Winter’s leafless landscapes, while beautiful in their own right, can look barren compared to the cacophony of color and activity of late spring/early summer. Once an oak’s leaves have senesced and its acorns have fallen, you’d think that not much is happening way up there in the canopy. But surprisingly there is! Tallamy’s The Nature of Oaks, takes the reader on a month by month journey of how these mighty trees support an abundance of life year round.
In fact, indigenous oaks (genus Quercus) support the highest number of Lepidoptera (butterflies, moths, and skippers) species in the mid-Atlantic region- some 534 different native species (Tallamy & Shropshire, 2009). Lepidoptera in the larva or caterpillar stage, such as the Greater Oak Dagger Moth (Acronicta lobeliae) (Fig. 1), often have a narrow diet breadth feeding on only a single family of plants. The over 500 species of caterpillars that oaks support, in turn, feed birds and other wildlife further up the food chain.
Fig. 1. Greater Oak Dagger Moth caterpillar. Photo: Nick Furlan
Tallamy’s Nature of Oaks gives numerous examples of insects’ impressive camouflaging, and describes how it helps them go undetected by hungry birds. For instance, the oak specialist American Oak Beauty (Phaeoura quernaria) blends in amazingly well with its host plant during both its larval and adult stages (Figs. 2 & 3). It’s no wonder that we often don’t notice all of the activity on oaks, especially given that much of it takes place at night.
Fig. 2. American Oak Beauty caterpillar. Photo credit: Adrian RomoFig. 3. American Oak Beauty moth. Photo credit: Basil Conlin
Tallamy also considers what’s going on beneath the canopy. Many oak-dependent species complete their life cycle in either the leaf litter or soil at the base of the tree. Research by our state entomologist and UMD alum Max Ferlauto shows that raking less results in more butterflies, moths, and beneficial arthropods. The harmful effects of leaf removal are widespread, impacting community composition, nutrient cycling, and soil stability (Fig. 4).
Fig. 4. Negative effects of leaf removal. Illustration by Maggie Lin
Of course oaks support a host of other arthropods and critters- from tiny wasps that form galls on oak leaves and terminal buds to numerous birds and mammals that depend on the trees’ nutrient rich acorns. Tallamy’s Nature of Oaks contains compelling data and entertaining anecdotes that left me awestruck by the beauty and interconnectedness of these mighty trees with all living things. Tallamy suggests if you can only plant one tree, make it an oak.
If you’re feeling inspired to plant an oak in your yard, Tallamy provides guidance on where and how to plant oaks for long term success. For instance, to overcome the concern of tree damage, he suggests planting young trees closer together (vs a specimen tree) so that they’ll be smaller in diameter and their roots will interlock. In Maryland, we’ve 21 native oak species that are commercially available, including two that reach a max height of 20 feet. For photos and details on growth requirements, habitat value, etc. see the new Commercial Maryland Native Plant List.
Where can you purchase native oaks (and other plants)? This month, the MD Department of Agriculture (MDA) launched a certification program for wholesalers, growers, and retailers of native plants. The program will make it easier for consumers to find sellers via a tiered system (novice, pro, and premium). Certified sellers will be listed on MDA, MD DNR, and UME’s web sites (coming soon). The program will also help consumers quickly identify which plants are native to MD via a new ‘Best Maryland Native Plant’ logo that retailers are encouraged to use on plant tags and signage.
If you’ve any questions or comments about growing or using oaks or native plants in general, I’d love to hear from you at lkuder@umd.edu.
Reference:
Tallamy, D. W., & Shropshire, K. J. (2009). Ranking lepidopteran use of native versus introduced plants. Conservation Biology, 23(4), 941-947.
By Lisa Kuder, Native Plants and Landscapes Specialist, University of Maryland Extension. See more posts by Lisa.
With the fall season we are starting to see a lot of articles talking about the massive ecological and soil quality benefits of leaving leaves, stems, and sticks in our green spaces. As a biologist, I understand why doing so is indeed the right thing to do, but I often face pushback on this topic from people I mention this to through my Extension work or just in my neighborhood. There are of course many barriers to adopting such practices that I have heard people mention, but one that comes up often is the one that involves social or peer pressure. In other words, how to adopt this without making your neighbors mad? In today’s blog, I want to give some pointers to avoid conflict with (and maybe even convince) neighbors who may be less convinced than you on these practices.
