Patrolling for Pollen

 After discovering the camera in the linen closet last night, I had it all set and ready to take some pictures of the pollinators this morning. (No one is fessing up to putting it in the closet either.) It is however very chilly out and so the ones currently working the blooms are a tad sluggish while the smaller bees have yet to wander over.

 Quite a few plants are good at sending out another flush of blooms if the first flush is cut off before fully setting seeds.

 If you are looking to build up the pollinator posse in your garden there are a few things that help..
Plant in clusters plants of the same type with the same color bloom. Plant, or allow to bloom a variety of different types. (A variety of flower types will encourage and attract a larger assortment.) Make sure you have blooms through the duration of the growing seasons. Spring blooms are key to initially attracting them to your yard.. but fall is also important as it also determines the success of next year's population.

 I am going to head out in just a few to see if the rest of the gang has shown up. These are some of the blooms in my gardens. Fennel, roses, cosmos.. the roses are the least visited except by leaf cutter bees who love using their serrated leaves.