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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

Megachile rotundata The leaf cutter bee Megachile rotundata is a solitary bee of the Megachilidae family, which includes bees called leafcutters and masons, because they build their nests in makeshift cavities: underground, in rock crevices, reeds, hollow stems and even shells . The female of Megachile rotundata uses her strong jaws to cut pieces of leaves and petals which she uses to build the cells in which she lays her eggs. She is a skilled pollinator of alfalfa, carrots, other vegetables and some fruits. Did you know? Megachile rotundata has been introduced as a pollinator and bred in many parts [...]