September - Flowers and Blue Jays
7 September
I have not shown much of our native wildlife garden recently, so for the gardeners here are some early September pictures taking advantage of the lowering light towards evening yesterday. These plantings and the surrounding trees are daily bringing 16-20 species of birds for us to enjoy as we drink our morning tea and recently up to 27 in the census-hour from 7-8am … boosted by gradual passage of migrating birds heading south. Several “confusing fall warblers” of course and we still have a number of Hummingbirds which are busily fattening up into small fluffy balls ready for the very long flights ahead of them.
Sound of the Forest
A question that comes up now and again, usually posed by a small person, is “what’s your favourite time of year (or) month?”. I know it’s conventional to pick May because that’s when the leaves unfurl on the trees and everything is fresh and green … and indeed that month is delightful, but if I have to choose only one month then it is going to be September. The always too hot August is finally behind us and daytime temperatures have moderated - much more tolerable. The light changes now and starts to develop some autumnal hues, especially noticeable in the mornings. Fruits are ripening, fall migration is under way and we can enjoy warblers and other birds returning south and stopping off for something to eat in the neighbourhood.
And then we have Blue Jays. Truth to tell, they are always somewhere nearby but in September small, roaming groups of them are gathering and shouting at the world. Harsh shouts, perhaps, but they always sound happy to me. The year’s new Jays are practicing their roles in life while older, parental Jays have finished their nesting obligations and can go out and find good things to eat as they call to friends and relatives before winter arrives. For many years after coming to Canada, around the second week of September we would rent a lakeside cabin in the nature reserve at Kenauk, half way to Ottawa, and the calls of the Jays were always the sound of the forest that greeted our arrival and called from the shores while I failed to catch record trout.
Where are the Wasps?
Every summer since I first started paying attention - that’s over 70 years - wasps have invited themselves to tea and check out the pots of jam. More recently, there have not been many summers when we have not had a wasp nest somewhere in the garden - on one occasion inside a large compost heap that I had climbed onto to start turning it over. I am told that I have never been seen to move so fast (vertically) before or since.
Not so, this year. Until the middle of the week we had not seen a single wasp anywhere, and certainly were not landlords of any nests. Turns out they have nested elsewhere in town because on Tuesday a few had arrived to start working on golden rod flowers in the garden. Friends tell me that I am not alone in noticing their general absence. Some might think this is a good thing - but really, it isn’t. Checking around the internet tells me that low numbers this summer have also been reported in Europe as well as Canada/US.
Current thinking is that this has probably been associated with a cool spring, a wetter summer in places, and the effects of climatic disruption in general on the natural behaviour of wasps, impacting their ability to thrive and reproduce. The effect seems to have been global.
So, the change in the number of wasps has been observed by gardeners, entomologists and pest controllers, but what do wasps do, why do we need them and will they return? Wasps in general, there are many more species than just “Yellowjackets,” are very important as natural pest controllers as well as pollinators. Most species are predatory, actively hunting other arthropods such as caterpillars, aphids, and various fly larvae. Natural, chemical-free pest management that we need.
A single colony of the social wasp species - some species are solitary - can take thousands of insect pests over a season and the continuous hunting pressure helps maintain ecological balance and protects garden plants and agricultural fields from widespread infestations. It’s not only our tea-time jam they they are after.
Here is our first wasp of the year:
Trust what I say …
Despite being a biologist, the sort of biology that paid my bills was laboratory based rather than out in the field. Hence I make no claims to be an infallible source of expertise when it comes to answering community questions about the identification of creatures and plants. Nor are my ID suggestions guaranteed to be error free. On the other hand, my professional background does mean that I have a bank of knowledge to draw on and also means, this is the useful and important bit, that I know where to look for answers in places the lay person doesn’t always know about. I mention this because I do get a lot of “what’s this” messages sent to me and I do my best to help.
Also, answering questions is interesting and fun and good for my ego.
I mention this, because I came across the following comment (link below) and I think it’s important. My claim to “infallibility” is that I am happy to say “I don’t know”
(Quote): We live in a world where misinformation thrives because it’s loud, persistent, and everywhere. What if you were the one showing up regularly in someone’s feed with clear, thoughtful, calm posts about your field? What if you became the person people trust, not because you have all the answers, but because you keep showing up when they have questions? Trust doesn’t come from one brilliant post. It comes from dozens of small ones. It comes from consistency. And consistency is a choice.
As Granny Weatherwax famously said …
Haven’t you got any romance in your soul?’ said Magrat plaintively.
No,’ said Granny. 'I ain’t. And stars don’t care what you wish, and magic don’t make things better, and no one doesn’t get burned who sticks their hand in a fire. If you want to amount to anything as a witch, Magrat Garlick, you got to learn three things. What’s real, what’s not real, and what’s the difference.
September is my favourite too, for much the same reasons as for you, plus it’s my birth month. And our semi-wild garden is looking much the same as yours. Also thanks for the info about wasps; we too had been wondering where they all were, though we do have one (only one) nest. I’m always amused to see a dainty red squirrel push the rowdy blue jays off the ‘bird’ feeder - nothing against blue jays, but they need to be reminded they’re not supreme!
Happy birthday month Richard! Thank you for sharing another jam packed post! On the scarcity of yellow jackets and wasps, I am wondering if the many forest fires in recent years have anything to do with this. Remembering that smoke was sometimes used as a way to subdue beehives, brought this to mind. This year here on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington state, we have had a large forest fire going since mid-July. It is being reported that it will be allowed to 'burn itself out' until late fall since it is in such steep terrain. This will mean that we will continue to have many very smoky days depending on the weather and wind pattern. Many days it is thick enough to lower visibility and even the temperature. And so when I think of all of the major forest fires in the US and Canada, how would this not be a problem for all bees and other insects?
I mention the 'other insects', because in addition to the forest fire and smoke, we have had only 3 very short and light rains since early June, with most days in the upper 80's or above and thus very few mosquitos or barn swallows, who feed on them. The swallows showed up for a few weeks and then moved on without building one nest. We usually have them around all summer with the joy of watching them glide and swoop over the field in the evening light. I have missed them. :-(
Please know that, though I do not have a head for the proper names of insects or plants (nor medical terms), this does not mean that I don't appreciate your use of them! I most sincerely do appreciate your knowledge and the sharing of it!!! As you say, proper names make it easier to look up information on such things!!