Penn State Extension Master Gardeners of Chester County

06/25/2026

For today’s post, we’re tackling this basic question: what exactly is pollination?

As defined in a University of Maryland Extension article, “[p]ollination is the transfer of pollen from the male organ to the female organ of a flowering plant. A majority of plants require pollination to reproduce.”* In fact, “Over 90% of all known flowering plants and many fruits and vegetables require pollination to produce crops.”* So, “[p]ollination is essential to life on earth, for without it most people and non-human animals would not have enough food. Since one out of every three bites of food we eat each day requires cross-pollination, we are indebted to the myriad creatures that perform this critical service.”*

So then what is a pollinator? According to the National Parks Service, “[a] pollinator is anything that helps carry pollen from the male part of the flower (stamen) to the female part of the same or another flower (stigma).”** Wind and water, for example, can act as pollinators. However, at least 75% of plants depend upon animals to act as pollinators. “Insects and other animals such as bats, beetles, and flies visit flowers in search of food, shelter, nest-building materials, and sometimes even mates. Some pollinators, including many bee species, intentionally collect pollen. Others, such as many butterflies, birds and bats move pollen accidentally. Pollen sticks on their bodies while they are drinking or feeding on nectar in the flower blooms and is transported unknowingly from flower to flower resulting in pollination.”**

Sources:
* “Pollination Basics,” Compiled by Chris Sargent (University of Maryland), Rev. 2020 by Margaret Hartman (M.S. student, Department of Entomology, University of Maryland), University of Maryland Extension (updated March 1, 2023) (https://extension.umd.edu/resource/pollination-basics).

** “What is a Pollinator?” U.S. National Park Service (accessed June 24, 2026) (https://www.nps.gov/subjects/pollinators/what-is-a-pollinator.htm).

06/23/2026

It's !

When asked to describe insect species that can pollinate flowers,” writes Professor Christina Grozinger, Ph.D. in a Penn State Extension article, “most people think of bees, butterflies, moths, and hummingbirds. However, flies are critical pollinators in both natural and agricultural systems.”* According to Christina, “[l]ike bees, adult flies visit flowers to feed on the nectar (as a source of carbohydrates) and pollen (as a source of protein and fats). However, while bees actively collect pollen to bring back to their nest to feed larvae, flies do not provide maternal care and passively transport pollen on their bodies as they visit different flowers.”*

For example, “[a] recent analysis of crop species found that flies visited 72% of the 105 crops studied (bees visited 93%). In some cases, flies can provide more consistent pollination in early spring than bees, likely because they are often active at cooler temperatures.”*

What kinds of flowers attract flies? As Christina writes, “[f]lies are attracted to a variety of flowering plants. As a rule of thumb, flies tend to prefer white flowers with open structures that are easy to access. Often these flowers have scents that are not necessarily floral but resemble decomposing material.”* So, “[t]o attract flies to your garden, plant a diversity of flowering plant species from these preferred species, selecting species that bloom throughout the year.”*

To learn more about attracting fly pollinators to your garden, check out the Penn State Extension article cited below!

Source:
* “Feeding the Flower Flies: How to Attract Flies to Your Garden,” Christina Grozinger, Ph.D. (Distinguished Professor of Entomology) Penn State Extension (updated June 7, 2024) (https://extension.psu.edu/feeding-the-flower-flies-how-to-attract-flies-to-your-garden).

06/22/2026

As we haven't posted one of these in a while, it feels like it's time for an installation of everyone's favorite series, "Hey, What's that Growing in My Yard?"

Today, we're taking a look at Coronilla varia (a.k.a. Crown Vetch) (previously classified as Securigera varia).

