Flora and Fauna Mid-October Update

Birds

The first snowbirds (Juncos) have arrived in the yard. I don't remember seeing them this early before. And flocks of robins have been moving through over the past several weeks. For almost 2 months over the summer I won't see any robins, and then for several weeks in the fall, they will arrive is large flocks for a couple hours at a time as they migrate south (I'm assuming). They don't eat seeds, but they like to hang out in the yard to use the bird bath (repeatedly) and to forage for worms and insects in the garden and under bushes. We have a lot of birds this year overall -- more bluejays than I've seen in a long time. And we way a bald eagle circling in the sky just east of our house yesterday. 

I've seen finches and chickadees on the sunflowers eating the not-quite-ripe seeds.

Flowers

One of the main reasons I grow annuals is that they generally continue blooming until a hard frost, and there just aren't many options for pollinators this late in the year otherwise. I do grow late-blooming perennials like mist flower and goldenrod, but I've observed over the years that there is a lot of pollinator demand on my flowers from about Labor Day and beyond, because other sources of pollen and nectar aren't available. Even if these blossoms aren't noticeable to most people, the bees notice. But in late summer/fall the bees are still frantically gathering food sources to get them through the winter, and what is left are annuals and late-blooming perennials. My goldenrod is almost done, but my mist flower is still going strong. And I still have nasturtiums, cosmos, sunflowers and zinnias 

Except for the flowers that are still blooming, I trimmed all of the perennials in my front garden down to just 6-10 inch stalks. Normally, I would leave the perennial plants alone and clear the dead material out in the spring, but I have lots of spring bulbs planted in the same bed as the perennials such as Joe Pye and bee balm, so I need to clear it out and add leaves in the fall to make room for the tulips, hyacinth and daffodils next April/May.

Pollinators

I have a black swallowtail caterpillar on my fennel. It is almost full-size. I thought it seemed really late to see a caterpillar, but I read that they overwinter as a chrysalis so I guess it has a good chance of turning into a butterfly next spring.

I still see plenty of bees, but the weather will be cooling again this coming week. In addition to the bumbles and other natives I see most of the year, there have been quite a few honeybees lately. I think they are having to travel further to find food sources. The favorite flowers seem to be the goldenrod, but those are almost done blooming and are going to seed. I will be watching to see if any birds visit the seedheads for food. So my last perennials left is my trusty mist flower. I really love this plant because, while it doesn't seem to be the first choice for the butterflies or bees, it is reliable and it blooms longer than anything, so it is there when nothing else is.

 

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