One of the top-performing plants in the Haven's bee attractiveness studies is Russian sage. Garden books describe this plant along the lines of "...even though it's called Russian sage, it's not a sage. That name is for plants in the genus Salvia...." To quote from the Sunset Western Garden Book, "This popular plant is neither a sage nor from Russia."

Well, the plant taxonomists have been at it again. So Russian sage, previously known as Perovskia atriplicifolia, has been reclassified and is now Salvia yangii. Just when we learned to pronounce per-ROVE-ski-uh! And to shake things up even more, rosemary is also now a salvia. It's understood to be a close relative of Russian sage and has been reclassified as Salvia rosmarinus. The correct way to write these is new name (old name). So Russian sage is Salvia yangii (Perovskia atriplicifolia) and rosemary is Salvia rosmarinus (Rosmarinus officinalis). 

Our understanding of Russian sage's native habitat remains unchanged. It's still not from Russia, but is native to grassland areas in western China, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. These hot, dry, sunny areas have summer weather similar to California's Central Valley so it does well in our gardens.

 

 

 

A close view of a bee on its flower shows the characters that we often associate with the genus Salvia. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here are links to some of the scientific papers describing these changes for those who wish to learn more:

Salvia yangii. National Center for Biotechnology Information. Link here. 

Taxon. 2017. Salvia united: The greatest good for the greatest number. Read here.

American Journal of Botany. 2012. Phylogenetics, biogeography, and staminal evolution in the tribe Mentheae (Lamiaceae). Read here. 

 

Please consider supporting our Crowdfund UC Davis campaign. We rely on donations and grants to keep the Haven and this blog going to share accurate, science-based information about bees and gardens. Thank you!

 

This past year has been difficult in so many ways. Although we've had to cancel our events and tours, it's been wonderful to see so many in-person visitors enjoying the calm of the Haven. And while it's not the same, we were able to transition to Zoom classes in the fall. For full details on last year at the Haven, please see our 2020 annual report.

It's unlikely we'll be able to resume in-person programs in 2021, but we've got lots of virtual programming planned, and hope to resume limited guided tours when we get University approval. In the meantime, February events include:

February 1 to 28. Fundraising February! This UC Davis Crowdfunding event takes place all month. We normally earn most of our operating funds through classes and tours, but this revenue was lost in 2020 because of COVID closures. Our goal for the month is to raise $5000 for purchase of plants, tools, and irrigation supplies. Please consider a donation to keep us buzzing. Any amount is welcome and all donors will be recognized.

February 9, 12:15 to 12:45pm. Bee Garden Q&A. Take a lunch break and join us for this bee garden question and answer Zoom class. Free, no registration required. We'll start with a quick look at what's blooming and buzzing in the Haven and then open it up for any questions about bees and plants. Meeting ID: 966 3997 6701 Passcode: 202584.

February 15, 10:00am. Making a Solitary Bee House and Bee Diversity. Two new videos will go live on our YouTube channel as part of UC Davis Biodiversity Month. This virtual event replaces the annual Biodiversity Museum Day, normally held the Saturday of President's Day weekend. 

February 23, 12:15 to 12:45pm. Bee Garden Q&A. Take a lunch break and join us for this bee garden question and answer Zoom class. Free, no registration required. We'll start with a quick look at what's blooming and buzzing in the Haven and then open it up for any questions about bees and plants. Meeting ID: 995 0184 7681 Passcode: 672621.

The largest and smallest bees in the Haven. Watch our video to learn more about bee diversity.

Additional events will be posted on our webpage as they are scheduled. 

This year will be a World Bee Day like no other. Created by the United Nations to raise awareness about pollinators, this event is celebrated on the birthday of Anton Janša, a pioneer of modern beekeeping. 

The focus this year is on healthy beekeeping as a way to recognize the impact of coronavirus on beekeepers, and by extension, our food supply.

Want to join in the celebration? Here are some ideas:

• The World Bee Day web page has links to activities and events, including online events
• Closer to home, support a local beekeeper by purchasing their honey and other hive products
• Start watching bees in your own garden to learn more about them and appreciate their activity. Check out our YouTube video for an introduction to bee watching.
• Add bee-supporting plants to your garden. These low-water plants do well in central California.

Squash bee, Peponapis pruinosa (left), and honey bee, Apis mellifera (right), in a zucchini flower. The native squash bee and non-native honey bee both pollinate this crop.

Nicknamed the teddy bear bee, a male valley carpenter bee, Xylocopa varipuncta, peeks out of his nest in an old log

Blooming flowers at the Haven. A variety of pollen and nectar sources help bees stay healthy.

It's the first week of spring at the Haven and our plants are starting to look their best. For those of you who cannot make it to the garden this week, here's a brief tour of what's going on. For those who can make it, I've included some of the bees to look for.

The garden is currently open, although the cities of Davis and Sacramento are now recommending shelter-in-place. If this expands to other areas or becomes mandatory, the garden will close. Check our web page for the latest information.

Now blooming at the Haven:

Ceanothus, many species. For more detail on this genus, see this previous post. 

Western redbud, Cercis occidentalis. This plant provides bright pink flowers early in the year, while leafcutter bees use its foliage for nest construction throughout the summer. This California native needs full sun and little to no summer water. It grows slowly, so it's worth buying a larger size for your own garden. It may be fed on by the redhumped caterpillar; damage occurs towards the end of the season so control is not needed.

Redbud leaves used in a leaf cutter bee nest

Redhumped caterpillars on redbud

Brandegee's sage, Salvia brandegii. This is a long-blooming California native sage. As you can see from the photo, which shows one plant, it can get quite large. Flowering from late January through May, pair it with the summer blooming native Cleveland sage (Salvia clevelandii) for season-long bloom. It also needs full sun and low summer water.

Bladderpod, Isomeris arborea. This is another long-blooming California native. It is at its peak in the spring, but will produce some flowers year-round. Our single plant is about 6 feet by 6 feet. Needs full sun and little to no summer water. 

Firecracker penstemon, Penstemon eatonii. This bright red California native is used more by hummingbirds than bees, and adds a jolt of color to the early spring garden. It's soon to be followed by the foothill penstemon, a bee favorite. The firecracker penstemon can take part shade and will re-bloom if given some water after the first flush of flowers. Like most of our native penstemons, it will go dormant in the heat of the summer, at which point watering should stop.

Bees to look for this week include honey bees and the blacktailed bumble bee, Bombus melanopygus. The latter seems to like the Brandegee's sage, so look for it there.

Blacktailed bumble bee, Bombus melanopygus, male on Brandegee's sage