In the forests of Eastern Washington one of the first woody plants to bloom is the Scouler’s willow. A large Scouler’s willow at Derby Canyon Natives in March By mid-March most years (early March this year!) these willows, at least the male ones, are alive with insects gathering pollen. The Scouler’s willow around my nursery were […]
Attracting MORE Insects with Native Plants: Part 3 – Bird Food and Biological Control
Syrphid fly (larvae are aphid predators) on marsh marigold (Caltha leptosepala) Native plants are the key to attract native fauna. Many of us want to see more of the larger, more colorful and charismatic representatives of local wildlife, like birds, butterflies and even native bees. The native flora we enjoy are also critical to […]
Attracting MORE Insects with Native Plants – Part 1: Native Bees
[Winter is hanging around still; after an almost snowless and warm December and January we now have 12” on the ground in Peshastin. Nonetheless, I think of native plants. Here are some articles to get us thinking of the approaching growing season.] Signs point to spring One reason for using native plants in the landscape […]
Wax currant – the early bloomer
THE first shrub to bloom in Central Washington each spring is the wax currant (Ribes cereum). The white to pinkish-white blooms, although not large or showy, are welcomed by the pollinators active in late March and early April. There are several of these shrubs around the nursery and I never fail to see a hummingbird […]
Derby Canyon Natives is 10 years old!
2012 marks the 10th year for my nursery business. What began as a part time addition to my work with Washington State University and our pear and apple orchard quickly become much larger. I can, in part, credit soccer for that. I had begun collecting seeds in the spring of 2002 and lined up my […]