You remember reading about my daily obsession with studying my beautiful passion fruit vine that covers the garden shed on the south side? Well, this was not a good week in passion fruit land.
I'd really taken to admiring the beautiful honey bees and bumble bees as they descended on those gorgeous flowers, and rolled around inside them. But all at once I started to become aware that they were dying in the most horrible and unnatural way.
Turns out, there were yellow jacket wasps also scouting around on the passion fruit foliage, but they weren't looking for nectar or pollen. They were stalking easy pickings of the honey bees and bumblies. Suddenly I was finding poor little bodies on the leaves and in the flowers. It was a pitiful sight.
Now, before I get all kinds of hate mail for being a killer, please know I'm aware those stinging wasps prey on garden insects and caterpillars. But killing my good bees was just going too far!
We need those beautiful little pollinators in the worst way these days. In my estimation, the bees are pampered and well looked after in my garden, and if I can choose between them and a hungry horde of wasps, the honey and bumble bees win, hands down.
Before you get all choked up thinking about those wasps, I can tell you I see they've already started to come back. Much more resilient than the honey and bumble bees, because they don't depend on flowers, just meat.
Of course I immediately looked for the study, and was led to a wonderful website called Bumble Bee Watch located at bumblebeewatch.org. Now everyone can help the bumble bees!
You can be a part of saving them, by photographing them, and uploading your photos with information for the scientists! I'm thrilled to find the information and to be able to help, but there's just one teeny problem. It's a hard job trying to photograph bumble bees!
On the bright side, the website gives helpful information, and I'm gonna be out there photographing bumblies whenever I can.
Differences
The questions
It's amazing to think how sometimes these actions of bringing in exotic plants do cause disruption in the ecology of your garden, and the environment in general. But plants have been shuffled all around different climates ever since Darwin and others started doing it many years ago.
Maybe something in my DNA compels me to carry on the tradition. Must be, because it may be that two types of passion fruits are needed for proper pollination!
In true gardener tradition, I'm already thinking . . . next year!
Wildfires
For weeks now, in addition to parched land due to consistent drought, we have suffered wildfires. There is no more endless blue sky each day. No more view across the incredibly beautiful ocean. No more sun or moon, struggling to cast their light. Just a homogeneous yellow or white film, as foul smelling smoke fills the air we breathe, 24 hours a day.
Just keep those bathroom fans on all the time to suck the air out, 'cause you sure don't want to open windows. Being outdoors is not enjoyable.
Our air quality at its worst has been on par with Beijing. I'm truly grateful not to live there. The other thing I'm thankful for is this won't last forever. I just wish the rain would come really soon to our part of the world.
Dozens of new fires start each day. Reinforcement teams are coming from other provinces, from Mexico, New Zealand and Australia. There are so many fires that our own fighters are overwhelmed. One-thousand-seven-hundred Canadian Forces troops are now fighting fires. This has helped a lot with the Sechelt fire that started some weeks ago. Our community is pulling together, donating and preparing food each day for weary fighters. We are all so grateful to them for helping us to stay safe and save our beautiful land.
This morning is windy. That's not good for a fire situation, but maybe it will disperse the smoke.
In addition, I've been practicing my rain dance, but I can't seem to get the steps right!
Highlights
- Vinaya Ghimire: Life is Beautiful via WarnerWords
- Lessons of the Heart via marcoujor's musings
- Hoosier Talent: Ann Rains of the New-Harmony Gazette via flashPress
I thank you for visiting today and here's wishing you a safe and beautiful weekend.
Vicki