BooMusic Photography

Did you know that you can identify adult breeding worms by their distinctive ring shaped band. This band is called a Clitella and worms use it to mate. They mate by lining up their heads and attaching their bands together.      Source of Knowledge:  https://wormfarmguru.com/amazing-worm-facts/

Generally Frogs are solitary creatures but during different stages of the metamorphic development process they do come together in groups. Here are some names for those groups.  An Army or Colony is a large group of mature frogs. A Band is a group of frogs that are at various ages. A Chorus is a group of male frogs. A Cohort is a group of frogs within the same age range.           Source of Knowledge: https://toadsnfrogs.com/group-frogs-called/

As we wrap up Gardening for Wildlife Month, let's celebrate one of the most delightful pollinator-friendly plants you can add to your garden: Sweet Alyssum (Lobularia maritima). Don't let its diminutive size fool you—this low-growing beauty packs a powerful punch for wildlife support. Sweet Alyssum creates a living carpet of tiny, cross-shaped flowers that release a honey-sweet fragrance across your garden. It is a pollinator magnet, attracting beneficial insects, bees, and butterflies to your garden. Its clustered blooms provide easy landing pads for smaller pollinators, while the nectar-rich flowers offer a consistent food source throughout the growing season.  This versatile plant works beautifully as a living mulch under taller plants, along pathways, or spilling over the edges of containers. Its spreading habit makes it an excellent choice for filling gaps between stepping stones or softening the edges of garden beds.  As we close out Gardening for Wildlife Mont...

 Daylilies serve as vital hubs in your wildlife garden by providing multiple benefits throughout the growing season. Their nectar-rich flowers attract and sustain butterflies, native bees, and hummingbirds during their blooming period, while the dense foliage creates safe shelter for small creatures like toads and beneficial insects. After flowering, their seed heads offer food for birds, though many modern hybrids are sterile. The thick, clumping growth habit helps prevent soil erosion and creates cover for ground-dwelling wildlife like chipmunks and small birds. When the foliage dies back in fall, it can be left standing to provide winter shelter for beneficial insects and their eggs. Additionally, daylilies' deep root systems help create healthy soil structure, supporting the underground ecosystem of beneficial organisms that form the foundation of a healthy wildlife garden. Source of Knowledge:  https://enviroliteracy.org/do-daylilies-attract-bees-and-butterflies/#google_v...

Zinnias are truly unsung heroes in wildlife-friendly gardens! These vibrant blooms serve as essential pit stops for all sorts of garden visitors. They're particularly magnetic to pollinators, acting as nectar-rich filling stations for bees, butterflies, and even hummingbirds. What makes them especially valuable for wildlife gardens is their long blooming season, providing a reliable food source from spring well into fall. Their bright colors and abundant nectar make them irresistible to beneficial insects, and the more you cut them, the more they bloom.  Beyond their pollinator appeal, zinnias play multiple roles in supporting garden wildlife. They help naturally deter certain garden pests like aphids and whiteflies, creating a more balanced ecosystem. Later in the season, their dried seed heads become natural bird feeders, offering a nutritious food source for our feathered friends .  The best part? These wildlife-friendly flowers are incredibly low-maintenance and drought-to...

It is day 26 of Gardening for Wildlife Month! The common eastern bumble bee emerges as one of our garden's most industrious visitors during Wildlife Gardening Month. These remarkable insects, with their distinctive black and yellow stripes and fuzzy bodies, are true champions of pollination, capable of flying in cooler temperatures and less-than-perfect weather conditions when other pollinators remain inactive. Unlike most native bees that live solitary lives, these social insects form colonies of 50 to 500 individuals, working together to maintain their underground nests, often repurposing abandoned rodent burrows. What makes these fuzzy garden visitors truly special is their unique ability to perform "buzz pollination"—their wings beat an impressive 130 times per second, creating vibrations that shake loose pollen from flowers. This special talent, combined with their larger size, makes them exceptionally efficient pollinators for many garden favorites. Their robust bod...