditions at hand.  There is no ‘one size fits all years’ rule for when to do fall pruning. 

Several considerations should influence the timing of fall pruning.  First, the wise gardener   respects the plants’ health and welfare. Pruning – even necessary pruning – is stressful; temperatures should be cool enough that plants aren’t unduly traumatized.   Wait until the temperatures are ‘fall like’ – and don’t prune when hot Santa Ana winds are predicted.

On the other hand, pruning is best done before the yearly growth spurt.  Thus, pruning should be completed before winter rains commence in earnest – usually late November or December under current climatic conditions.    Dry season pruning also discourages fungal infections, which can spread through pruning cuts in damp weather. 

Another factor impacting fall pruning is the desire to ‘tidy up the garden’.  This is a noble aim – most of us enjoy a garden that’s at least somewhat neat and tidy.  By the end of summer, some plants are beginning to look a little raggedy.  Many native plants have completed their flowering (or will do so in early fall).  The temptation is to dead-head those spent flowers – or to commence pruning in earnest – all in the interest of garden aesthetics (or the neighbor’s good graces).

Garden of Dreams (CSU Dominguez Hills) - some plants are left un-pruned until winter
 to provide food for birds

Which brings us to a third consideration for fall pruning: preserving habitat.  Birds, insects and other creatures depend on fruits (including dried), seeds and insects found on fall plants.  Your fall garden is an important source of food; concern for habitat should also figure in the timing of fall pruning.

If you garden in S. California, you’ve no doubt noticed that different birds visit your garden in fall and winter.   California is an important stop for birds migrating along the Pacific Flyway – a giant bird ‘freeway’ in the sky.  Some birds just stop to refuel; others spend the winter in our delightful wild-lands and gardens.  Either way, these birds – along with resident birds and insects – require food in fall and winter.

The past two years have been particularly hard on California wildlife.  Even with decreased water use, our gardens are still wetter and more productive than the drought stressed wild-lands.  That’s why we’ve seen more wildlife than ever in our gardens this year.  

From native pollinators and butterflies to large animals like deer, creatures are desperate for food and water - and so they come to our gardens.  As wild-lands suffer from climatic extremes, our gardens play an increasingly important role in providing food, shelter and water.  In all years – but particularly in years when food is scarce – we need to manage our fall pruning responsibly. 

 

Buckwheats are left un-pruned until late fall to provide food for birds.

But how can we manage our gardens to meet all these considerations?  Here are a few suggestions for Southern California gardeners (and others with similar climates):

1. Wait a bit later to begin your fall pruning.   Instead of beginning in early October, wait until November if possible.  There are usually dry periods, even in December, when pruning can be completed.
2. Don’t prune all your plants at once.  Plants in the Sunflower family, the Buckwheats, Sages (Salvias), plants with fruits/berries and summer-flowering wildflowers like Evening primroses are important sources of fall food.  Wait until the seeds are mostly gone before pruning them.  If you must prune, at least put the seed heads on your bird feeder.

Here are some plants to consider pruning later:

·        Annual sunflower, California sagebrush (Artemisia) and other summer blooming asters/sunflowers

·        Fall-blooming shrubs with fluffy seeds like the golden bushes, Pluchea, Goldenrods (Solidago species) and Baccharis species

·        All of the native buckwheats

·        Milkweeds (if still green)

·        Any other summer-blooming or fruiting plant that still has food value

Watch your garden; if birds are visiting a plant, they may be eating insects.  Postpone pruning it as well.    Prune other plants to make your garden look neat – save the food plants for last.

3. Prune selectively.  Some plants – particularly those in public places – need to be pruned to keep the neighbors happy. No one likes a front yard that looks abandoned!  So prune the most visible plants first, leaving those that are less visible for later.  We sometimes prune the visible half of a Salvia (for example, that nearest a walkway) in late summer or fall, leaving the back half for later.  That achieves both aims: neatness and food.
4. Don’t prune all of a species at once.  If you have several golden bushes, prune some of them and leave others to prune later.
5. Educate and encourage your neighbors.  Post simple signs that explain why you’re retaining some plants, un-pruned for now, as food for birds and butterflies. Most will respect your decision to prune responsibly.  Some may even change their own practices, based on your gentle persuasion.

 



Lesser Goldfinch eating Annual sunflower seeds.

 

 

For more on pruning California native plants see: http://mother-natures-backyard.blogspot.com/2012/11/pruning-common-native-plants.html

 

We value your comments (below).    You can also contact us directly at mothernaturesbackyard10@gmail.com.