Outdoor Elements
Pretty in Pink for Pollinators
Clip | 5m 3sVideo has Closed Captions
At Lydick Bog Nature Preserve, Evie spots a burst of pink in a wetland. She explores these
At Lydick Bog Nature Preserve, Evie spots a burst of pink in a wetland. She explores these pollinator-friendly plants in bloom and the busy visitors they attract.
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
Outdoor Elements is a local public television program presented by PBS Michiana
Outdoor Elements
Pretty in Pink for Pollinators
Clip | 5m 3sVideo has Closed Captions
At Lydick Bog Nature Preserve, Evie spots a burst of pink in a wetland. She explores these pollinator-friendly plants in bloom and the busy visitors they attract.
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
How to Watch Outdoor Elements
Outdoor Elements is available to stream on pbs.org and the free PBS App, available on iPhone, Apple TV, Android TV, Android smartphones, Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Fire Tablet, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, and Vizio.
Providing Support for PBS.org
Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorshipLate summer is a beautiful timeto explore wetlands because many wetlandflowers bloom, then many of them are pretty in pink,and we're going to see if we can find a couple hereon the boardwalk at Lydick Bog NaturePreserve in Saint Joseph County.
Many of them,as I mentioned, are pink, and they are perfectfor pollinators.
I guess this segment is allabout the letter P and one of the first onesthat we are going to find is Joe pye weed.
So hereactually, in some partly shady areas of the wetland is Joepye weed.
It's really tall.
And you'll notice it has kind offlat topped pink clusters.
Those high rising plantswith flat topped clusters are really convenientfor pollinators to land on.
It gives thema good surface area, and they have abundant pollenand nectar for insects, but as wellthey also produce seeds later in the season,which is great for birds.
That winter over in our area,there are a couple of different species of Joe pye weedthat are native in our area.
They all have those like world.
Many of them have world leaves.
In other words, from the centerstem, all the leaves come out in a circular pattern.
And, this specieshas a purple stem.
And that's how it gets its name,sometimes called purple.
Joe pye weed, or sometimesit's called Spotted Joe Pye.
With so many different common names,they often get all mixed up.
But a beautiful, beautifulpollinating plant.
And while we're right hereand we're on the letter P for an A purple plant, in this casethere's some verbena.
And that verbena isalso great for pollinators.
Here's another patch of Joe pye weed that'sgetting a little bit more sun.
And what I often notice forthese big, tall, showy plants is if they're in the sun,they tend to attract quite a few more insectsat the time.
Insects,of course, are ecto, thermic, meaning they have to generatetheir own body heat.
And so being in the sunis, time of day when they're most activeand feeding.
And, boy, this Joe pye weed haslots of little tiny pollinators I see, like little fliesand little tiny sweat bees and, hoverfliesand all kinds of things.
Even a bumble bee or two.
All of these, Joe pye weed speciestend to like moist soil.
Great addition to your gardenas well, if you're interested in attractingpollinating insects.
Let's go see what else we canfind.
Here's another native plantthat's pretty in pink, only found in wetlands.
This one is swamp loosestrife,and it may sound familiar to another plant.You've heard of called purple loosestrife,which is not native.
Considered invasivein the Great Lakes region because when it gets into wetlands,it crowds out our native plants.
But swamp loosestrifeand its beautiful pink flowers on archingstems is great for bumblebees and lots of smallerpollinators as well.
The bumblebees are ableto kind of land on these stems and then reach into the flowers.
Little tiny insectsliterally have to crawl inside these somewhat tubular flowersto reach the reward inside.
So why is it importantto have native plants in our landscape, in ourour natural areas as well?
Our native insects and ournative plants evolved together.
And so they are co-evolvedto support each other.
And of course, our native insects are also foodfor our native songbirds without native plants.
Sometimes insects will feed on our non-native ornamentals,perhaps in our garden.
But lots of research showsthat the quality of the nectar or the pollen isn't the same.
They may not be a host plantfor the larva, so in essence,those are snack bars.
Rather than supportingthe whole ecosystem.
So I love these pretty in pinkpollinators, both the joe pye weedand the swamp loosestrife.
Lovely, lovely welcomingsite in a wetland near you.
Remember, you can find your ownoutdoor elements when you visit area parks and natural areas.
