Native Plants – Mason Bees and Phragmites tubes for sale

Harvesting Phragmites Reed grass stems from the Marsh for Mason Bee Homes..

I was fortunate to have on our property, a brackish water estuarine marsh in which grows the native Phragmites sp. reed grass.

See this file on the Gooch creek swamp which tells the story of how I had to “save” the Reed Grass beds from extirpation by the BC Forest Lands and Natural Resources Department: (FLNRO)From Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. ex Steud. subsp. americanus I get the hollow tubes that I use for the mason bee homes. This is what they look like in late summer.

In about 1 in 20 plants, the stems are the ideal size for Mason Bees.

The tubes are cut in the early spring from the lower 1 metre of the stems.

The internode lengths range from 15 cm. to 30 cm . I select only those sections with an adequate tube diameter. 5/16 ” diameter is ideal.

The seed head tassel of Phragmites in the late summer.

The reddish stems at the base in the fall are typical of the native species.a

The 1metre sections of stem with adequate diameter are cut to one segment per node lengths

Vaious lengths can be used in different depth containers.

A smaller wire or a chain saw file should be inserted to clear any remaining dried tissue inside.

The first version of the mason bee house. Only one problem, where do you place the cocoons when they are ready to be released. Next years version soved that one.( see a following post)

A section of 4 inch drain pipe can be used for mason bee homes.

Mason bee ( blue orchard bee)adult collecting mud (with high clay content) from a wet patch near the nest box for the next round of egg laying in the *Phragmites* stem tubes

Since this reed grass is not generally available, it is easiest to sandwich small plates of wood with 5/16″ channels routered or sawn into them . There are many references on the internet that show how to do this.

See this post on Harvesting and Cleaning the Mason Bees in the fall.

Phragmites australis subsp. americanus: the native reed grass on Vancouver Island

NOTE: I have updated this 2015 post in order to make it appear closer to the other mason bee information.

You will find many articles on the internet about the invasive species of Phragmites but the one that grows here on Vancouver Island is the Native species, Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. ex Steud. subsp. americanus.

The following article on the Metchosin Coastal website describes an example of misidentification of this species in British Columbia. titled:

A new Lease on Life for the Rare Marsh Plant: Phragmites australis subsp. americanus–A note of caution when attempting to control Invasive Species.

http://metchosinmarine.ca/gf/a-new-lease-on-life/

Put Out Your Mason Bees when Pollinators are Needed

NOTE: I have updated this 2016 post in order to make it appear closer to the other mason bee information

The time to put out your mason bees which have been overwintered in your refrigerator is when you need them to do their work. I release mine in batches. The first batch was several weeks ago when the peaches and nectarines were in bloom. This week, the pears, plums and cherries are in bloom so I just put out another batch of cocoons near my bee homes. I will save the last batch for my apple trees which bloom later.

Cheery blossoms in full bloom this week.

Currants have small flowers but are still loved by the pollinators

Don’t forget the native plants like this flowering currant need pollinators too

Marsh marigolds, the first pond plants to bloom, will seed themselves if well pollinated.

I had to transplant this peach tree this year to the corner of the vegetable preparation building so I found another good spot to place a bee home.

Phragmites Reeds for Mason Bee tubes

NOTE: I have updated this 2015 post in order to make it appear closer to the other mason bee information

Phragmites in estuary/marsh — Last years stems of ***Phragmites*** in estuary/marsh being harvested for mason bee tubes. It is important that this is done only before new shoots start to emerge. I have a theory that this native ***Phragmites*** exists in this marsh only because the marsh was fenced in the early years to prevent grazing by cattle and sheep. It has been eliminated from most of the other marshes in BC by grazing (personal communication with Robert Prescott-Allen). The reason this marsh was fenced was that the plant **Triglochin maritima** (Sea arrow grass) grows in the marsh and it is toxic to grazers.

(http://metchosinmarine.ca/gf/triglochin-maritima/)

“Seaside arrow-grass (Triglochin maritima) is a native plant found sporadically across Canada in saline, brackish, or fresh marshes and shores. This plant contains cyanogenic glycosides, which can release HCN during mastication by animals. Poisoning occurs primarily with ruminants, including cattle and sheep. The concentration of toxic chemicals increases during times of moisture depletion (Majak et al. 1980, Cooper and Johnson 1984, Poulton 1989).”

iNaturalist postings— Garry Fletcher, Metchosin BC

I have been posting my photos of different species I have encountered on the iNaturalist website. Many are species I have found here in the Metchosin Community.

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=any&user_id=garryfletcher&verifiable=any

Ocean Spray in flower : June 13 -Phenology

One of the latest blooming native shrubs on the farm is the Ocean Spray. These bushes can be up to 10 metres in height.

Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Rosids
Order: Rosales
Family: Rosaceae
Genus: Holodiscus
Species: H. discolor[1]

Holodiscus discolor (Pursh) Maxim.

Mock Orange –phenology 2015

Several small clumps of Mock orange survive in the roundabout in the laneway. It was transplanted here from Hornby Island.

Kingdom Plantae –
Subkingdom Viridiplantae
Infrakingdom Streptophyta – land plants
Superdivision Embryophyta
Division Tracheophyta – vascular plants,
Subdivision Spermatophytina
Class Magnoliopsida
Superorder Asteranae
Order Cornales
Family Hydrangeaceae –
Genus Philadelphus L. –, mock orange
Species Philadelphus lewisii Pursh – Lewis’ mock orange