Some fall practices that we know are good for biodiversity and your soil
I do not want to talk yet again in depth about these practices (you can read more about it in these other articles if you want to know more):
But I want to just quickly state some of them, so you know what I am referring to throughout this article. I feel that there are three major types of practices that can be adopted for protecting pollinators and other insects during the winter: leaving the fallen leaves on the ground, not pruning certain pithy stems to the ground until the Spring, and making branches and stick piles in sections of your green spaces.
For all these practices, common sense should be used when deciding whether to adopt them or not (e.g., if you are in a fire-prone area, perhaps making huge wood piles is not a good idea), remembering that these are indeed all practices that have been shown to improve biodiversity in our green spaces.
Piling the leaves around trees is a good way to retain them in the green space, all while giving an impression of “tidiness” to the yard. Photo: D. Mizejewski.
How to avoid “leaving the leaves” look messy?
So, you want to participate in the ”leave the leaves” action, but you still want to make clear that somebody is actually taking care of it. What to do?
If you have the option to ignore others’ opinions, you can just leave the leaves where they fell and go on with your life. 😊 That said, this may or not apply to most people.
You can pick certain areas of your green space to leave the leaves, but rake other areas. Perhaps you want to have the areas that are less exposed to people’s eyes be those selected for leaving the leaves. This will show that your leaving the leaves is purposeful and not just a lack of care.
If you have trees on your space, you can also decide to pile up the leaves around trees. This will provide shelter to insects and other small critters, provide mulch for the tree, and sign active care of your space.
A problem I sometimes hear about is leaves blowing over to another person’s yard or space. To avoid this, you can use plants to line/fence your green space. These plantings will have the positive effects of both allowing your leaves to stay on the ground, while minimizing “spill overs”.
Explain what you are doing. You can tell your neighbors about what is going on, and even put a sign up to clarify what is happening (if you want to go “fancy”, the Xerces Society has a neat one).
A thing NOT to do if you would like to retain arthropod diversity but also make the leaves look “tidier”, is mow them over. This has been shown to kill the insects that were preparing to overwinter in them. ☹
Displaying a sign that explains that some activities in our green spaces are creating pollinator habitat can go a long way. Photo: C. Corner.
How to leave the stems without issues
Another practice shown to support stem-nesting insects (including several bees) is not trimming pithy stems all the way down during the fall.
If you have the option to ignore others’ opinions, you can just leave the stems and go on with your life. 😊 That said, this may or not apply to most people.
As for the leaves, you can select sections of your space where you decide to implement this. An extension of this idea is that perhaps you can reconsider where your plantings are, so you have the pithy plants (e.g., brambles) in areas that you know are not going to be looked at all the time.
You can also decide to trim the plants down to some extent (about 2-3 ft from the ground) but not completely. This will show that you are taking care of the plants, but that you actively decided not to trim them all the way down.
Letting people know what is going on is always a good thing. You can add a little sign to tell people about what you’re doing and why, and/or you can talk to your neighbors to let them know.
Make your wood and stick piles look “organized” by defining spaces in your yard that you allocate to creating those biodiversity habitats. Photo: Natural History Museum.
Making a pile of sticks and wood without scaring people
Making stick piles is a very good practice to retain biodiversity in green spaces. That said, people can feel like a pile can look untidy, and even some cities may have some regulations about what type of pile may be OK versus not.
If you have the option to ignore others’ opinions, you can just make a pile and go on with your life. 😊 That said, this may or not apply to most people.
You can restrict the pile clearly to a specific area of your space, and make clear that you have actively decided to make one and are taking care of it. This is to sign that this is not just some brush you left around after you trimmed some plants, but actually a specific green space feature you are trying to build.
You can make it look cute. Check out this other blog, A Brilliant Fall Banquet, where some ideas are given.
Information, information, information. Let people know what this is and why you are doing it. And also, if there are some afraid of snakes or fires, make sure that the area you live is not known for its high fire or venomous snake danger (you can inform yourself about these topics online or ask an Extension agent; e.g., Venomous Snakes of Maryland.
