Strasburg Community Garden

06/13/2026

Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis) is blooming along the margins of rivers, lakes, ponds, and wetlands. This native shrub has a spherical inflorescence containing dozens of flowers. A long, pollen-receiving stigma extends from each flower, giving the inflorescence some resemblance to a pin cushion. Bees and butterflies pollinate the flowers, including the native silver-spotted skipper (Epargyreus clarus) shown here. The caterpillars of several moths, including the beautiful wood-nymph, feed on its foliage too.

In autumn, its red fruits that are fed on by songbirds during fall migration and on through the winter. If you’re looking for a native bush to plant in a sunny spot with moist to wet soil, Buttonbush is a great one to consider! I’ve also had folks tell me it will do well in dryer areas once established.

06/13/2026

(222/250) The cecropia moth is North America's largest native moth with a wingspan that can measure up to 7 inches across. They're mostly found east of the Rocky Mountains, where females lay eggs on a variety of host plants including cherry, maple and birch trees. Adults don't eat and only live about a week - their only focus is to reproduce.

Photo: Ryan Hagerty/USFWS

06/12/2026

AHH watch out it'll sting, it's a..... wasp?! 🐝 That's right, yellowjackets are not bees--they're actually wasps.
Lets clear up the difference between this troublesome pest and our native bee species, most of which rarely sting.
🐝 How to ID a yellowjacket: Yellowjackets range from 3/8" to 5/8" long. They are bright yellow with black lines, spots, triangles or diamonds on their abdomen (different species have different color patterns). Yellowjackets have a hard and shiny body with few hairs. Since they are a type of wasp, they have a definite waist. They fold their wings lengthwise when at rest.
🐝 Like all wasps, yellowjackets prey on a wide variety of insects and other arthropods. Yellowjackets are unusual in that the workers will also forage on foods consumed by people, especially sweets and meats.
🐝 If you have a yellowjacket problem, NOW is the right time of year to think about controlling them: Effective management of yellowjackets in a given area can be achieved by rigorous sanitation and physical exclusion of foraging workers from attractive food sources. If begun early in the summer and carried throughout mid-autumn, proper sanitation will help reduce the buildup of foraging yellowjackets within an area. Lids of trash containers should be kept closed whenever possible. Open trash containers should be emptied regularly (every few hours when large numbers of yellowjackets are present).
🐝 More info on yellow jackets, including options for controlling them: https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/ENTO/ENTO-49/ENTO-49.html
🐝 Large invasive hornets: https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/ENTO/ento-592/ento-592.html
Image text:
Title reading: Did you know? Yellowjackets are wasps! No, they're not bees!"
Body text reading: In areas with numerous yellowhacket colonies, foragingin workers may become serious nuisance pests as they search for food. They often pester people eating outside and scavenge food from trash bins and dumpsters. In Virginai, yellowjacket wasps can be nuisance pests in recreational areas from late summer until early autumn, when colonies begin to die off.
Photo of a insect with yellow and black stripes and a smooth, narrow body. Long black wings protrude from behind a big-eyed head.

06/11/2026

Butterfly Milkw**d (Asclepias tuberosa) blooms from late spring through summer across the eastern United States in roadsides, fields, and woodland edges. Monarch caterpillars feed on the leaves and a wide variety of swallowtails, fritillaries, and native bees pollinate its flowers. If you’re looking for a native plant that grows well in sunny, dry soil, Butterfly Milkw**d is a great one to consider. Planting and retaining milkw**ds native to your region is one way to help protect Eastern Monarch Butterflies, which have had a large population decline over the past 30 years. Planting native asters and goldenrods as fall migration nectar sources also helps monarch populations.

06/11/2026

June is National Pollinator Month! Think like a pollinator with these tips from the US Forest Service:
- Go Native. Pollinators are “best” adapted to local, native plants, which often need less water than ornamentals
- Bee Bountiful. Plant big patches of each plant species (better foraging efficiency.)
- Bee Sunny. Provide areas with sunny, bare soil that’s dry and well-drained, preferably with south-facing slopes.
- Bee Showy. Flowers should bloom in your garden throughout the growing season. Plant willow, currant, and Oregon grape for spring and aster, rabbit
brush and goldenrod for fall flowers.
- Bee Patient. It takes time for native plants to grow and for pollinators to find
your garden, especially if you live far from wild lands.
View their whole guide for pollinator gardening for the Eastern us: chrome-extensio://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.fs.usda.gov/wildflowers/pollinators/documents/AttractingPollinatorsEasternUS_V1.pdf
More info including some plant suggestions: https://www.fs.usda.gov/managing-land/wildflowers/pollinators/gardening

Image text:
Title: Planning your garden — think like a pollinator.

