iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Bumblebee Landscape and Garden Design @bumblebeelandscape.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

I forgot to take pictures of the job I finished today, but I did get this confusing photo of a bumble bee queen taking flight after warming herself on my arm.

Photo of a bumble bee hovering just above a slender white arm. It appears one of her wings detached upon takeoff, but she flew fast and straight and competently.

020

Bumblebee Landscape and Garden Design @bumblebeelandscape.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Though they generally bloom in spring, my golden Alexanders are trying out fall blooming, too. Zizia aurea and its cousin Zizia aptera are spring nectar sources that are also native hosts swallowtail butterfly larva. Dill and parsley attract them, too, but aren't native.

Photo of a golden Alexander bloom. It is a cluster of yellow florets, similar to dill flowers.

020

Bumblebee Landscape and Garden Design @bumblebeelandscape.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Beewolves (a genus of solitary wasps that prey on bees) love taking nectar breaks on Monarda punctata! This time of year, the larva are adults but not yet nesting for the second brood, so the bees that spotted beebalm attracts are safe... for now. Bees and wasps are both pollinators, remember!

A photo of a bloom of Monarda punctata. It consists of pagoda-esque levels of pinkish green bracts under clusters of brown-speckled yellow flowers that are trumpet shaped and very small. This particular blossom shows 2 levels with a third cut off at the top of the image.

A closeup photo of the flowers, with a beewolf (likely a Philanthus gibbosus, or hump-backed beewolf).

020

Bumblebee Landscape and Garden Design @bumblebeelandscape.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

Finished a project I loved working on it but I'm glad to be done with working under full sun all day!

Photo of a freshly installed garden, with a chair and sun umbrella on flagstones amid the flowers. There's a step stone pathway to the space behind a blue shed. The edge of the garden is defined by an egg stone border.

A panorama photo of the garden that includes the shed and another small, just installed flower bed.

Photo of the large garden with the umbrella taken from the base of the incline it spans, the shed behind it.

110

Bumblebee Landscape and Garden Design @bumblebeelandscape.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

Dry soil doesn't soak up water very quickly. Look at this clod of lawn I dug up yesterday. About 3.5 inches deep, but only an inch and a half-ish is dark with water. The rest is bone dry despite frequent and sometimes very heavy rains.

Photo of a chunk of dirt shoveled out of a lawn, grass growing out of the top. The top third of the soil is subtly darker, the rest pale and dry.

It's more obvious in person- I had to fiddle with camera settings to capture the difference.

100

Bumblebee Landscape and Garden Design @bumblebeelandscape.bsky.social · 04/07/2026

A margined calligrapher (probably) hover fly taking a break on my passion flower

Photo of a Passiflora incarnata bloom with a small fly pretending to be a bee resting on one of the wiry tendrils.

010

Bumblebee Landscape and Garden Design @bumblebeelandscape.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

Ladies, gentlemen, and everyone in between, we have our first passionfruit! And the carpenter bees are super excited to make more

Photo of a slightly oval green fruit hanging below large 3-lobed leaves. The vibe is crawling across the grass so the whole photo is just different shades of green.

2 large carpenter bees arguing over who will pollinate the 3 clustered passionfruit flowers. (They each took one)

010

Bumblebee Landscape and Garden Design @bumblebeelandscape.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

When I took my lunch break, this fledgeling robin was foraging for snacks nearby

Photo of a young robin in the head, facing the right. There are lots of dark speckled on its red breast, and white on the neck under the beak and along what would be where the neck meets the shoulder in human anatomy.

110

Bumblebee Landscape and Garden Design @bumblebeelandscape.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

When I left for work this morning, it was cool (well, "cool") and foggy, and I spotted this pal snoozing in the yard

Same bee, same scene, but head on instead of from the side. Lots of fleabane flowers in the background.