By Anahí Espíndola, Associate Professor, Department of Entomology, University of Maryland, College Park. See more posts by Anahí.
Anahí also writes an Extension Blog in Spanish! Check it out here, extensionesp.umd.edu, and please share and spread the word to your Spanish-speaking friends and colleagues in Maryland. ¡Bienvenidos a Extensión en Español!
It’s that most glorious time of year in Maryland, peak autumn, a time of constant change where every day brings new explosions of color. Beyond leaf peeping along our morning commutes, changes large and small are detectable in exquisite detail, if we only pause to step out in nature to look, listen, and smell the fragrance of the season in the air.
Right now, migratory birds are coming and going, shrubs are blooming and berrying, bees of all stripes are scrambling for the last drops of nectar as fall flowers fade. With some surprisingly low-cost, low-maintenance strategies, you can begin right away to transform your local landscape into a brilliant fall banquet for birds, bees, and butterflies.
Pollinators continue to gather nectar from late fall flowers. Photos: S. Small-Lorenz
At this time of year, wintering birds are beginning to arrive from the north, while some summer visitors linger to enjoy the bounty of fall. Dark-eyed Juncos (Junco hyemalis) are already returning from their northern breeding grounds. I spotted my first juncos of the season flitting about the raised garden beds on Halloween right outside of the Anne Arundel County Extension office.
Cabbage White (Pieris rapae) butterflies were introduced to North America and are common across Maryland. Their larvae are considered to be crop pests. They typically reach the end of their adult life cycles toward late October. Photo: S. Small-Lorenz
On the same day, Cabbage White butterflies were still mobbing blooming New York asters in the brilliant noon sunlight on a day of record-breaking late October heat. The viburnum berries had already been plucked, possibly by the Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) singing nearby, and its outermost foliage had turned a deep Cabernet red on a chillier night. I suspect that mockingbird has now staked out the American holly berries ripening nearby, as he seeks to maximize his energy intake before winter sets in.
At Howard County Conservancy the day before, I noticed winterberry shrubs loaded with ripening berries, where another singing mockingbird steadfastly stood guard. Native honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) is flowering and berrying simultaneously, gracing the trellis archway into the native plant garden, and the common witch-hazel (Hamamelisvirginiana) is blooming, our only witch-hazel to bloom in the fall.
Ripening American Holly (Ilex opaca) Berries. Photo: S. Small-LorenzNative Honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens). Photo: S. Small-LorenzWinterberry Holly (Ilex verticillata). Photo: S. Small-LorenzFall-blooming, native Common Witch Hazel (Hamamelis virginiana). Photo: S. Small-Lorenz
Taking cues like this from nature can be an excellent strategy for planning our conservation landscaping for year-round color. Planting native berrying shrubs and evergreens not only extends our color palette, it provides natural sources of food and shelter for songbirds like Gray Catbirds (Dumetella carolinensis), Northern Mockingbirds, Cedar Waxwings (Bombycilla cedrorum), Eastern Bluebirds (Sialia sialis), Yellow-rumped Warblers (Setophaga coronata), Ruby-crowned Kinglets (Corthylio calendula), and thrushes as temperatures cool and extra energy is required to fuel up before, during and after migration.
Leaving fall seed heads standing into winter also provides resources for a whole array of seed-eating birds like sparrows and finches. Even as flowers begin to wilt and fade, they still provide essential nectar resources to native insects that are beneficial for their pollination and pest control services, not to mention as songbird prey.
So if you are considering what you can do right now for nature and the environment in your own neighborhood, here are a few low- to no-cost fall strategies to get you started right away:
Map out one or more locations that you would like to dedicate to a native shrub planting area. Make note of conditions (wet/dry, sunny/shady, soil type) so that you can select the right plants for your site when the time comes. It isn’t too late to plant native shrubs in most parts of Maryland, but if you choose to wait for spring, you can still start preparing the bed and browsing for fall-berrying shrubs now (see #5)! If you don’t know your soil type, this is the perfect time to do some home soil analysis. Observe where stormwater flows off of your property, and consider planting a mulched stormwater buffer using arborist wood chips and native plants to absorb rainwater which can both help reduce downstream flooding and improve water quality while beautifying your landscape.
