Raise your hand if you want to help butterflies, bees, and other pollinators. Good for you.
In my last blog post, I discussed two ways to help pollinators starting in the fall. Waiting to cut back perennials until spring and letting some leaves lie protects overwintering insects.
But there is so much more you can do to help this fall and year-round. It’s all about creating habitat, providing safe spaces for pollinators to live, eat, shelter and raise young.
My neighbors raised their eyebrows when I plunked a moss-covered log into my landscape. But it looks terrific in my woodland garden, a natural accent that provides shelter and food for wildlife.
Logs are attractive habitats for wildlife, including pollinators. Photo: Annette Cormany
So, adopt a log. Spiders and beetles are attracted to the moist areas under logs and peeling bark. Bees and butterflies nest and overwinter in drier parts of logs.
Logs help other wildlife, too. Chipmunks use them as highways, toads love their moisture, and other critters use them for sunbathing.
Lay logs horizontally, burying one end a few inches to maintain some moisture. And be sure to ask permission before tossing that log into your pickup. Mine came from a family property. Honest.
Dead-standing trees called “snags” also provide habitat for pollinators and other wildlife. As long as a tree poses no danger to you or your home, consider leaving it. What looks messy to us is beautiful to wildlife.
Beetles and other insects burrow through dead wood, creating tunnels that cavity-nesting bees such as mason bees lay their eggs in. Other insects tuck under bark. I once saw a striking mourning cloak butterfly emerge from the bark of a dead tree.
If leaving a whole dead tree is too much for your sense of order or safety is an issue, fell the tree but leave the log in part or whole. Or leave just the stump. Hardwood logs with the bark attached add more varied, longer-lasting habitat.
Stumps offer food and shelter to insects. Photo: Annette Cormany
What else can you do to enhance your habitat for pollinators beyond planting native plants that flower from spring to frost? Plenty.
Add a rock pile or wall. Bumblebees, leafcutter bees, and wasps nest in their cavities. Ground beetles and many other insects shelter where soil meets stone.
Stone walls – including this handsome one dressed in lichen – provide shelter and nesting sites for wildlife. Photo: Annette Cormany
Use different sizes and types of rocks and skip the mortar to create more protected nooks and crannies. Planting native plants nearby makes the area even more attractive to pollinators and other beneficial insects.
Thanks for all you are already doing to help support and protect pollinators. It matters.
By Annette Cormany, Principal Agent Associate and Master Gardener Coordinator, Washington County, University of Maryland Extension.
Wood-damaging insect pests are a concern for anyone who lives in a structure made of wood. So it’s not surprising that we get several samples of insects for identification at our county offices.
Pests can damage wood by eating, excavating, or using it for their homes or galleries. Damage to foundational components can be especially alarming and expensive to fix.
Q. What are some physical differences between a carpenter ant and a termite that can be seen with the naked eye?
Antennae – straight or elbowed?
Ants have elbowed antennae
Termites have straight antennae
Wing length – same length or is the front set longer?
Winged termites have wings that are much longer than the body and are of equal length
Winged ants have wings of different lengths
Pinched or narrow waist versus one long segment?
Ants have a narrow or pinched waist
Termites have bodies that are all the same width
Comparing a termite (top) to an ant (bottom). Diagram courtesy of USDA Forest Service Archive, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org
Black carpenter ant(Camponotus pennsylvanicus), winged queen. Photo: Jon Yuschock, Bugwood.org. Note the narrow or pinched “waist.”
Q. Is there a difference in the damage caused by carpenter ants and termites?
Yes. Both can compromise the structural integrity of a building but the actual damage is going to be different. Carpenter ants make galleries and excavate damp or moisture-compromised lumber to make their colonies. Termites eat the lumber and live in tunnels that they make.
Q. What are the similarities between termites and carpenter ants?
Both are social insects that live in large complex colonies.
Both carpenter ants and termites are attracted to moisture, so be sure to fix any drainage issues that would create a wet environment.
Q. Does landscape mulch lead to termites in your home?
The short answer is no; however, mulched areas may be more attractive to termite activity because of the increased moisture.
Try to prevent the wooden foundation from coming into direct contact with the soil. Also, prevent tree limbs from touching your roof, as this gives insects an easy pathway from the soil to your home.
Do not let moisture accumulate near the foundation. Divert drains and downspouts away from the foundation, as well as lawn sprinkler or other irrigation systems.
