by Angela Hartley | Mar 24, 2024 | Insects in the Gardens, The Gardens
Mimic fly, Mallota posticata, on viburnum.
When we think of pollinators, we often think of bees and butterflies; flies might not come to mind. However, the Penn State College of Agricultural Science noted that flies are the second most important pollinators after bees, especially in environments that have fewer bees. Unlike other pollinating insects that have two pairs of wings, flies have only one pair of wings, hence the name of the order Diptera, which means two wings. Most flies do not have specialized pollen-carrying hairs like bees and are therefore generally thought to be less efficient pollinators by comparison.
Flies serve many purposes in the garden.
- Pollinators. Flies can be seen on multiple garden plants, including a range of annual and bulbous ornamental flowers. Some plants specifically pollinated by flies include pawpaw, skunk cabbage, goldenrod, and members of the carrot family. Some plants have evolved to be pollinated only by flies, such as the Amorphophallus konjac or Voodoo lily.
- Predators. Flies can be predators as larvae, adults, or both. The most common predatory fly is the robber fly or assassin fly (family Asilidae). They feed mainly or exclusively on other insects. The more delicate long-legged fly captures smaller insects (such as aphids and gnats), mites, and other tiny arthropods. The diet of the larvae of predatory flies varies by species.
- Detritivores. A detritivore obtains nutrition by feeding on detritus, organic matter made up of dead plant and animal material, or by feeding on feces. Detritivores and decomposers contribute to the breakdown of all dead and decaying material in any ecosystem; therefore, they play a crucial role in the cycling of nutrients. They are essential to most biogeochemical cycles, including the carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus cycles.
A few interesting flies that I have observened in my garden are detailed below.
HOVER FLIES, family Syrphidae
Hover flies make up the insect family Syrphidae. Adults of many species feed mainly on nectar and pollen. Larvae (maggots) eat a wide range of foods depending on species, including plants; decaying plant and animal matter in the soil, ponds, and streams; and aphids, thrips, and other plant-sucking insects. Hover fly larvae are important for the biological control of these garden pests.
Syrphus ribesii is a very common Holarctic species of hoverfly. Its larvae feed on aphids. In common with many other species of hoverfly, the eyes of the males meet on the top of the head, and the eyes of the females are widely separated.
Sphaerophoria contigua. A species of syrphid fly that is a predator of aphids when in the larval stage.
Common oblique hover fly, Allograpta obliqua, is a North American species. The larvae are important predators of aphids, and the adults are pollinators.
MIMIC FLIES, family Syrphidae
Some species in the Syrphidae family have appearances that mimic other insects, usually bees or wasps.
The Mallota posticata is a widely distributed genus of hover fly well known for its bee-like appearance. As larvae they are detritivores, rat-tailed maggots that filter feed in water-filled tree holes, and as adults they are nectarivores.
Williston’s Wasp fly, Sphiximorpha willistoni, is a rare species of syrphid fly found in eastern North America. It is a strong wasp mimic with darkened forewing, elongate antennae, black and yellow markings on the thorax, and banded yellow markings on a thin-wasted abdomen. When I photographed the individual here, I thought it was a small wasp.
Common green bottle fly, Lucilia sericata, on oxeye daisy.
The common green bottle fly, Lucilia sericata, is a blowfly found in most areas of the world and is the most well-known of the numerous green bottle fly species. The larvae feed exclusively on dead organic tissue. The adults eat carrion and feces as well as pollen and nectar. They are important pollinators in their native ranges and important agents of decomposition. The pollen, which the flies can digest, may be used as an alternative protein source when they cannot reliably find carrion.
They are particularly attracted to sapromyophilous flowers that exude a carrion-like odor, such as the Amorphophallus konjac, which trick the flies into pollinating them by mimicking the scent of a corpse. These flies also frequently visit myophilous flowers such as the oxeye daisy — they are attracted to the color yellow and to the scent of flowers. This indicates that the flies are attracted to flowers not only for their smell, but also for their pollen.
The black-horned gem, Microchrysa polita, is a species of soldier fly found in Europe, Asia, and North America. It breeds in dung, rotting vegetable matter, and compost heaps. Adults feed on flower nectar, and larvae feed on decaying organic matter.
