bumblebee 101 (an aha: they're annuals!), and other buzz from my garden, open 6/7

I can I.D. a lot of plants, and I'm pretty good with local bird and frog species, but now a landmark book has me putting down my trowel every time someone buzzes by and having a careful look at bees -- especially bumblebees. The book is "Bumble Bees of North America," and one of its four esteemed co-authors taught me a bumblebee 101. Get a closer look at bees, and maybe win the book, too.

Among the "aha's": That bumblebees (genus Bombus) are like the annual plants, performing their whole life cycle by summer's end. That they can sting, and do make honey, but a lot less than, say, honeybees. And that you can learn to ID many of them, even if you're not a scientist. Amazing. 

miss it last time? june's to-do's   

The June garden chores focus foremost on cutbacks, weeding and watering. Onward we go to great summer-into-fall gardens. 

come visit tomorrow!

The weather forecast is fair, the garden is fresh from a welcome rain, wildflower expert Carol Gracie is lecturing, and Broken Arrow is selling unusual plants. Saturday June 7 should be a great day here in Copake Falls, New York, when I'm open from 10-4. There's lots more to do locally, including waterfall-and-woodland hikes, rail-trail biking and walking, vibrant farm markets and farm-to-table food, and other open gardens, as I detail at this link.