Reduce and eliminate excess moisture and humidity around the foundation of your home including both basements or crawl spaces.
Never store firewood or debris against foundations or inside the home.
Use mulch sparingly, especially up against the foundation.
Remember that both these insects can be nuisance pests when they invade your home or other buildings; however, in nature, they are responsible for helping to break down stumps, fallen trees, and other debris. They also serve as a valuable protein source for birds and other small carnivores. So when possible, appreciate the value that they bring to your local ecosystem and food web.
An example of a home rain barrel system. Photo: Adobe Stock
The extreme heat and lack of precipitation this season have forced many people to get creative with finding a way to water their gardens. Rain barrels are a great addition to your outdoor space!
Rain barrels can be sophisticated with features like valves, hoses, etc., or they can be any type of container that holds water. Please remember that the container should be food-grade so that nothing toxic will leach out of the container and there should be a mesh screen/net over the top so that mosquitoes cannot enter to lay their eggs.
Example of a rain barrel system with a screened lid.
Stormwater runoff
Anytime precipitation flows across the land, it becomes runoff. Precipitation may infiltrate into the soil or run off into streams, bodies of water, drains, or evaporate back into the atmosphere. In nature, most precipitation is absorbed by trees and other plants, or it may permeate or “soak” into the ground, which results in recharging groundwater supplies and bodies of water. However, when there are impervious surfaces (pavement, buildings/roofs, and other structures and materials covering the soil), this precipitation can no longer soak into the soil and has to go somewhere else. When stormwater is not managed correctly, it can result in catastrophic consequences such as stream bank erosion, flooding, pollution, threats to human health, and tainted water supplies. The University of Maryland Extension provides more information on stormwater management in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.
Environmental Site Design practices from the Maryland Department of the Environment have changed the way residential stormwater is managed and recommend that homeowners address stormwater discharge at the individual level. Individuals can make a difference by reducing the quantity and improving the quality of any stormwater that is leaving their specific property. It is important to realize that activities on your property can adversely affect neighboring landscapes, as water does not follow property boundaries. Penn State’s Homeowners Guide to Stormwater Management is an awesome resource to help you investigate your property and see what changes you can make. With stormwater, you want to slow it down and let it soak into the soil and one of the ways that you can do this is by utilizing a container for rainwater collection.
A rain barrel distribution in Garrett County was sponsored by Deep Creek Watershed Foundation in 2024. It has shared 190 free rain barrels with the community!
Rainwater harvesting is when a device such as a barrel or cistern is used to catch natural precipitation. These containers are often positioned at the edge of a building drainage system, above or below the ground, and are examples of micro-scale stormwater management techniques to slow down a small amount of water and use it later when there is no precipitation. This allows the capture and re-use of rainwater to promote water conservation, reduce runoff volumes, and the discharge of pollutants downstream.
Using stored rainwater can decrease municipal water usage (allowing this potable water for vital drinking) and provide a source of water that is free from chlorine, fluoride, etc. Water that is caught in a rain barrel is considered non-potable and not safe for human consumption— no bathing, no drinking, and no cooking. It can be used for watering plants and lawns, rinsing tools, adding to a compost pile, filling ornamental ponds and bird baths, washing vehicles, or even flushing toilets during a power outage. Please note that there is some special guidance for using rain barrel water to water a vegetable garden. The Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station has a great fact sheet that outlines some of the cautions and best practices and recommendations that include using bleach to reduce contaminants, using the water on the soil only, and not harvesting vegetables at the same time that you are watering.
Preparing your site for rain barrel installation
Identify where you will be placing your rain barrel. Be sure to think about how you will use your rainwater and if you need to raise the barrel to get a watering can, bucket, etc., under the nozzle to empty the barrel. The site should be clean of debris and level. If it’s not level, build a platform out of rocks, pavers, stones, blocks, or even wood. You do not want the water barrel to tip over or fill up unevenly. Remember that a standard-size rain barrel is 55 gallons, which means it weighs more than 400 pounds when full of water!
Examples of how to raise the barrel up higher to make the lower spigot more accessible for a watering can or bucket.
