Habitat assessment by Gederberg

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Assessment results
Answer givenOur advice
Are there areas with bare ground and very few plants?: 
No
Consider increasing the amount of bare ground. Ground nesting bees are more likely to nest where there is bare ground.
Are there areas with pithy twigs (elderberry, cane fruit, sumac, etc…)?: 
No
Add some plants that have pithy stems to your habitat. Cavity nesting bees spend their winters in the center of the stems of these plants.
Are there bee nesting blocks?: 
No
Supplement your habitats with nest blocks. Learn how to build them here.
How much of the whole yard, park, farm or green space is garden space or wild/natural vegetation?: 
A lot. More than 40%.
You are doing a great job managing for pollinators!
How many flowers in your garden bloom in fall?: 
7-9
Add 2-3 more fall flowers to support fall bees.
Is there fresh, clean water always available with a perch that bees could stand on and drink?: 
No
Consider adding a water element. This can be as simple as a bowl with some rocks thrown in for bees to stand on while drinking.
How many different pollinator counts will your contribute this year?: 
Five or more.
We'd love to see pollinator counts from any of the plants in your garden as many times as you can contribute. Thanks!

Score: 171 (out of a possible 210)

In my front yard there is a pecan tree, southern wax myrtle and vitex, st augustine grass, and fairly large garden areas including rosinweed, gulf penstemons, lyre leaf sage, salvia greggi, indian blanket, mexican hat, mealy blue sage, coreopsis, winecup, knot root bristle grass, sugar cane plume grass, aquatic milkweed, blue mist flowers, stiff-hair sunflowers, st. andrews cross, etc. The backyard is all garden area, with one side shaded by yaupon holly, a cypress, and wax myrtle. There are lots of inland sea oats, with southern woodfern, pipevine, tropical sage. The other side is in full sun, and I have big beds of Texas cone flowers, rosinweed, gulf vervain, frogfruit, indian blanket, mexican hat, clasping cone flowers, basket flowers, pluchea odorata etc. I have a few liatris, clustered bush mint, salvia azurea. In late fall boneset and Chromolaena odorata take over and bloom through December.

Which garden or space are you describing?: 
Home
How large is your yard?: 
1 525.00
square yards
Are there areas with sandy loamy soil?: 
Yes
Are there low traffic areas where the soil is not turned over, tilled or plowed?: 
Yes
Are there areas dead wood, brush piles or snags present?: 
Yes
Do you have native bunchgrasses?: 
Several areas or one large area.
What is the main type of vegetation in the area you are evaluating (park, garden, yard, farm...)?: 
Native wildflowers
How much of the garden is planted with flowering annual or perennial plants (including shrubs, vegetables and trees)?: 
Most (more than 75%)
Are the flowering plants that you have pollinator friendly?: 
Most (more than 75%)
How many flowers in your garden bloom in spring?: 
10 or more
How many flowers in your garden bloom in summer?: 
10 or more
Are flowers planted in clumps?: 
Yes.
How much mulch is on the ground?: 
Some.
Does the garden use herbicides?: 
No.
Are pesticides used in the garden?: 
No