Black-horned gem, Microchrysa polita, on dahlia bud.
The Mydidae family, or Mydas flies, are a cosmopolitan family of flies that are generally large in size, including the largest known fly, Gauromydas heros. Many of the species are also mimics of stinging hymenopterans, especially wasps. Most mydids are found in arid and semiarid regions, but they are also found in other habitats. When immature, they prey on soil-dwelling insect larvae, especially on coleopteran (beetle) larvae, including white grubworms and the larvae of other beetles. Mydas flies are infrequently encountered because the adult life span is very short.
Long-legged flies, family Dolichopodidae. Adults are predators similar to miniature robber flies that capture smaller insects, including gnats and aphids, mites, and other tiny arthropods. Their mouthparts are knifelike and they use them to pierce their prey.
The diet of the larvae varies by species: some are predatory, others eat plants, and others scavengers that eat decomposing organic matter such as rotting vegetation.
Visit this page for more information and photos.
by Angela Hartley | Mar 9, 2024 | Insects in the Gardens, The Gardens
Every year, it’s exciting to see seeds germinate, new shoots emerge, and flowers appear. But this year, I seem to have amplified spring fever. The difference, I suspect, is that I went through all of my photos from last year to share on willowdalefarm.org. I found so many shots of insects that I didn’t even know I was taking! I was able to identify many species of solitary bee, for example, that I didn’t realize were in the gardens. Now I can’t wait to go looking for them.
A few weeks ago, we had a random warm day that forced some of the mahonia buds to open. I was able to take lots of good photos of our honey bees. They were the first insects I photographed in 2024 (February 9).
Last weekend, the magic began: my one lonely clump of crocus opened, and the daffodils were almost ready.
Since then, we’ve had lots of rain, but the daffodils are open, and many shoots have started popping up. I hope the rain is a sign of good things to come in the garden this summer.
by Angela Hartley | Feb 4, 2024 | The Gardens
Obviously, there are many plants in the gardens here, but some of them are more special to me than others. These are the plants I dug up in October 2020 and brought to Pennsylvania: Asiatic lily bulbs and Amorphophallus konjac (tubers and seeds in seed trays). Our friend and botanist Frank Watson gave me a single tuber sometime around 2017, and that tuber had developed into multiple plants by the time we moved. The original tuber grew so large that it produced three flowers (inflorescence) in the summer of 2020. The plants loved the sandy, well-drained soil on Maryland’s eastern shore.
In these photos from Maryland, you can see the inflorescence and how the small leaves pop up in May. These are offsets, tiny tubers with their own leaves produced from the original. By July, the leaves approach full size for the season. If a plant is going to bloom that year, the inflorescence always precedes the leaf. But an inflorescence doesn’t appear every year—the plant only blooms when the tubers are large enough and have stored enough energy. Although a leaf may follow a flower in the same season, I’ve never had that happen. The plant itself is a single leaf. On an established tuber, the inflorescence spikes and leaves are easily as tall as I am. No jokes here, I know how tall I am!
Summer 2020, seeds on flower spike.
By our last summer in Maryland, I had about 20 offsets, and one inflorescence of the three was successfully pollinated and produced seed. I allowed the seeds to turn red and then planted them in a large tray before we left for PA. I eventually had more than 100 seedlings plus the tubers I dug up to bring with me.
The genus name Amorphophallus comes from the Greek amorphos meaning shapeless or deformed and phallus meaning penis. The specific epithet konjac comes from the colloquial name for the plant and the starchy food made from the tubers. The konjac is also called devil’s tongue, voodoo lily, konjaku, or konnyaku. It’s a herbaceous perennial native to forest margins and open thickets in the Yunnan Province of China. It’s cultivated around the world as an ornamental and as a food crop in East Asia. The round, flattened tubers can reach up to 11″ in diameter and will spread through offsets. The tubers produce a single, highly divided leaf with a pale pink stem mottled with olive green splotches. This petiole can reach 4′-5′ tall, and the leaf blade can reach up to 4′ across. When the tubers reach maturity, they produce an inflorescence before the leaf emerges. The inflorescence is made up of a dense, spike-like spadix that bears numerous, small, male and female flowers and a leafy, dark maroon to purple-brown spathe with ruffled margins. The 3′-4′ tall bloom emits a strong odor of rotten flesh to attract pollinators. Not surprisingly, the voodoo lily is pollinated by flies. I learned not to garden downwind when they are in flower! Leaves appear in May, and the plant dies back completely after the first frost.
