A New Nest

Ground-nesting bee nest hole
Over the past months, my wildflower garden has been rapidly developing and is a major attraction for all types of bees and other pollinating insects, but until yesterday I saw no indication that any of the ground-nesting bees were using the bare soil to create nest holes. I've been looking, so I'm pretty confident that this hole I discovered yesterday is a new development. The small circular hole was obvious. The yellow sandy subsoil was tossed up in pellet-like piles off to the side. To date, I have not seen the bee that excavated it, bit I know from experience that it is a bee and that my landscape is finally on the path to creating life, not just sustaining it with nectar and pollen. 
Bare soil is critical to the overall equation that results in the creation of a living landscape. It is never enough to simply feed adults if they can't produce offspring as well, and a great many of the bees that are visiting my wildflowers are solitary species that excavate holes in which to lay their eggs. Thick layers of mulch would preclude their ability to reproduce. The bare soil that I've left still provides a haven for weed seeds to emerge from, but the extra effort I make weeding has great dividends - at least for me and "my" bees. Creating a living landscape from scratch in the center of suburban development will always require work. It is never a passive "let whatever shows up is ok" kind of thing.
I also was blessed yesterday by the first visit I've recorded of a bumblebee pollinating my Clematis crispa - fairy hats is my common name. I've watched these plants now, in bloom, for the past 6 months and not seen a single pollinator using them. Something must at times because I have gotten seed from these plants, but I'm confident that it hasn't been bumblebees. Clematis is a buzz-pollinated species and only the bumblebees go about doing that service. As they disappear deep into the floral tube, you can hear the buzz emanating from within.  I was thrilled yesterday to hear it again - and for the first time here in my new home.

Bumblebee pollinating my "fairy hats". Please ignore the Pittosporum that I've had to leave alone so far
Life exists all around us regardless of where we live. That simple fact has hit home again to me as I work to make my landscape part of the natural world - not separate as most all of my neighbors' yards are. Each day, more things begin to unfold that would have seemed impossible nearly a year ago and things that have already unfolded develop further towards maturity.  As my mother was fond of telling me - "Rome wasn't built in a day."  It just took time and vision, more than anything, I suspect. We seem to be running out of time, so our vision needs its best acuity if we are to succeed in these turbulent times.

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