000

Bumblebee Landscape and Garden Design @bumblebeelandscape.bsky.social · 13/06/2026

The baptisia are going to seed now but the butterfly weed and thread leaf tickseed are just getting going!

Photo of an orange plant growing right up against a beige shingled house. Asclepias tuberosa, butterfly weed or butterfly milkweed are the common names.

A brown belted bumble bee on a yellow somewhat daisy-like blossom. Formerly Coreopsis verticillata, common name threadleaf coreopsis, the genus is now Anacis.

A brown belted bumble bee visiting a Baptisia australis plant. It has people, sweet-pea like flowers placed singly along a long stem, jutting slightly out in several directions.

010

Bumblebee Landscape and Garden Design @bumblebeelandscape.bsky.social · 26/05/2026

Brown-belted bumblebee visiting Carolina Lupine (Thermopsis villosa)!

A bumble bee with a black thorax that has a brown stripe under a yellow stripe at the point where it meets the abdomen is head first in a bright yellow blossom, which is a part of a collection of similar blossoms on an erect stem. The flowers look like those of many legumes- sweet pea being thr one most people are most familiar with.

000

Bumblebee Landscape and Garden Design @bumblebeelandscape.bsky.social · 26/05/2026

Despite a massive infestation of Japanese maple scale (or perhaps because of it), my serviceberry has more fruit than any year since it was planted! The robins are THRILLED

Photo of small round red berries growing on twiggy branches skin small blade like leaves. The blurry trunk the smaller branches are growing from is dark grey, but it's covered with tiny white scale insects' tests. Tests are the waxy coverings the scale insects armor themselves in so they can't be easily dislodged from the plant they feed on.

010

Bumblebee Landscape and Garden Design @bumblebeelandscape.bsky.social · 14/05/2026

Here's a before and after. The Liriope had completely hidden that drainage pipe (and was in the process of clogging it with root tendrils!) and was encroaching on the Pachysandra. Now there are several cultivars of Heuchera instead.

A photo of the front yard of a brick house. There is a small hill topped with a maple tree, and beneath is is a sea of green plants of varying textures - mainly Pachysandra terminalis, with a Helleborus spp and some non-native Irises on the right. On the left, next to a walkway, is a Rudbeckia, I think R. hirta but maybe R. fulgida. Along the front edge of the hill is a stretch of Liriope spicata.

The same view, but the liriope is gone, revealing a damp mulched stretch along the front. There are green, bronze, and orange varieties of Heuchera planted in the mulch strip. It is difficult to see, but there are also some Iris versicolor by the pre-existing irises, and clusters of columbine and spiderwort. Impossible to see, on the far end of the bed, are some foam flower.

210

Bumblebee Landscape and Garden Design @bumblebeelandscape.bsky.social · 10/05/2026

Speaking of tiny bees, I got a cellophane bee in the mail the other day

Photo of a small bee that looks like it's wearing a short fur stole abc has a black abdomen demurely obscured by iridescent wings standing on a catalogthat is resting on the black mailbox door. In the bottom right of frame, you can see the room of a tea cotta pot and the leaves of a willow oak seedling that I really need to pull growing next to the house.

000

Bumblebee Landscape and Garden Design @bumblebeelandscape.bsky.social · 30/04/2026

I've been busy enough on other people's gardens that I haven't cleaned mine up at all, but it's not waiting for me! Fringetree, Eastern Bluestar, Baptisia bracteata*, and Geranium maculatum are putting on a show! *not native to DELMARVA/DMV

Photo of a flower garden with a beige house behind it. In thr back corner is an out of focus fringetree in bloom, splice of bright green and white. Just to thr right of center is the bluestar, with slender needle-like leaves abc clusters of light blue star shaped flowers. Beneath that is the Baptisia, with cramp l creamy pale yellow blonde arching out over the geranium, 5 portal pink flowers among deeply lobed leaves.

