Gardening

Botany

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12. If you understand ecology you want insects to take a bite out of leaves ......

Tue Apr 11, 2017, 11:52 AM

Apr 2017

.... it does not hurt the plant and the damage is cosmetic. In the case of leaf cutter
bees the cut piece of leaf is used as a nursery for the next generation of leaf cutter
bees which is important native pollinator. In other cases a native plant is useful to
the environment only when our native insects eat a piece of the leave because that
insect is harvesting the solar energy that the leaf collected by photosynthesis and "that
energy is passed along" when that insect is eaten by a bird, a turtle, or another insect.

You really don't need to buy "bee houses" but by simple practices you can encourage
them by providing habitat and native plants for their use. This also helps monarchs,
songbirds, and the health of the environment too.

http://xerces.org

http://www.bringingnaturehome.net

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13 replies

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Dont Plant Those Bee-Friendly Wildflowers Cheerios Is Giving Away [View all] JHan Mar 2017 OP

And don't plant any plant that's been treated with neonicotinoids. The Velveteen Ocelot Mar 2017 #1

yep, that too. JHan Mar 2017 #2

Recommended. guillaumeb Mar 2017 #3

yep, best thing to do is just go with what the land and soil where we live love. JHan Mar 2017 #8

Thanks for this! furtheradu Mar 2017 #4

np, I learned some stuff I didn't know before JHan Mar 2017 #7

We have these annoying little leaf-biter bees. Kittycow Mar 2017 #5

ooohh Leaf cutter bees? JHan Mar 2017 #6

Yep! The rats! I couldn't remember their name. Kittycow Mar 2017 #9

"Big bee bites out of all my pretty leaves .... " Botany Apr 2017 #10

The bee-bites still annoy me, to be honest. Kittycow Apr 2017 #11

If you understand ecology you want insects to take a bite out of leaves ...... Botany Apr 2017 #12

Thanks for the information! Kittycow Apr 2017 #13