As we walk along our late fall trails, what insects are we seeing? Insects are cold blooded, so when it gets cold, they can’t move quickly to get away from predators. It is a dangerous time for them. In spite of that, many will come out in the middle of a sunny day to forage just a little more food to store away before winter.
For this reason flowers that bloom late in the fall are important sources of food for butterflies and bees that are active late in the season. Sometimes it is difficult to find these late pollinators. It depends on finding some goldenrod or some sunflower-like flowers. Asters bloom very late in the season, and seem to tolerate cold weather well. Keep your eyes open, especially when you are walking where the sun can reach the flowers. Shaded areas are usually not as warm. If you are lucky, you will quickly understand why planting flowers for late pollinators is important. Late fall sunshine will cause some butterflies to hatch out of their chrysalis. The sun will encourage the bees to gather a little more pollen. Make a list of any pollinators you see crawling along the top of a flower. Are they bees, wasps, beetles, butterflies or moths? The date is very important, so that you can compare it to another year. Can you record the temperature? Our telephones are so handy these days for data like temperature.
Many bees do not have the same elaborate social systems as honey bees. Some, like the bumble bee, has a modified social system. Some bees are solitary completely. Leaf cutter bees are solitary bees. They collect pollen on the underside of their abdomens instead of on their legs. Bumble bees carry large yellow pollen loads on their hind legs.
Leaf cutter bees cut circular shapes out of leaves during the late summer to create their little lodges. Leaves are fastened together to create tube-like tunnels. Inside these tunnels the bees lay their eggs and deposit food (mostly pollen) for the newly hatched larvae to eat.
These little lodges often fall into dry falling leaves. It is one reason not to burn or destroy leaves in the autumn. Leaves can be used to mulch garden patches or add humus to the area around trees. Don’t haul them away. They are a treasure of natural fertilizer and tiny insect houses. After a few warm spring days little bees will emerge, and so will numerous other insects to start the summer pollinating season once again.
Sometimes late butterflies appear on warm days. Some butterflies overwinter as adults. Those butterflies seek shelter in trees and logs and may appear on a warm day. Occasionally a butterfly may be very late to lay eggs in fallen debris and in tree crevices. Occasionally a very warm day will precipitate the emergence of a butterfly from a chrysalis. This isn’t necessarily a good thing, because that butterfly will be looking for a mate and survival during the cold night may be a problem.
Notice what flowers are blooming late in the season. Consider gathering some seeds that you can scatter in a new place. In this way there may be more flowers for the late pollinators next year. Be patient, though. Sometimes wild plants take several years to grow strong enough to bloom.