010

Bumblebee Landscape and Garden Design @bumblebeelandscape.bsky.social · 22/04/2026

My patch of Golden Alexanders (Zizia aurea) is ready for pollinators and black swallowtail eggs!

Photo of a mass of green leaves dotted with bright yellow florets.

010

Bumblebee Landscape and Garden Design @bumblebeelandscape.bsky.social · 06/04/2026

The violets are officially out in force. They'll continue blooming until the fall, but not in such numbers as right now

A small ocean of purple flowers violets, likely Viola sororia. There are a few sprigs of ground ivy poke up in there, too. (another puple-blossomed groundcover, though not a native one, and it has much smaller flowers).

A patch of white violets (most likely a mutation or hybridization of Viola sororia rather than Viola alba) with purple lines radiating from the centers. The is also one pink Phlox sublata flower down at the bottom of the image, and a few 'Purple Knockout' Salvia lyrata rosettes near the top.

021

Bumblebee Landscape and Garden Design @bumblebeelandscape.bsky.social · 23/01/2026

Hope everyone is having a good start to the new year and is ready for the storm. My grandfather called snow the "poor man's fertilizer!" The New Year has brought stage 1 certification to Bumblebee Landscape! I am now a certified Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professional! I'm hoping to be level 2 soon!

000

Bumblebee Landscape and Garden Design @bumblebeelandscape.bsky.social · 23/10/2025

I was on my way to the gym today (top rope) and had to stop and visit with this friend! It was 68° out, and my Zizia aurea popped some florets yesterday. Glad someone's getting to enjoy them!

Photo of a fraternal potter wasp on the florets of a Golden Alexander plant.

030

Bumblebee Landscape and Garden Design @bumblebeelandscape.bsky.social · 02/10/2025

Lots of biodiversity on this volunteer American aster! All of these friends are pollinators!

Photo of an Eastern carpenter bee dwarfing the many small, white, daisy-like blossoms of an aster plant.

A small metallic green sweat bee curls over the yellow stamens of an aster blossom. Some of the stamens of other blossoms in the image are brown; these are older blossoms that have probably been pollinated already.

A pearl crescent butterfly on some aster blossoms with a mostly spent sprig of goldenrod in the foreground. The butterfly is orange with brown markings.

Photo of a goldenrod soldier beetle crawling across an aster blossom. The beetle is a golden yellow with black head and legs, as well as a black spot on the thorax and one long spot of black on the end of each wing.

010

Bumblebee Landscape and Garden Design @bumblebeelandscape.bsky.social · 13/09/2025

Fall is coming, and with it my favorite time of year: boneset and Solidago rugosa season. They bring so many bugs!

Photo of a black wasp with a couple yellow spots and two yellow stripes on some boneset, a plant that blooms zillions of small white blossoms similar to blue mistflower blossoms.

A photo of a black wasp with black wings and a brown abdomen on a sprig of goldenrod, a plant with long strips of tiny yellow flowers.

010

Bumblebee Landscape and Garden Design @bumblebeelandscape.bsky.social · 13/09/2025

There was another where the op was talking about her sister's baby shower. There were cards to write advice to the new mom. Someone submitted this.

A drawing of a pelican as though floating on the water with its mouth open. Handwritten text reads, "pelican Mouth perfect size for put baby in to sleep soundly put baby in Pelican Mouth. no problems ever in pelican mouth because good Shape and Support for baby neck weak of big baby head. A pelican mouth yes a place for a baby put baby in in pelican mouth can trust pelican for giving good love to baby".

040

Bumblebee Landscape and Garden Design @bumblebeelandscape.bsky.social · 04/08/2025

Came home from work today to find that both my latest work purchases had arrived! (I was expecting one but not both)

Photo of 2 books on a formica table. One is called Invasive Plants and one is called Phyto.

010

Bumblebee Landscape and Garden Design @bumblebeelandscape.bsky.social · 29/07/2025

Caught some carpenter bees mating on the driveway before they moved to a more secluded spot in the greenery

A photo of a male carpenter bee (note the yellow square on the face and larger eyes) on the back of a female carpenter bee. When they fly, they remain together just like this.