Installing the rain barrel
Most 55-gallon rain barrels will get full in a matter of minutes if a roof downspout is routed to fill the container, so it is very important to plan for the overflow once the barrel is full. Rain barrel or downspout diverters can be installed so that once the barrel is full, the water will then go back to following the original drainage path. There must be a plan in place to capture the excess water so that no damage is done to building foundations. Also, know that until the barrel catches water for the first time, it can be caught and blown by the wind, so it’s important to have something to weigh it down, either a brick, rock, or block. Do not add rain barrels or disconnect downspouts near septic systems or drinking wells or springs and be sure to avoid utilities such as electric, cable, internet, sewer, or gas lines. Always call Miss Utility before any digging or construction of any kind.
Search results for “rain barrel diverter.” These allow for cutting the downspout one time and installing a diverter. Once the rain barrel is filled from natural rainfall, the diverter routes the excess water back into the original drainage system. Photo: A. Bodkins
Maintaining your rain barrel
You want to be sure that you are emptying and using the water that is stored in your rain barrel as soon as possible (at least every 5-7 days) to ensure that the water stays as fresh as possible. If you have extra water in the barrel and rain is in the forecast, just let it trickle into a nearby flowerbed or hook up a drip irrigation hose so that the stored water can slowly soak into the ground. Again, one benefit of the rain barrel is to slow down water during a precipitation event and allow it to sink into the soil later on. Having a darker-colored rain barrel can help slow algae growth; however, you might need to occasionally clean your barrel with a mild bleach solution. It is also very important to keep the screen free of debris/leaves/etc. and in good condition and the lid securely in place. In climates where snow and freezing temperatures occur, rain barrels will have to be drained, and downspouts reconnected to original drainage pathways in late fall. Barrels should be stored in an outbuilding/garage or simply turned upside down so that the barrel does not freeze solid and bust. In Spring, barrels can then be reconnected and used again.
Example of a painted rain barrel. A rain barrel raised on stone blocks. Photo: Adobe Stock
Consider adding a rain barrel to your landscape today!
By Ashley Bodkins, Senior Agent Associate and Master Gardener Coordinator, Garrett County, Maryland. Read more posts by Ashley.
All photos in this article, unless otherwise noted, were shared by participants in the rain barrel program supported by the Deep Creek Watershed Foundation.
Did you know that how and when you cut back your perennials and tidy your landscape matters to pollinators?
I just read a fact sheet from the Xerces Society that opened my eyes to more ways to help pollinators year-round, especially in the fall.
I already make sure I have something blooming from April to frost, so pollen and nectar are always available. And I emphasize native plants that coevolved with pollinators to support them best.
But beyond flowers, there are many things we can do to provide shelter for nesting and overwintering pollinators. And we can start some of them in the fall.
Pollinators and other insects shelter in stems and branches of trees, shrubs, and flowers. They also shelter in leaf litter, undisturbed or bare ground, dead wood, brush piles, and rock piles.
Incorporating these features in your landscape – rather than cleaning them away – supports bees, butterflies, and other pollinators.
So how can you make your garden more welcoming to pollinators this fall?
Start with the stems. Don’t cut back your perennials until late spring. Bees and other pollinators hibernate in the stems in winter. Only remove unhealthy plant stems to manage disease.
But doesn’t that look a little unkempt? Yes, but messy is beautiful – and necessary for pollinators to survive and thrive.
Master Gardener sign explaining why a messy garden is good for pollinators. Source: A. Cormany
The Master Gardeners and I believe this so strongly that signs in our teaching gardens say, “Excuse our mess, pollinators at rest,” to explain why we don’t cut back plants in the fall.
Next, leave some leaves. Most butterflies and moths use leaf litter to protect eggs, caterpillars, chrysalises, or adults over the winter.
Wooly bear caterpillars tuck into leaf piles. Luna moths wrap their cocoons in leaves. Some butterflies lay eggs on fallen leaves. Queen bumble bees burrow into soil under leaves.
A luna moth cocoon wrapped in leaves to wait out the winter. Photo: M. Raupp
So pile some leaves around trees, shrubs, and perennials as a natural mulch. They will suppress weeds, hold moisture, and feed the soil. I chip some leaves but leave some whole.
I often use leaf mulch in my vegetable garden, too. And when I had a larger landscape, I kept a 3-foot border of leaves against a stone wall to provide more shelter.
Leaves aren’t litter: they’re habitat. Ideally, some leaves will become a permanent part of your landscape. Pick a corner, an edge, or a garden. I let leaves lie in a small woodland garden.
But if you need to remove some of the leaves, try to leave them in place until mid-spring to give overwintering pollinators a chance to emerge.