Pledge to leave the leaves this fall. Raking a thick layer of leaves into your designated shrub planting bed will almost immediately start to create habitat, retain soil moisture, and build rich living soils. I call this “Raking by Design.” Think about this – who rakes the leaves in the forest? Towhees, sparrows, jays, bats, squirrels, deer, and many more wild residents…a reminder that leaf “litter” is an important habitat component for many creatures, and it puts essential nutrients back into the soil as the leaves decompose. If you’re concerned about leaves blowing around, it’s fairly easy to contain whole leaves with low garden border fencing, but it isn’t entirely necessary. Consider designating a portion of your yard a ‘no-rake’ wild zone, where you leave the leaves undisturbed, right where they fall.
Leave the leaves for healthy soil and habitat. Photo: S. Small-Lorenz
Leave your native flowers standing well into winter, beyond peak bloom. Birds, bees, and butterflies will benefit from the stems and seed heads well into fall and early winter.
Use fall prunings, cuttings, logs or stumps to create shelter for overwintering birds, bees, and other wildlife. Recycling your “yard waste” is one of the easiest, low cost ways to start building healthy soil and creating habitat to benefit biodiversity in your local landscape. This can take the form of a brush pile, wood pile (situated well away from your home’s foundation), leaving a natural stump instead of stump-grinding, or building a simple “bug snug” like the one pictured here.
A “bug snug” made with cut woody stems, seed heads, and leaves will provide a shelter for overwintering insects, stem-nesting bees, and birds. Photo: C. Carignan
Browse options for native berrying shrubs to plant this fall or next spring that would be right for the conditions in your yard. While browsing native plant resources like Alliance for Chesapeake Bay’s Native Plant Center, also make note of whether the shrubs you choose are dioecious or not, meaning that you may need to consider planting female and male plants near one another in order for flowers to be fertilized and berries to form. Finding native plants locally right when you want them can be a bit challenging when getting started, so take some time to familiarize yourself with Maryland native plant material sources via Maryland Native Plant Society’s native plant shopping resources.
Which of these low-cost, low-maintenance strategies are you planning to try to enhance your fall living landscape? Which berrying shrubs might you consider adding to your fall banquet? Leave us a comment below, and don’t forget to let us know which wild visitors are enjoying the fall feast in your neighborhood!
By Stacy Small-Lorenz, Agent, Residential Landscape Ecology, University of Maryland Extension.Read more posts by Stacy.
Over the years, I have been involved in several initiatives that aim to summarize and translate our knowledge of insects, biodiversity, and some of the ecological services they provide, so that it can be understood by policymakers and the general public to inform decision-making and help ourselves and the living planet. The overwhelming take-home of these works is that insects (and biodiversity in general) are declining at a very fast speed, with very negative consequences on our ability to survive in a less diverse future world. When taking on these knowledge translation activities, however, there is one topic that keeps coming back: people are scared of insects (and wildlife, generally)! Then, how to promote the protection of something we’re scared of and disgusted by? In this blog post, I decided to embark on a mission: to help us understand our fears and recognize how they may be affecting our ability to protect the natural world, and what we can do to turn the wave on this to the benefit of all. Keep reading; I promise I will not shame or judge anybody 😉.
Insects (only beetles shown in this picture) are the most diverse and abundant group of animals and play central roles in maintaining ecosystems. Photo: “Insects Unlocked” Project, University of Texas at Austin
The biodiversity crisis – a real problem with real consequences
There is now massive evidence that biodiversity is being lost. This is true for many groups of organisms, but here I want to focus on one in particular: insects. Why? Insects are the most diverse and abundant group of animals and, as such, they are deeply embedded in the running of the natural world. This diversity and abundance turn insects into sorts of ecosystem architects and janitors. They pollinate, feed on other organisms, degrade organic material and make nutrients available for others to consume, disperse seeds, and much more! Beyond the importance of all this to all organisms, these functions, in particular, are central to allowing us to produce food, maintain soil quality and balance, sustain rich ecosystems, and naturally control pests. Promoting insect protection, however, often faces a big challenge: low traction and low engagement, given the fear of insects.