000

Bumblebee Landscape and Garden Design @bumblebeelandscape.bsky.social · 29/07/2025

Speaking of generalists, here is one of the many Eastern carpenter bees and a honeybee visiting Passiflora incarnata. These passion flowers are blooming late this year and the carpenter bees have been a little slow to notice, but they're catching up!

Photo of a truly bizarre looking purple flower. It has a layer of wide, thumb-shaped petals in pale purple or white, with a number of stringy coils called the corona. On this flower, they're white at the very base, then dark purple and white in a ring around the stamens and pistils, then pale purple from there to the ends. At the center is of the flower are the stamens and pistils. The stamens are arranged like a 5 pointed star, with wide anthers at the ends to distribute pollen. The stamen is yellow with dark brownish-red speckles and the anthers are a buttery yellow. In the very center are the pistils. There are 3 of them, and they receive the pollen from other plants and fuses it with the egg, forming a seed.

Photo of a honey bee sampling another passion flower.

010

Bumblebee Landscape and Garden Design @bumblebeelandscape.bsky.social · 29/07/2025

Native plants support native species, but it's not just generalists like bumblebees or cardinals! It's especially important to support specialists! Here you see a hibiscus turret bee visiting an H. moscheutos flower. Native only to the Mid-Atlantic, these bees nest in compacted soil near wetlands.

Close up photo of the bee.. It has a dark abdomen, yellow thorax, and a little yellow fuzz on the face. The wings are dark but transparent. They mainly feed on Hibiscus moscheutos, though they can make do with Rose of Sharon or okra.

1100

Bumblebee Landscape and Garden Design @bumblebeelandscape.bsky.social · 16/07/2025

I suggested he tell his girlfriends that there's a ton of Zizia aurea (native host plant) right next to this Monarda cultivar if they're looking for a nursery. I think he ignored me.

Photo of a male tiger swallowtail butterfly nectaring at a blossom of my Monarda dydma 'Raspberry Wine' cultivar. It must be very tasty because he gave no fucks about how close I got to him with my phone.

010

Bumblebee Landscape and Garden Design @bumblebeelandscape.bsky.social · 30/06/2025

I made a friend at work today! This is a walnut husk maggot fly. In the fall, they lay eggs in the husk of black walnuts. This doesn't affect the nut meat, but it does make it hard to get to. My client has several black walnut trees in the yard and there's small walnuts falling all summer long.

Photo of a yellow fly with clear and gray wings on the dirt covered arm of a white person.

100

Bumblebee Landscape and Garden Design @bumblebeelandscape.bsky.social · 10/06/2025

Look at all those nymphs! Sorry, babies, but you can't stay here. Or go anywhere else.

Photo of porcelainberry vines in front of a beige shed. 5 or 6 spotted lanternfly nymphs are visible on the closest vine and almost twice a many on vines in the background.

The vine leaves are heart shaped with serrated edges. Spotted lanternfly nymphs are the size of a pencil eraser or smaller, black with white spots, though those details aren't clear in the photo.

001

Bumblebee Landscape and Garden Design @bumblebeelandscape.bsky.social · 08/06/2025

Poison ivy is a trickster! It might look like a vine, or it might look like a sapling! It might have noticeably toothy edges on the leaves or almost completely smooth ones! And sometimes, Virginia creeper cosplays as poison ivy! Both are native vines and are good for wildlife (other than us)

Photo of a small poison ivy plant growing among dead reeds. It's about 3 feet tall with only a few branches of leaves. The leaves are mostly smooth edged.

Photo of poison ivy vining up a tree. The leaves are mostly smooth edged.

Photo of poison ivy with very toothy leaves.

Photo of Virginia creeper vine with some leaves containing only 3 leaflets (the usual is 5 leaflets).

