Leader for today's Ramble: Kaitlin Swiantek and Catherine Chastain
Authors of today’s Ramble report: Linda and Don. Comments, edits, and suggestions for the report can be sent to Linda at Lchafin (at) uga.edu.
Insect and fungi identifications: Don Hunter, Heather Larkin, Bill Sheehan
Link to Don’s Facebook album for this Ramble. All the photos that appear in this report, unless otherwise credited, were taken by Don Hunter. Photos may be enlarged by clicking them with a mouse or tapping on your screen.
Today's emphasis: Pollination of native plants and cultivars
Catherine invited Kaitlin Swiantek, a grad student in horticulture at UGA, to speak to us about her project and to walk with us through the International, Heritage and Flower Gardens, sharing her observations about pollination issues, including selection of insects capable of pollination based on both flower structure and insect anatomy, among other things. She is studying several species of Mountain Mint in the genus Pycnanthemum for their commercial potential for use in home and business landscaping as a way to support pollinators. Currently, there are only a few species available on the market: Pycnanthemum muticum, P. verticillatum, and P. virginianum.
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| Left to right: Pycnanthemum
muticum, P. verticillatum, and P. virginianum photo credits: Don Hunter, Kerry Woods, Alan Cressler |
