Pawpaw Sphinx Moth

Yesterday, I stood up from nestling some mulch between a few happily blooming sedges to look at a very loud mockingbird that was singing a gorgeous tune. I spied it on the power lines running along the back of the yard as it quickly took flight toward my head. Knowing mockingbirds, I figured I was in for a little territorial, protected peck on the head. But instead, it hovered gently above my headed gracefully flapping its wings as it pecked at the pecan trunk leaning above me. It seemed to find what it had come for and took off back toward its perch, only to drop the gray moth from its beak about halfway. The mockingbird could see what I couldn't see, and somehow from more than 30 feet away too.

It spied this very nicely camouflaged pawpaw sphinx, Dolba hyloeus, which surely blends in with the bark very well. This is a new hawkmoth (Sphingidae) species record for us at The Grackle, making this 9 sphingid species found in the garden.

We don't have paw paws this far west (oh but how I wish that we did!), so I'm guessing that the caterpillar of this moth feasted on possum haw (Ilex deciduosa) or yaupon (Ilex vomitoria) around the garden and neighborhood. I'll have to keep an eye out for the little green beasties this spring.

Anyway, happy for me and the moth, but too bad for the mockingbird. Thus is the Way.

Balm for Bees

This pretty little native bee was making work of this horsemint, Monarda citriodora, also known as lemon beebalm for obvious reasons. It has collected a ton of bright yellow pollen in its pollen basket, but I'm thinking that pollen is not from the horsemint.

See that white patch on the bee's thorax? That's a fine dusting of pollen that is being deposited on the bee by the stamens in the horsemint flowers. Both the pistil and stamen are at the top of the flower, perfectly evolved to aid in pollination when a hungry bee goes deep into the flower for sweet, lemony nectar. The bee gets dusted with pollen and then flies it over to a pistil waiting in the next flower.

The Banded Sphinx Moth

This marks the first time I've seen this hawkmoth, Eumorpha fasciatus fasciatus, (also called the banded sphinx moth) at the Grackle. It was just cold chillin' on the xylosma last night.

This hawkmoth seems to be mostly found in the southern parts of the U.S. and way down into South America. Larvae feed on plants in the evening primrose family, as well as grapes and Virginia creeper. It looks like it is often found on Ludwigia, or water primroses, but I don't have any of those here. Lots of Virginia creeper though.

Pollinator Penthouses

It's not too late in the season to create a nest box for our native bees! These little boxes are easy to make, and the various hole sizes attract mason bees and any number of other various shiny, non-stinging bees.

A native bee box is a great addition to a garden, and helps support these really important pollinator populations. I call them Pollinator Penthouses.

Here are some basic building instructions:

Find some scrap wood. The big chunk of wood ought to be about 5-6 inches deep, so I used some old 4x6s that were laying around. Make sure your wood is preservative free.

Drill a bunch o' holes of all sorts of sizes. Holes should be between 3/32” and 3/8” in diameter, and drilled at approximate 3/4” centers. The holes should be smooth inside, and closed at one end. The height of the nest is not critical, but the depth of the holes is. Holes less than 1/4” diameter should be 3-4” deep. For holes 1/4” or larger, go with a 5-6” depth.

Hang the nests so they are sheltered from bad weather, and with entrance holes facing towards east or southeast, so they get the morning sun. The nests can be hung any height from the ground, but I've always put them about chest high.

There are 4,000 species of native bees in North America, and they are a hugely important pollinator group.

This is an easy thing to make and the bees are lots of fun to watch. They will scurry into the holes, lay eggs and then seal off the chambers with a muddy-pulp mixture. Sometimes, the original bee will be parasitized by other bees that swoop in and lay their eggs in with resident egg. These are called cuckoo bees, I believe. The only maintenance is to go through in the winter and clean out in debris left in the holes from previous tenants.

That's a small amount of landlording for a great cause.

critters: I Want to Be a Beekeeper

One of the side benefits of having random late fall, early winter blooms on our potted Mexican lime tree - aside from the fabulous sweet smell - is that the honey bees are all over them.

Despite colony collapse disorder, we seem to have a fairly substantial bee population around East Austin. I know because they are never far from the blooming plants in my yard.

Bees have been on my mind lately.

John and I eat so much honey that we buy it in bulk sizes, and for years, we've talked about getting land and raising bees to harvest our own. I really first became interested in bees when I was studying wasps in graduate school. As part of those studies, I was exposed to a lot of literature on bees and bee behavior. Plus, I used to where a bee suit when working on the wasps (it made a great Halloween costume for John, too).

I have several beekeeping friends and one who is studying to become one. She gets her first hive this spring and (I think) will be placing them out near Bastrop on some land.

All this is to say that I wasn't sure we could make it happen until we had LAND out THERE somewhere. But more and more, I'm seeing beehives in Austin city lots - backyards AND front yards. In fact, here's a whole blog dedicated to urban beekeeping in Austin.

There's lots of reasons to have bees (honey being a huge one), but they are also massive pollinators. Not only can you encourage native bees to thrive (like we're doing with native bee nesting boxes), but imagine having an entire hive of honey bees buzzing around! And making honey? Oh my.

Unawares to John, I've been secretely thinking about how our flat garage roof might be perfect for a honey bee hive. It's far away from the dog and humans. We could build a permanent ladder to get up there. The only worry I have is that it will get really hot up there, though maybe if I locate the hive under the pecan it won't be too bad...it might just be time for some consultants...

In the meantime, here's an article in the New York Times about the rise in beekeeping. And a great site for those of us interested in Texas native bees, where you can learn about certifying your garden as an official bee garden!