I stored the tubers over the winter and planted them as soon as the soil warmed up in the spring of 2021. I was concerned that the plants would not survive the colder PA winters and our heavy clay soil. I was thrilled when they all came up, and I’ve been even more pleased to see the plants grow larger each year and produce more and more offsets. I could dig them all up and store the tubers inside each year, but I’m lazy, and their fate gives me something to stress about every spring!
I always worry that the winter was too cold or too wet, and I hover over the herb garden daily, looking for the little penises to pop up. The konjacs grow happily among the sage, thyme, and Don Juan climbing rose. Last summer, I had 37 plants, and many of them were more than 5′ tall.
Here I am last summer in the “konjac grove.”
The voodoo lily, amorphophallus konjac, one of my favorite garden plants.
Konjac grove
by Angela Hartley | Jan 3, 2024 | The Gardens
I started growing roses in Maryland where I removed old knock-outs and replaced them with David Austin’s Generous Gardener. They did so well, I planted a replacement here to climb the arbor in the courtyard paired with the Pilgrim, also from David Austin. I thought the pale pink and pale yellow would be pretty together, and they are. Since then, my David Austin collection has grown to include Jude the Obscure, Don Juan, The Fairy, and Sophy’s Rose.
My other roses are the Erzinger Rose from Jeanne, two bargains from Aldi (deep pink and deep peach), Lavender Simplicity, and a Rugosa from Aunt Marge’s farm. There is also another Don Juan from Jackson & Perkins that grows up the wall behind the amorphophallus konjac plants.
Most of them were placed in an area near the wildflower meadow, but the soil was not good, it was terribly dry, and they were not flourishing. So this past fall, we dug them all up and moved them to a new spot on the border of the courtyard. I hope they will be much happier in their new home.
One rose was here when we moved in, what I believe is a Peace rose. It is planted by the shed near the apiary. It is generally covered in black spot and often loses all its leaves, but it consistently produces the most beautiful blooms. I’ve considered moving it to the rose garden, but I’m afraid to disturb it.
Pink rose from Aldi
Pink rose from Aldi
Sophy’s Rose, David Austin
Sophy’s Rose, David Austin
Generous Gardener (David Austin)
Generous Gardener (David Austin)
Jude the Obscure, David Austin
Jude the Obscure, David Austin
The Pilgrim, David Austin
The Pilgrim, David Austin
The Pilgrim (David Austin)
The Pilgrim (David Austin)
Lavender Simplicity
Lavender Simplicity
Rose arbor in spring
Rose arbor in spring
Don Juan, David Austin
Don Juan, David Austin
Sophy’s Rose, David Austin
Sophy’s Rose, David Austin
Generous Gardener
Generous Gardener
Generous Gardener, David Austin
Generous Gardener, David Austin
David Austin Generous Gardener
David Austin Generous Gardener
The Fairy, David Austin
The Fairy, David Austin
The Pilgrim (David Austin)
The Pilgrim (David Austin)
Lavender Simplicity
Lavender Simplicity
Rose arbor with Generous Gardener in bloom
Rose arbor with Generous Gardener in bloom
David Austin Generous Gardener
David Austin Generous Gardener
Jude the Obscure, David Austin
Jude the Obscure, David Austin
Rose Lavender Simplicity
Rose Lavender Simplicity
Generous Gardener
Generous Gardener
The Pilgrim and Generous Gardener, David Austin
The Pilgrim and Generous Gardener, David Austin
Sophy’s Rose, David Austin
Sophy’s Rose, David Austin
Erzinger rose
Erzinger rose
Roses are surprisingly easy to care for. If you plant them in the right place, most of the battle is won. Almost all varieties need at least 6 hours of sun per day. Even though mine can “tolerate some shade,” I have no doubt they would be much more vigorous if I had a better location for them.
