Got Bees?

How many birds can you name (common names are fine)?  20? 50? 100? All 350 described in the Birds of Missouri? What about butterflies? There are 324 species of butterflies in Butterflies and Moths of Missouri, but of course that only scratches the surface of butterfly species and only names…

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Bumblebees

From: http://www.xerces.org/native-bees/ Bumblebees are the only bees native to the US that are truly social. They live in colonies, share the work, and have multiple, overlapping generations throughout the spring, summer, and fall. However, unlike the non-native, European honeybees, the bumble bee colony is seasonal. At the end of the…

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Urban wildlife

From Ed July 4.  This morning while I was setting up the sprinkler in my vegetable garden and walking past the birdbath, there was a huge ruckus in my northernmost prairie bed (the one with the cup plant).  Moments later a deer cleared the fence at the rear of the…

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Latest on Rain Gardens

From Scott Woodbury MSD is encouraging the use of rain gardens. Still no utility break for them, but there is a break for permeable paving. Unfortunately permeable paving is expensive. MSD seems to be on the fence about using drainage pipes (called underdrains). One camp believes that water can not…

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Winter Chores – part 2

By Larry Hummel Build brush piles.  Before we had this property I had no idea how many critters used brush piles.  Birds use them for cover and food and reptiles have the same uses for them. Turkeys nest in them and mammals use them for a variety of purposes.  Branches and…

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For the Birds

By Susan Orr Until 8 years ago I had never gardened.  Today we have over 100 species of native plants, shrubs, and trees in the yard.  It has been an exciting adventure and begun for two reasons: first, to attract a greater variety of birds to our yard, second, to…

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