They are sneaky. Bzzz!
They are stealthy. Swish-swish!
They are silent. Pshhhhh!
They are…the pollinators, and they have arrived on the homestead.
Yesterday, the vineyard and fedge were mostly green, but today white and pink flowers are opening and vines and branches are stretching out to entice the lovely pollinators as they soar through the air.
Of course, I’ve yet to actually see any of them, but the evidence is undeniable.
Young milkweed growing in the vineyard. THE VINEYARD! Also, there are a few in the fedge.
Flowers are bursting from the blackberries.
Pinkish-white bulbs are opening on the kiwi.
The grapes have already grown beyond flowers to tiny green grape-lings. (Not sure this is actually the correct term, but it should be.)
The fedge is the same. Blackberry flowers stand out like white dots all over the vines and the thorny blackberry is already starting to show signs of fruit.
While all of this life bursts forth in the fedge, the autumn olive is suffering. It’s supposed to be invasive, but every year, it tries with all its might to die.
The growth has been faster on one side for the past two years now, so I’m not really worried yet.
I am, however, a little mystified. Here I thought we’d be digging up runners of autumn olive and transplanting them to the swales all year every year, but we are lucky we’ve kept one alive.
Instead, we are digging up seaberry and transplanting that to the swales.
Because it is coming up all over the place in the fedge. It’s running into the aronia and trying to take over the blackberries.
I sure hope the berries are as tasty as people say.
Pollinators here and there
Of every shape and size
Moving pollen everywhere
While flying through the skies
Some are tiny little bugs
They fearlessly take charge
Taking sips and great big glugs
They get to be quite large!
a pinch of homestead 