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Old July 8, 2019   #31
jtjmartin
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We have a Chaste Tree that we keep pruned into a huge bush. It buzzes like a high powered electric wire and blooms most of the summer. Amazing!

Here's a quote from Southern Living:

"Bee alert: Bumblebees love this plant above all others and will even spend the night on the flowers. Keep this in mind if bees freak you out."

OTOH, I've never tested its other powers even though I'm beating the boys off my teenage daughter
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Old July 8, 2019   #32
Tracydr
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Hmm, I may have to ge one of those for a spot that I’m building to the side of the ne fruit garden for a pollinator area.
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Old July 9, 2019   #33
sjamesNorway
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Labradors2 View Post

I'd love to hear more about that flowering shrub with the high tension wire noise when it flowers, although I probably wouldn't be able to hear it as my hearing is going .

Linda

Hi,


Here are the photo's of the "bee bush".


Steve
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Old July 9, 2019   #34
Labradors2
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Thanks Steve. I cannot think what that could be, and Google didn't help Does anybody recognize this shrub???


JTJMartin, I Love the Vitex. Too bad it's sub-tropical and would be very marginal around here. I can't even grow Buddleah .

Linda
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Old July 10, 2019   #35
SueCT
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OMG, I know what that is! It is Bittersweet vine! I spend hours cutting it off my Lilacs, my arbor and the side of my house! I had to cut it down, paint the end of the cut with the strongest roundup I could find and go back 2 or 3 times to see what survived and do it again. I made a dent near the house but the Lilacs never got the roundup treatment and are already covered again 6 weeks later! Getting rid of that stuff can be full time job, get rid of it as soon as possible. Pulling up doesn't work, the roots break off and what is left grows new shoots 2 feet away. It gets red berries, the birds eat them and then deposit them in new places all over the property. Arrrrgggghhhh!
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Old July 10, 2019   #36
SueCT
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https://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/...al-bittersweet
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Old July 11, 2019   #37
bower
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SueCT View Post

The bittersweet vine we have here has purple flowers - look like tomato flowers in shape.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solanum_dulcamara
That isn't something I would ever plant on purpose as you said, super invasive. It crawled into my brother's back yard from a neighbor, and it's all over the ground, rooting as it goes, and climbing up the trees to boot.
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Old July 11, 2019   #38
Labradors2
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That's Deadly Nightshade, Bower. I have that, and pull it because it can harbor diseases that affect tomatoes. Notice that the leaves are more pointed?

I thought those leaves that Steve shared looked familiar! It could be American Bittersweet, although I have never noticed the flowers on the one that grows wild in my garden, and the ones on Google looked a bit different to the private-like ones on Steve's picture. It's highly sought after around here by florists and flower arrangers because of the gorgeous orange berries in the fall. I guess it isn't too invasive around here because of the horrid clay soil.

Linda
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Old July 11, 2019   #39
sjamesNorway
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It certainly looks like a bittersweet, although I've never noticed any berries. Maybe they're hidden by the leaves like the flowers. I'll check in the fall. It's certainly a beast of a plant, which we have to cut back often, but there haven't been any secondary plants here. Maybe it's the climate.



Steve
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Old July 11, 2019   #40
SueCT
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I believe what I have is the invasive oriental bittersweet. If you pull some up by the roots, the roots are orange colored. It has red berries in the fall.
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Old July 11, 2019   #41
KarenO
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Pollinator fans here is something for you.
Excellent resource for the Canadian prairies especially but also over much of North America most likely as well
Click on each photograph to bring up detailed information and hi resolution photos.
https://cdm22007.contentdm.oclc.org/...n/p22007coll13
Well done U of Calgary!
KarenO
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Old July 11, 2019   #42
bower
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Like!!!! That'll tempt me to go get a few pics of the gazillion unknowns in my garden so I can look at em slowed down..... some are bees, for sure. I love that they have them grouped by species so you can see there are similar ones and at least narrow it down to the genus type.



Here's a really cool bumblebee citizen science thing for all North America - you take a pic and submit it, and it takes you through a key where you try to identify your species. Later an expert will check it. I was surprised how many species there are. The key is really cool, it makes you look for certain features in your pics too (face for example) to tell one species from another. Great fun.

https://www.bumblebeewatch.org/
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