At San Michele Farm, the installations are bearing fruit, or rather... flowers! LIFE Programme #LIFEprogramme #LIFEproject #EUpollinators #impollinatori #pollinators LIFE 4 Pollinators LIFE Greenchange Life BEEadapt LifeGate Ca' Foscari Sostenibile United Nations Biodiversity LovePlantLife Seeds Seedball ConservePlants
Field maple Fruits with wings The field maple (Acer campestre, Aceraceae family) is a tree that reaches 12 meters in height (sometimes even 20 meters) but is usually smaller, similar to a large shrub. In May, the small yellow-green flowers appear, clustered in corymbs (inflorescences similar to umbrellas). The fruits of these trees have some kind of wings that allow the seeds to move away from the parent plant. The field maple is common in mixed deciduous woods, in hilly areas and in low mountains. It is also used for the formation of hedges, as it tolerates pruning very well, [...]
Common Bugle St. Lawrence plant The bugle (scientific name Ajuga reptans) is also known as St. Lawrence plant. This small plant belongs to the Lamiaceae family (Labiatae) and reaches a height of 10-20 cm. In spring In spring, it produces numerous runners or creeping stems with roots from the base of the stem, allowing it to spread widely in damp meadows and form dense carpets of blue flowers and shiny green leaves. From May to August the inflorescences appear about 15 cm tall, with beautiful blue-violet flowers, suffused with white. Pollination takes place via insects . Did you know? The [...]
Clytus arietis Clytus arietis It's all a trick! This insect belongs to the Cerambycidae family, or beetles with long horns. It has a vibrant coloration that imitates that of wasps : this way he protects himself from predators, even if the insect isn't actually dangerous at all. The larvae live in dead wood and the adults are often seen on the edges of forests. It feeds on the pollen of numerous flower species Clytus arietis is a common species throughout much of Europe. Did you know? This insect also mimics wasps in behavior: it runs in all directions on tree [...]
Today, special traps were set up at the Ca' Magre and Campo Calandro #EcorNaturaSi farms to study how the flower strips can be source habitats for important parasitoids and pollinators of greenhouse horticultural crops. The traps are called 'pan traps' and consist of three differently coloured bowls (yellow, blue and white), filled with water and soap, that simulate flowers and attract and capture the various #beneficial insects that will be studied. LIFE Programme #LIFEprogramme #LIFEproject #EUpollinators #Natura2000 #pollinators #bees Photo Pixabay United Nations Biodiversity Plantlife: saving wild plants Seedball ConservePlants LIFE Greenchange LIFE 4 Pollinators Ca' Foscari Sostenibile [...]
Italian woodbine Symbol of love bonds With its long flexible stems, the perfoliate honeysuckle (Lonicera caprifolium) wraps itself around the supports and tall trees like a liana. Its climbing stems can reach up to 6 meters. It blooms in spring, and its fragrance fills the surrounding air, especially at sunset, attracting pollinating insects . The flowers are white or yellowish with reddish hues. The fruit is a bright red berry, poisonous due to the presence of alkaloids. Honeysuckle prefers woodland edges and hedges in full sun. Did you know? Since ancient times, honeysuckle has been a symbol of love bonds [...]
Yellow loosestrife A plant that... can change! ???The yellow loosestrife (scientific name Lysimachia vulgaris, family Primulaceae) is a distinctive plant that thrives in damp environments. Standing at a height of up to 150 cm, it stands out among other plants typically found in cool areas due to its upright and decorative growth habit. It often forms large colonies along riverbanks and canals.During the summer, the stem is topped with a pyramidal-shaped yellow inflorescence, a decorative spike with beautiful flowers clustered at the top of the stems and branches. The flowers are scentless and do not produce nectar, but the plant [...]
Old World swallowtail Elegant and colorful butterfly The Old World swallowtail (Papilio machaon) belongs to the Papilionidae family, which includes numerous splendid tropical butterflies. In fact, this beautiful butterfly stands out for its large size (with a wingspan ranging from 7 to 9 cm), vibrant colors, and graceful shapes. Its wings are yellow with black outlines and patterns, adorned with a shimmering blue band that contains a red "eye" and end with two long "tails." The swallowtail frequents meadows and open, sunny environments, including city parks. The caterpillar of the swallowtail is light green with black and orange spots, and [...]
Snowy mespilus A white flower on the rocks The snowy mespilus (Amelanchier ovalis, Rosaceae family) is a shrub that can reach a height of 3 meters, but is usually shorter and bushy. It has the habit of growing on rocky walls, but also on the edges of forests and in abandoned fields. It is very drought-resistant, light-loving, and spontaneously colonizes dry and steep slopes. In spring, before the leaves emerge, its small white flowers appear. The flowering can be spectacular due to the large number of flowers, which attract bees and other pollinating insects with their fragrance Snowy mespilus is [...]
Wild carrot The ancestor of carrots The wild carrot (scientific name Daucus carota) is a herbaceous plant belonging to the Apiaceae family, 30-90 cm tall. It lives in uncultivated meadows, fields and along roadsides; it is considered a weed. It's an ancestor of the carrot we use in the kitchen Its woody, whitish root, with an acrid taste and unpleasant smell, has nothing in common with the cultivated carrot, obtained after many generations with a slow improvement of the spontaneous species. Fruits have long thorns that stick to the hair of any passing animal . When it rains, the fruiting [...]