Fear of insects – an encounter between humans and our natural world
Fear and disgust of insects is a very widespread feeling, especially in developed countries and urbanized societies. Although it is understood that the presence of fear or disgust usually develops as a protection system against potential dangers (and there are a few insects that we need to be wary of!), the extent to which fear of insects is present goes beyond what would be needed to properly protect us from a potential danger… And this is starting to have an impact on our ability (and willingness) to protect this important part of biodiversity. How does this work?
People have been studying fear of insects for a while and their findings are really interesting (you can read some neat reviews on this in Current Opinion in Insect Science and Science of the Total Environment). For example, researchers think that this extreme fear of insects may have evolved as a sort of “smoke alarm” (a loud but very non-specific type of alarm). In fact, there is reason to have respect for some insects, since some of them can lead to painful and potentially fatal bites/stings or can carry diseases. The presence of fear against those insects thus makes sense, because they lead to protecting our health. However, there is a balance to be found between responding to a real danger (e.g., hitting a hornet’s nest) or to an inexistent one (e.g., encountering a moth). Because the cost of responding to an inexistent danger is not super high in this case (like for a “smoke alarm”), then an extreme response to any insect can simply appear and spread through human populations. In this case, the only way to “tune” such an extreme response is to learn how to recognize harmful from non-harmful insects, something that many programs (including this blog! 😊) try to do.
Going back to biodiversity conservation, it is illuminating and empowering to realize that the simple action of learning can lead to increased conservation actions… learning when there is reason to stay away from insects or not leads to an appreciation of their huge diversity and more engagement in their protection. Some ways to do this involve using formal learning methods like courses, books, or guides, but also some more interactive ones, such as citizen science projects like iNaturalist or group-specific projects (e.g., the fireflies atlas).
Rearing insects at home (like this monarch butterfly) can be a fun and learning-rich experience through which our appreciation for insects can grow and our fear decrease. Photo: Tim and Selena Middleton (CC)
Another way this fear develops is through social learning. As humans, we can learn through both direct experiences and social interactions. In fact, studies have shown that a large part of this establishment of fear or disgust in humans is learned through interpersonal interactions and not innate. For example, people have discovered that before age 5, most kids are not repelled by most insects or arthropods, and that the level of fear and disgust kids show is correlated with the fear their caretakers have of them. We see this a lot in our work. The Insect Zoo of our Department at the University of Maryland (UMD) is a very popular attraction at outreach events such as UMD’s open house event, Maryland Day. When participating in this event, we see time and time again how kids are not afraid of petting insects or other arthropods, while their parents are grunting and screaming in the background at the simple sight of one. Dealing with this learned fear is a bit trickier because it requires caretakers to become more aware of how they can imprint fear in kids. However, seeking to better understand and recognize insects and their potential (or not) of harm can help break this cycle. Rearing with kids insects like butterflies can be a great positive experience for all, and can happen in pretty much any house. Engaging in learning activities with kids, such as through insect summer camps (UMD has a super-fun Bug Camp!), is another way to restrict the establishment of this type of fear.
Petting zoos and other exhibits that feature insects and other arthropods can be a great way to engage kids and adults in healthy and safe interactions with organisms they may fear. Photo: UMD Department of Entomology.
Finally, there is another way this fear may appear. We said above that this sort of fear is more common in urbanized societies. It is thought that a part of the fear may come from a lack of exposure to biodiversity. Under urbanization, there is indeed a removal of contact with natural environments, with people becoming less and less exposed to wildlife. When insects are seen (often in the house), the other two types of fears may pop up and join forces to, on the one hand, trigger repulsion or fear and, on the other, increase avoidance of natural spaces that could contain “bugs.” The good news is that even in cases when there are few natural spaces available close to home, there are indeed many ways people can be exposed and establish positive experiences with insects. Visiting exhibits where insects are featured is one of these ways. You can learn about many other ways in this cool article: Teaching About Insects in a World Afraid of Bugs.
By Anahí Espíndola, Associate Professor, Department of Entomology, University of Maryland, College Park. See more posts by Anahí.
Anahí also writes an Extension Blog in Spanish! Check it out here, extensionesp.umd.edu, and please share and spread the word to your Spanish-speaking friends and colleagues in Maryland. ¡Bienvenidos a Extensión en Español!
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.
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.
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.
