On Saturday, June 21, in partnership with NYC Wildflower Week, in observation of Pollinator Week, I’m opening my gardens for a guided tour, what I’m calling a “Pollinator Safari.” This is only the third time, and the first time in three years, I’ve opened my gardens for a tour.
This Hylaeus modestus, Modest Masked Bee, 1/4″ long, was visiting the blooms of Viburnum dentatum, Arrowwood, in my garden just two weeks ago. I’ve documented scores of insect pollinators in my gardens over the years, including bees, wasps, butterflies, moths, flies, and beetles.
Here’s the information from the Evite page, with a couple of extra links thrown in:
NYC Wildflower Week: Pollinator Week in Flatbush, Brooklyn
Date & Time: Saturday, June 21 from 11:00 am – 12:30 pm (rain date Sunday, June 22)
Location: Stratford Road at Matthews Court in Flatbush, BrooklynGuides:
- Chris Kreussling, aka Flatbush Gardener
- and a NYC bee naturalist
Event Description:
- Since 2005, Chris has transformed a dusty, weedy backyard into a garden oasis. His gardens now incorporate over 80 species of native trees, shrubs, ferns, grasses and wildflowers. He’s documented the process on his gardening blog, Flatbush Gardener. In honor of National Pollinator Week, Chris will give us a behind-the-scenes tour!
- Our bee expert will help us identify some of the gardens’ winged visitors, and review tips for creating an insect-friendly sustainable garden in urban settings.
A view of my urban backyard native plant garden, as it looked in 2011, six years in.
The same view as above, when we bought the house, in May 2005
Related Content
On the blog
My Photography on Flickr
- Native Plants
- Hymenoptera, Bees (11 species so far in my gardens)
- Hymenoptera, Wasps (13 species so far in my gardens)
- Diptera, Flies, including some remarkable bee and wasp mimics
- Lepidoptera: Butterflies, Moths, and Skippers
- Coleoptera, Beetles
Chris: Thank you for sharing your garden with me and the other visitors. While I was there, I snapped a photo of a spider. I think it is a zebra spider because it fits all the characters….and yes, I did see it jump. It's not the greatest photo but there's enough detail in the photo to ID it. Have you ever seen it there yourself? Best, Sharon Seitz (By the way, if you ever want to check out my blog it's sciencewithmsseitz.blogspot.com.
A pleasure! Glad you enjoyed it.
I've yet to identify many spiders in my garden. I'm not familiar with zebra spiders. I have found wolf spiders, which also jump. They're furry/fuzzy, with black and white bodies. Maybe I've been misdentifying them?
Does the photo on my blog look like a wolf spider to you?
Yes, it looks like what I've been calling wolf spiders.
Great work. What a transformation. Congratulations. I'm turning away from the spiders to the batty of your garden. Enjoy. Keep us posted on the joy of the plants and pollinators (including those spiders!)