120

Bumblebee Landscape and Garden Design @bumblebeelandscape.bsky.social · 05/06/2025

Check out these 3 tags for rudbeckia (the genus of orange coneflowers and black eyed susans). Do you know what the different names mean?

Photo of plant tag labeled "Brown-Eyed Susan".

Photo of a plant tag levels "Brown-Eyed Susan 'Prairie Glow'". Beneath the tag photo of the plant is the text "Rudbeckia triloba".

100

Bumblebee Landscape and Garden Design @bumblebeelandscape.bsky.social · 03/06/2025

Have you ever heard of the Chelsea Chop and wondered what it was? In Chelsea, England, there's a flower show in late spring, and people use it as a reminder to cut back very tall late summer and fall bloomers so they don't get giant. You cut them by 1/2 to 2/3rds height, like these Joe Pye Weed.

A stand of Joe Pye Weed in a garden near a teal yard chair. It's about 3 feet tall (Before pic).

After pic of the Joe Pye, cut down to 1-2 feet tall. (After pic).

010

Bumblebee Landscape and Garden Design @bumblebeelandscape.bsky.social · 26/05/2025

Within a 4-5 mile radius on the years it isn't on your fruit trees. This is an off year for my serviceberry, but it does still have a few rusty berries. Rusts can cause deformation to fruits (as seen here) and branches. But if you aren't planning to eat the fruit, it rarely hands healthy trees.

Photo of a white person's hand holding a cluster of berries attached to a tree. 3 of the berries are smallish and red, but one is much bigger, green, and bumpy.

Photo of a white person's hand holding a single serviceberry. The berry is misshapen and green with orange fungal protusions.

200

Bumblebee Landscape and Garden Design @bumblebeelandscape.bsky.social · 16/05/2025

It's been an inconsistent week, weather-wise, so I've been focusing on the office management aspect of work this week, but check out this Carolina false lupine starting to flower in complement to those blue flag irises!

Close up photo of a plant with a long cone-shaped bud cluster, yellow flowers peeking out of the lowest buds. In the background you can see a dozen or so light purple and white flowers. Side from the flowers there is a lot of green in the background.

000

Bumblebee Landscape and Garden Design @bumblebeelandscape.bsky.social · 16/05/2025

A great (if occasionally sleep-reducing) reason to do gardening and lawn care that supports local ecology from my own backyard! (If you're wondering about the boxwood and ditch lilies, they're leftover from previous owners and will eventually be replaced. Need evergreens for animal cover though)

Photo of a fox vixen and her 3 kits on the lawn by the shed in my backyard.

031

Bumblebee Landscape and Garden Design @bumblebeelandscape.bsky.social · 12/05/2025

Install in progress. (I'll get you cat pics later from the other account, only have so much bandwidth and lunch is almost over)

Photo of a sandy garden bed with a number of plants and 2 great blue heron statues, taken from the side.

030

Bumblebee Landscape and Garden Design @bumblebeelandscape.bsky.social · 11/05/2025

Throwing it back to my first year in the biz for this Mother's Day. Don't you think your mom would like to keep things tidy like this?

Photo of backyard storage area. Two large flagstone tiles surrounded by gravel are on the ground, house siding to the right and wooden fencing behind and to the left. On those tiles are a covered charcoal grill and a garbage bin, all tucked tidily away.

Photo of the side of a brick house with a tree at the corner. Between the corner of the house and an HVAC unit is an area covered in grey gravel with trash cans and a recycle bin tucked tidily against the house next to the HVAC.

010

Bumblebee Landscape and Garden Design @bumblebeelandscape.bsky.social · 09/05/2025

Look at the pollen baskets on her! 👀 (that's Amsonia tabernaemontana she's pollinating)

Photo of a plant with very thin leaves and clusters of blue star- shaped flowers being pollinated by a small bumblebee who has already gathered a LOT of pollen.

000