My maternal grandfather used to say that if he survived Fort Worth with most of his money after taking his cattle to market in Dallas, he was in good shape. I feel just that way about the July weather. It gets harder every year, for sure.
Since we have survived, we can enjoy one of August’s delights: all those solitary bees harvesting pollen among our flowers. The solitary bees like carpenters, bumblebees, and masons are all natives. Honeybees, who live in colonies, are imported. And while they do not live in colonies, the solitary bees do sometimes live separately but near each other (think condos or apartments). Their habits are not well known, since many live underground. But they like to build their nests in light, sandy soils because those are easier to dig in.
You know who else liked to dig in light, sandy soils? Grave diggers back in the days before automated machinery. Scientists look for large groups of solitary bees in old graveyards. Like maybe Oak Hill in Georgetown. I would love to have an expedition just after dawn to watch for those guys leaving their homes to forage.
You might not know that you can pet the solitary bees.* You must catch them early in the morning, before they’ve had their second cup of coffee. Just stick out a finger and gently pet them; they don’t seem to mind. Before I wrote this, I thought I had better check with daughters three and four to see whether they remembered this important life skill. They do remember, and Katherine has passed the knowledge on to the next generation. I regret to say that her daughter delights in teasing her father when they encounter a bumblebee in Prospect Park.
Another delight of August is eating ripe figs right from the church’s tree later this month. (Reminder: Don’t pick them before they are truly ripe, since figs do not ripen once picked.) Unfortunately, this will be the final year for our fig tree because Kinderhaus is removing it to conform to their landscaping plan for their playground in the church’s side yard.
In the garden, all is change.
-Mary Jane
*Please do not try this with wasps, hornets, yellow jackets, and the like. Not the same results at all.
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