This is really a glimpse of the many ways you can invite and support pollinators year-round. Learn more about Pollinator Gardens on the Home and Garden Information Center website.
Thanks for all you are doing to protect pollinators. It matters.
By Annette Cormany, Principal Agent Associate and Master Gardener Coordinator, Washington County, University of Maryland Extension.
As we watch the high temps stubbornly refuse to budge, it’s tempting to hunker down indoors and let our gardens go. Don’t. Those plants really need us now.
The best thing you can do to help is to water well. That means watering deeply less often.
Water at the base of plants to soak the roots. Photo: Miri Talabac, UME
Daily sprinkles do more harm than good, stimulating shallow roots, which have a harder time drawing up the water plants need.
Light watering also encourages tomatoes and peppers to develop black, leathery blossom end rot.
So water vegetable plants deeply twice a week. Dial it back to once a week when things cool down.
Watering in the morning is best as is directing water to the base of plants.
If you planted new trees or shrubs this year, water them slowly and deeply at least once a week to soak the root ball. Use a soaker hose, a 5-gallon bucket with a few nail holes, or a hose on a slow trickle.
Tree bags help to keep trees and shrubs well watered. Photo: Joe Murray, Bugwood.org
If you’re growing anything in containers, check those pots daily. Most need to be watered every day. And do some supplemental watering in your perennial beds. Everything is dry, dry, dry.
Smart tools make watering easier and use less water.
Soaker hoses – made from recycled tires – water plants slowly at the base of plants so you don’t lose water to evaporation.
Drip irrigation does the same and lets you customize water zones. I can’t say enough good things about the drip irrigation system on a timer in my vegetable beds.
Drip irrigation saves time and money. Photo: Robert Cook
Rain barrels are a godsend. An eighth of an inch of rain on the average roof fills a 50-gallon barrel. That’s free water, folks. I have four rain barrels and plan to add two more.
Rain barrels capture rain from roofs to reduce water bills. Photo: Rutgers University
Avoid watering with sprinklers. Overhead watering can promote disease and cause the loss of up to 80 percent of water to evaporation.
Here are some more tips on conserving water and using smart tools.
In addition to boosting plants’ water needs, heat zaps plants in other ways.
Have you noticed flowers falling off your tomato plants? Sustained high temps prevent pollination, causing plants to jettison their blooms. Don’t worry. Flowering and fruiting will restart when it cools.
Trees react to high heat, too. Many are raining down leaves. This is a natural stress reaction. In fact, trees don’t need all their leaves. They’re just shedding some to cut down on maintenance.
Unless the leaf loss is dramatic, those trees will be just fine.
Lawns are feeling the heat as well, browning here, there, and everywhere. They are not – I repeat not – dead. Lawns naturally go dormant in high heat and will spring back with rains. Only new lawns need to be watered.
If you’d like to boost your landscape’s resistance to heat and drought – and the need for supplemental watering – add some water-wise plants.
Deep-rooted, well-adapted native plants are a great choice. So are plants with fleshy leaves or roots, blue leaves, skinny or fuzzy leaves – all natural adaptations that mean these plants need less water. Think sedum, iris, lavender, threadleaf coreopsis, and lamb’s ear.
Watering wisely and picking the right plants will help you build a more heat-resilient landscape that can not only beat the heat but look good doing it.
By Annette Cormany, Principal Agent Associate and Master Gardener Coordinator, Washington County, University of Maryland Extension.
I know most folks don’t like creepy-crawlies. Bugs aren’t their thing. Mine, yes, but this is what I do – help people deal with garden pests and protect good bugs.
Some good guys do look scary, like something out of a sci-fi movie with spikes and fangs and ridges and crazy colors.
But looks aren’t everything. In most cases, these are good bugs – what we call beneficial insects – that help to control the few bad dudes in your garden.
Let me introduce you to a few bug friends that aren’t beauties but do a beautiful job of controlling harmful pests.
Assassin bugs get a bad rap simply because of their name. We’re talking James Bond, right?
Scary-looking assassin bugs are efficient predators. Photo: Photo: Johnny N. Dell, Bugwood.org
That’s a good thing. Assassin bugs are efficient predators, but boy, do they look scary. Battleship grey with spikes down their backs, they look like they’re wearing armor.
But the battle is mostly one-sided. Insects that cross an assassin bug’s path likely will get skewered by its lance-like mouthpart and slurped dry.
Stop shuddering. There’s an upside.