We'll see you soon.
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 3m 24s | A viewer shared a fascinating video of a Paintedhand Mudbug, and Evie dives into the detai (3m 24s)
Pretty in Pink for Pollinators
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 5m 3s | At Lydick Bog Nature Preserve, Evie spots a burst of pink in a wetland. She explores these (5m 3s)
Another Milkweed Specialist: Milkweed Tussock Moth
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 4m 36s | No description (4m 36s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 3m 43s | Evie spotted Pointed-leaf Tick-Trefoil and shares how to identify this plant. (3m 43s)
The Unique Flowers of Buttonbush
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 3m 58s | Evie finds Buttonbush at Spicer Lake Nature Preserve (3m 58s)
Saving Ash Trees, One Tree at a Time
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 11m 16s | No description (11m 16s)
Bringing Bees Back to the Nature Center
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 6m 10s | No description (6m 10s)
Gathering for Science: An Environmental Research Symposium
Clip | 10m 27s | Evie stops by the St. Joseph County Public Library during their Earth Day celebration to c (10m 27s)
Surprising Color in the Woods: Blue Stain Fungi
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 3m 48s | No description (3m 48s)
Maple Sweet Treat for Ants | Outdoor Elements
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 1m 34s | A sweet surprise in the woods! (1m 34s)
Evil Greens of Spring with Garry Harrington
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 12m 56s | Things are greening up in the spring woods, but it’s not necessarily a welcome sight. (12m 56s)
Volunteers Help Build a Healthier Trail
Clip | 6m 9s | At Lydick Bog Nature Preserve, volunteers make a big difference in protecting and maintain (6m 9s)
Art, Sun and Science: Botanical Cyanotypes
Clip | 6m 49s | Experimenting with cyanotype fabric brings nature to life in beautiful, sun-printed design (6m 49s)
Clip | 3m 57s | Evie shares a fun and simple craft idea using autumn leaves that the whole family can enjo (3m 57s)
Late Summer Colors of Poison Sumac
Clip | 1m 59s | Watch out for this colorful danger at Lydick Bog Nature Preserve! (1m 59s)
What's THIS? Bewildering Blob in the Water
Clip | 5m 8s | What’s that mysterious blob in the water (5m 8s)
Clip | 7m 14s | Find out how thousands of volunteers help the US Geological Survey teams and other resourc (7m 14s)
Meet Up with Kam and Chevy: Black People Outside
Clip | 5m 18s | Meet the inspiring creators behind Black People Outside. (5m 18s)
Surprise! It's American Columbo
Clip | 5m 14s | Explore the unique features of the American Columbo. Discover its habitat, appearance, and (5m 14s)
Searching for Snakes: Researching Populations
Clip | 13m | Delve into the world of snake population research in northern Indiana and discover the met (13m)
On the Trail for Lizard's Tail
Clip | 3m 10s | We are at @SpicerLakeNaturePreserve to learn about the fascinating plant known as Lizard's (3m 10s)
Clip | 7m 35s | Uncover the impact of the invasive Spotted Lanternfly. (7m 35s)
Clip | 3m 6s | Love it or hate it, that flying white fluff looks like “Snow in June!” (3m 6s)
Watching for the Waggle Dance: Honeybees
Clip | 12m 32s | Join Evie as she interviews Morgan Carr-Markell, Assistant Professor at Saint Mary's Colle (12m 32s)
Clip | 5m 1s | Join Evie in Outdoor Elements as she dives into the world of wildflowers, comparing Prairi (5m 1s)
Lots to Learn and Love About Snakes
Clip | 14m 15s | Join Evie as she chats with Sara Ruane, Assistant Curator of Reptiles and Amphibians. (14m 15s)
Clip | 3m 29s | Do you have a favorite place in nature where you like to sit and listen or look closely? (3m 29s)
Clip | 3m 35s | Explore the captivating world of lichen with Evie at @fernwoodbotanicalgarden in this epis (3m 35s)
Clip | 5m 1s | Join Evie for an up-close encounter with a Red-tailed Hawk. (5m 1s)
Providing Support for PBS.org
Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorshipSupport for PBS provided by:
Outdoor Elements is a local public television program presented by PBS Michiana