Go Native. Pollinators are “best” adapted to local, native plants, which often need less water than ornamentals.
Bee Showy. Flowers should bloom in your garden throughout the growing season. Plant willow, violet, and mayapple for spring and aster, joe-pye w**d, and goldenrod for fall flowers.
Bee Bountiful. Plant big patches of each plant species for better foraging efficiency.
Bee Patient. It takes time for native plants to grow and for pollinators to find your garden, especially if you live far from wild lands.
Bee Gentle. Most bees will avoid stinging and use that behavior only in self-defense. Male bees do not sting.
Bee Chemical Free. Pesticides and herbicides kill pollinators.
Bee Homey. Make small piles of branches to attract butterflies and moths. Provide hollow twigs, rotten logs with wood-boring beetle holes and bunchgrasses and leave stumps, old rodent burrows, and fallen plant material for nesting bees. Leave dead or dying trees for woodpeckers.
Bee Sunny. Provide areas with sunny, bare soil that’s dry and well-drained, preferably with south-facing slopes.
Bee Diverse. Plant a diversity of flowering species with abundant pollen and nectar and specific plants for feeding butterfly and moth caterpillars.
Bee a little messy. Most of our native bee species (70%) nest underground, so avoid using w**d cloth or heavy mulch.
Bee Aware. Observe pollinators when you walk outside in nature. Notice which flowers attract bumble bees or solitary bees, and which attract butterflies.
Bee Friendly. Create pollinator-friendly gardens both at home, at schools and in public parks. Help people learn more about pollinators and native plants.

06/10/2026

06/09/2026

Incorporating Native Plants in Your Garden – Native, Non-Native, Invasive? – EMG Jenn

Confused about the difference between native plants and non-natives? And are ALL non-natives considered invasive? Can natives be invasive? (Hint for the latter – they may be termed aggressive, but not invasive, as they already live here!). Here is an article that breaks it down in a very accessible way:
https://www.audubon.org/news/what-difference-between-native-non-native-and-invasive-plants?ms=digital-eng-social-facebook-x-20230100-nas_eng&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=20230100_nas_eng

As you learn more about the benefits of native plants in your garden, consider removing any invasive plants (first priority!) and then start replacing them with natives. Non-natives, as long as they are not invasive, are less of a problem, but they do take up garden “real estate” at a cost to wildlife, who often cannot make use of them. If you can hit Dr. Tallamy’s goal of 70% native, there is room for a few non-natives that you love! Gardens have many purposes, and rather than focusing on beauty and design, it’s good to consider who else lives in your garden, and support all those pollinators and beneficial insects, animals, and birds. To quote an old movie, “If you build it, they will come!”

Join us each Tuesday to learn about you can add to your garden. See previous posts at

06/09/2026

(220/250) The gray fox is a small, agile fox known for its unique ability to climb trees while hunting or to escape predators. Found across much of North America, these shy, resourceful omnivores are busy raising young right now.

Photo: Tammy Mealman/USFWS

06/08/2026

June 6-13 is PlayCleanGo Awareness Week! It's the perfect time for those of us who recreate and volunteer outdoors to commit to actions to stop the spread of invasive species. Each day, we'll share something specific you can do. Together, we protect the places we love! Photo: Awakenings. on the Rivanna River in Palmyra, VA by Rich Brager, 2011.

06/08/2026

This is Colletes aestivalis a rare native bee! Also called the alumroot cellophane bee, this little lady is a Heuchera specialist, which means she only collects pollen from a specific species (or few species) to feed her larvae.
You probably know Heuchera or coral bells--they are planted everywhere! Unfortunately, this bee does not get pollen from hybrid species. If you want to add coral bells to your garden, consider finding Heuchera americana, the native species.
The bee specimen in this photo was collected in Rockingham County, VA