Assassin bugs eat almost any bug, making them ecological balancers that keep insect populations in check. Plus, they enjoy snacking on Japanese beetles, the scourge of many a garden.
Cute and beneficial, the ladybug lies at the other end of the beauty spectrum. But as youngsters, ladybugs resemble tiny orange and black alligators which often get squished because they look like they are Up To No Good.
Spiky ladybug larvae control aphids and other pests. Photo: Whitney Cranshaw, Colorado State University, Bugwood.org
Not true. These are good guys who consume even more aphids, spider mites, scales, and other baddies than adult ladybugs. In fact, one ladybug can eat over 5,000 aphids in its lifetime.
Many juvenile insects look nothing like their more familiar adult counterparts. So stop before you squish or spray. Snap a photo or bring a sample to your local Extension office. Most likely it’s an ally you want to protect.
You can find your Maryland Extension office on our website. Or reach out to the certified horticulturists at our Home & Garden Information Center for help. Send a photo or question to them at Ask Extension.
Wasps get a bad rap, too, with much swatting and shrieking and fear of The Stinger. Only females have those – they’re modified egg-laying organs – and they aren’t likely to use them unless threatened.
But most wasps are beneficial, preying on bad bugs or laying their eggs on them to feed their young. Plus, they are pollinators, protecting 1 in 3 bites of food we eat.
Scoliid wasps lay their eggs on Japanese beetle larva. Photo: Shanon Wolf
Spiders aren’t insects – they have 8 legs, not 6 – but they give many people the willies. But spiders also are beneficial, quietly and efficiently consuming many harmful insects.
Argiope spiders provide free pest control in the garden. Photo: Heather Lawhead
Beauty isn’t everything. An army of not-so-lovely-but-useful insects are your allies in the garden, protecting your plants from the 1 in 10 bugs that are actually harmful.
So think before you squish or spray. Get us a photo or sample. We’ll identify it and give you management tips that deal swiftly with bad bugs while protecting beneficial insects.
By Annette Cormany, Principal Agent Associate and Master Gardener Coordinator, Washington County, University of Maryland Extension.
Each year, the spring and summer seasons seem to go faster and faster, and 2024 is no exception. If you have a lilac shrub, you can probably still imagine the sweet fragrance and beautiful flowers from a few months ago. I get several questions each year about lilacs, so the blog today is going to answer some of those inquiries!
A few years ago, we decided to begin excavating for our new garage in late summer, and unfortunately, had to move a lilac shrub. The transplanting was not as high of a priority as it should have been, and the shrub suffered tremendously the following year. We gave it a season to see if it would recover, but ultimately, it was too damaged. At that point, we decided to try rejuvenation pruning and cut everything back to 6” above the soil line in hopes that the shrub would come back and have a better overall shape and appearance. We had nothing to lose as the plant was suffering, not growing, and not flowering.
A lilac that was transplanted at the wrong time of the year and damaged. Photo: A. Bodkins, UME
Question: What is rejuvenation pruning?
Answer: Lilac rejuvenation pruning involves cutting the entire woody shrub back to a few inches above the soil surface. This can be done if a shrub is really scraggly or if you want to change its shape entirely. Last summer, my parents had to do a construction project behind their very large, 20+-year-old white lilac, and they had to cut it back to the ground. It seems to be rebounding just fine, though!
March 8th: First sign of life on the rejuvenation pruning. Photo: A. Bodkins, UME
June 4th: Regrowth progress. Photo: A. Bodkins, UME
Question: My lilac has not bloomed for the last several years. What could be wrong? It used to be beautiful each spring!
Answer: Lilacs need full sun to bloom. Often in people’s landscapes, as trees mature, lilacs get less sun than they once did, leading shrubs that once produced abundant, full blooms to have limited to no blooms.
Question: Why did my lilac bloom in the fall?
Answer: Environmental stress can cause out of season blooming. Some examples include drought, excessive heat, defoliation from pests, heavy pruning, insects, or diseases.
Question: What time of year should I prune my lilac?
Answer: Many spring-blooming, woody shrubs will set the flower buds for the next season’s growth in late spring or early summer, so be sure to prune for shaping and maintenance purposes as soon as the shrub is finished blooming for the current growing season.
For more information on lilacs, see the Home and Garden Information Center’s page, Lilac: Identify and Manage Problems — particularly the sections on diseases, insect pests, and heat-tolerant and powdery mildew-resistant varieties.
