Trunkline Magazine (Louisville Zoo) June 2018 | Page 16

plant is dioecious — Greek for “two
houses.” It means that the male
and female reproductive structures
are on separate plants. Clusters of
tiny, aromatic, greenish-yellow flow-
ers bloom in early spring. Flowers
are produced on both female and
male plants. Bright red fruits appear
in late summer and early autumn on
female shrubs. Spicebush is the host
plant for the larva (caterpillar) of the
spicebush swallowtail butterfly as
it feeds on the leaves of the plant.
As with St. John’s wort, spicebush
is another plant that grows easily
in Kentucky and is planted in many
of the same locations. It also does
not have any significant disease or
insect problems.
A new addition to the inside
of our butterfly exhibit this year is
Mexican sunflower ‘Torch’, Tithonia
rotundifolia. It has large, vibrant,
Mexican sunflower 'Torch'
orange flowers that are 3 inches
across. This is a warm weather an-
nual that is native to Mexico and
Central America. Mexican sunflower
can reach heights of 6 feet and
have a spread of 2 to 3 feet wide. It
blooms from July – September and
thrives in summer heat in average,
dry to moist, and well-drained soils.
Plants can be grown easily from
seed by sowing seeds directly after
the final spring frost. For an earlier
bloom, start seeds indoors 6 – 8
weeks before last frost date and
plant seedlings about 2 feet apart.
This is a low-maintenance plant
with many benefits, but it will do
better if staked to avoid toppling
over and be sure to deadhead (cut
below) old flower blooms to pro-
long blooming or cut back plants
to encourage bushier growth. This
nectar plant is extremely attrac-
tive to pollinators such as hum-
mingbirds, bumblebees, monarch
butterflies, many of the swallowtail
butterfly species (eastern tiger, gi-
ant, pipevine, spicebush), as well as
other smaller species of butterflies.
Try planting any of these in your
summer garden and watch your
garden take flight! Happy summer
gardening.
The BUZZZZZZZ about Bees
By AMY SEADLER, Glacier Run Keeper II
T
he sun is shining and
the weather has finally
warmed up! Many of you
have already been playing
around in your garden. You may
have your spring garden set up, but
here are some tips on some varieties
of plants and vegetables to choose
for a summer or fall garden.
Did you know that growing na-
tive vegetation is not only envi-
ronmentally friendly and requires
less maintenance but also provides
nourishment for a very important
creature — THE BEE! Some of us
may feel wary of these stringing
insects, but if we didn’t have the
bee, a large portion of the world’s
flowering plants would not ex-
ist! They are essential to the entire
fabric of life on the planet. Imagine
a world without apples, almonds,
peaches, blueberries, cherries,
eggplant, peppers, pumpkins and
even tomatoes! Even though they
can self-pollinate, tomatoes that
receive visits from bees make more
tomatoes and larger ones too. Ac-
cording to the Xerces Society for
Invertebrate Conservation (xerces.
org), 85 percent of flowering plants
need pollinators (like bees, birds,
butterflies and bats) to reproduce.
Bees are great for your garden!
Unfortunately, bees, like many
large creatures, are having a popu-
lation decline because of human
activities. Habitat loss, parasites,
disease, climate change and pesti-
cides are all hurting the population
of bees and other pollinators. In ad-
dition, bees are declining due to a
16 • Louisville Zoo Trunkline • Summer 2018
mysterious phenomenon known as
colony-collapse disorder, which can
be caused by changes to habitat,
environmental stress and pesticides.
Want to invite bees into your gar-
den? Here are a few suggestions!
First, be sure to plant native plants
including perennials. Yellow, blue
or purple colored flowers are most
attractive to bees. Herbs like basil
and cilantro are also good choices
if some of the herbs are allowed to
flower. Reconsider your pesticide
use. Try to cut down or eliminate
pesticides in your yard. Provide the
bees with a water source. Bees
also need to drink water. Providing
a large flat stone with a shallow
basin makes a fantastic bee water
fountain. You can also create or buy
a mason bee house — they provide
great habitat for these non-stinging
mason bees while using little space.
Whatever decision you make will
benefit the bees, humans and our
environment. Let’s keep the bees
buzzing!