‘Bobbi,’ an Andrena, or mining, bee took the long way home (another great road trip song!) the other day while out foraging for pollen and…
Bobbi the Bee
Peaceable Pollinators
People can observe a wide variety of native bees without fear of being stung. Good Natured: Peaceable Pollinators April 21, 2023 Last week when we explored the life of Colletes, or cellophane bees, we saw how they are some of our area’s most beneficial insects. But there are many, many more. Somewhere between 400 and
Cellophane Bees
Cellophane bee tunnels resemble ant hills, but the hole is larger, about the diameter of a pencil. Here a bee is seen exiting her excavation; a 2 5/8th-in. lip balm tube was used for scale. Good Natured: Cellophane Bees April 14, 2023 The other day I was at Delnor Woods Park in St. Charles, setting
Bees, Wasps and Impostors!
Oh, bees. We think we know them, but do we really? A couple of recent incidents reminded me that bees-that familiar group of herbivorous and…
Wool-Carder Bees
I got quite the buzz while working in the garden the other day. No, I’m not growing the devil’s lettuce. And I wasn’t slaking my…
The Jumper and the Pollinators
Location, location, location. It’s a cardinal rule for real estate, and for spider webs. Think about it. Where are the thickest, juiciest spiders? In webs…
Helping Pollinators Survive the Winter
The St. Charles Park District, in its efforts to support native pollinators, erected this bee house early this summer. It is located behind the Hickory Knolls Discovery Center. The structure was immediately adopted by a number of native bees. You can make a smaller version of this house by stuffing native plant stems into a
Beehive Mystery
Growing up, I was a huge fan of the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew mysteries. And thank goodness. Because here at Hickory Knolls, solving mysteries is all in a day’s work. Take, for instance, the months preceding our grand opening in 2011. Back then we were faced with all sorts of new-construction puzzlers, like The
Goldenrod N Honey
It’s a fact of life when living in and around nature. Sooner or later you’re going to ask, or be asked, “What’s that smell?” The question, by itself, is fairly innocuous. But rarely are those words uttered alone. More often than not, they are accompanied by an interjection of one sort or another that provides,
Wool Carder Bee
August 7, 2015 The Wool-Carder Bee A male European wool-carder bee takes a break from buzzing and surveys his territory from a prominent post—a lambs ear flower. I got quite the buzz while working in the garden the other day. No, I’m not growing anything illegal. And there weren’t any adult beverages involved either. I