Many suffer from black spot, but adequate sunlight and water applied to the roots only, not the foliage, will help decrease the spread and incidence of fungal diseases. I also deal with sawfly larvae that I remove by hand. But I’ve noticed more predatory insects in the garden, so I hope they’ll help out with pest control. Pruning is straightforward and can be done in late fall or early spring. I do both.
When they are healthy and happy, roses offer a long lasting, high impact feature to the garden. I wouldn’t be without them!
by Angela Hartley | Dec 26, 2023 | The Gardens
In August 2022, Jeanne and I visited Chanticleer Garden outside of Philadelphia. It’s taken me quite a while to share these photos, but it’s a garden I highly recommend. Just don’t go when it’s hot!! The multiple gardens are all gorgeous, especially the water gardens with huge koi. Streams run through the wooded and open areas.
From the website: “Chanticleer has been called the most romantic, imaginative, and exciting public garden in America. The garden is a study of textures and forms, where foliage trumps flowers, the gardeners lead the design, and even the drinking fountains are sculptural. It is a garden of pleasure and learning, relaxing yet filled with ideas to take home.
The garden has evolved greatly since the death of the owner in 1990. As the home of the Rosengartens, Chanticleer was beautiful and green with impressive trees and lawns. Most of the floral and garden development you see today has occurred since 1990, designed by Chanticleer staff and consultants.
The Tennis Court, Ruin, Gravel Garden, and Pond Garden focus on hardy perennials, both woody and herbaceous. The Tennis Court builds on the idea of foliar display introduced in the Teacup. The Ruin is a folly, built on the foundation of Adolph Rosengarten, Jr.’s home. It is meant to look as if the house fell into disrepair. The Gravel Garden is hot and dry, a touch of the Mediterranean in Pennsylvania. The Pond area is exuberantly floriferous.
Asian Woods and Bell’s Woodland are shady areas. The former features natives of China, Korea, and Japan; the latter, plants of eastern North America. The Serpentine celebrates the beauty of agricultural crops. The cutting and vegetable gardens produce flowers for our arrangements and food for our tables. Surplus goes to a shelter. The parking lot is our “low maintenance” area, with hardy plants that are neither irrigated nor fertilized. Staff build furniture, fences, gates, bridges, and drinking fountains during the winter in converted garages.”
Here are some photos from the dry garden.
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Dry garden
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Swallowtail on liatris
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Dry garden
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Dry garden
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Swallowtail on liatris
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Dry garden
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Dry garden
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Liatris in dry garden
There are many interconnected water gardens that have beautiful lotus plants, water lilies, and koi.
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Water garden
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Koi
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Water garden
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Koi
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Water garden
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Water garden
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Lotus bud
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Lotus flower
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Koi
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Lotus flower
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Koi
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Lotus plant
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Koi
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Lotus
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Water garden
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Koi
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Water garden
The extensive vegetable gardens include a fenced area.
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Vegetable gardens
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Entrance to fenced vegetable garden
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Sunflowers in vegetable garden
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Vegetable garden
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Sunflowers in vegetable garden
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Fenced vegetable garden
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Tomatoes
Other areas of garden.
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Tiger lilies
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Main house
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Pool and pool house
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Swallowtail
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Coneflowers
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Damselfly
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Folly wall
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Shade pergola
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Jeanne in shade pergola
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Shade pergola
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Wooded area with stream
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Swallowtail
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Garden with thalictrum and tiger lily
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Stairs
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Damselfly
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Yews
One of my favorite spots was a garden full of tiger lilies and thalictrum. In the fall, in a small area of my own garden, I planted tiger lily bulbs and thalictrum plants that I started from seed.
Garden with thalictrum and tiger lily
by Angela Hartley | Dec 10, 2023 | Cooking, The Gardens
How do you get from here
to here?
Roast a lot of fresh garden veg.
This sauce was a big success this past summer and SO easy. I slow roasted tomatoes, zucchini, squash, eggplant, peppers, shallots, fresh herbs (fennel, oregano, thyme, basil) and garlic that I drizzled with olive oil. When everthing was soft, it all went into a stock pot, and I blended with a stick blender. I think we’re down to only two jars!