As you can tell from the shape of the flowers, crown vetch is a member of the legume family (Fabaceae). Native to "Europe, Asia, and Africa," it was "used for erosion control in the 70's and 80's but has [now] become invasive in many states…and is difficult to eradicate once established."* **

According to Gerald Klingaman, writing for University of Arkansas Extension, "Penn State University researchers H. Burton Musser and Fred Grau worked on crown vetch breeding for forage and erosion control, eventually releasing a cultivar called ‘Penngift’ in 1953. It was used along the Pennsylvania Turnpike and later promoted relentlessly as the Interstate highway system expanded across the nation in the 1960s and 70s. In 1981, the Pennsylvania legislature proclaimed ‘Penngift’ as the official 'Beautification and Conservation' plant of the commonwealth."*** However, "later research showed [that] it wasn’t all that good at stopping erosion. It turns out that erosion continues more or less unimpeded beneath the tangle of cover that comprises a patch of crown vetch."***

The problem is that crown vetch "spreads over a wide area by sprawling across the top of neighboring plants."*** As a result, its "[c]reeping growth pattern allows it to form dense monocultures, covering and shading out native plants."**

To learn more about crown vetch, check out the articles cited below.

Sources:
* “Coronilla varia,” North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, North Carolina State Extension (accessed June 21, 2026) (https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/coronilla-varia/).

** "Crown vetch," Angela Gupta, Amy Rager, Megan M. Weber, Extension Educators, University of Minnesota Extension (reviewed in 2019) (https://extension.umn.edu/identify-invasive-species/crown-vetch).

*** "Crown Vetch," Gerald Klingaman (Extension Horticulturalist - Ornamentals (retired), University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, Research & Extension (July 13, 2007) (https://www.uaex.uada.edu/yard-garden/resource-library/plant-week/crownvetch-7-13-07.aspx).

06/20/2026

What a beautiful morning! Master Gardeners are here until 11:00 - stop by and say hello and learn about our gardens!

06/20/2026

Pictured here is Duchesnea indica (a.k.a., Mock Strawberry and False Strawberry), an invasive species introduced originally to the United States as an ornamental.* **

Potentilla indica, a member of the rose family (Rosaceae), is often confused with native Fragaria species, such as Fragaria vesca.** One way to distinguish between the native species and Duchesnea indica is that “[u]nlike native wild strawberry, mock strawberry fruit points up [as seen here], away from the ground, making the fruit highly visible.”* In addition, native Fragaria species have white petals, while Dechesnea indica has yellow petals.* **

Duchesnea indica is an herbaceous perennial (though the leaves may remain in winter), growing up to eight inches tall, that spreads via stolons.* *** The fruits, which resemble small strawberries, are usually dry and relatively tasteless.* ***

Because of its low growing habit, it can often adapt to mowing.*** As such, it is often considered a turf w**d.* **

To learn more about this species, and possible control strategies, check out the articles cited below!

Sources:
* “Mock strawberry,” Angela Gupta (Extension Educator), Amy Rager (Extension Educator), and Megan M. Weber (Extension Educator), University of Minnesota Extension (reviewed in 2019) ( https://extension.umn.edu/identify-invasive-species/mock-strawberry).

** “I must Stop the Mock Strawberry (Duchesnea indica),” Wendy Diaz (EMGV), Extension Master Gardener Volunteers of Durham County, NC (June 26, 2019) ( https://durhammastergardeners.com/2019/06/26/i-must-stop-the-mock-strawberry-duchesnea-indica/).
**** “Potentilla indica,” North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, NC State Extension (accessed June 19, 2026) (https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/potentilla-indica/).

06/19/2026

According to Penn State Extension Commercial Horticulture Educator Maria Gorgo-Simcox, "[m]any people assume food safety concerns only apply to commercial farms, but the same basic principles apply in home gardens."* As to that, states Maria, "[s]imple practices such as keeping animals out of production areas, washing hands before harvest, and regularly scouting for signs of contamination can go a long way toward protecting the food we grow at home."*

To learn more about food safety considerations for home gardens, check out the Penn State Extension article cited below!

Source:
* "Home Garden Food Safety: Protecting Produce from Contamination," Maria Gorgo-Simcox (Commercial Horticulture Extension Educator) & Jeffry Stoltzfus (Extension Educator), Penn State Extension (updated June 18, 2026) (https://extension.psu.edu/home-garden-food-safety-protecting-produce-from-contamination).

06/19/2026

06/18/2026

Pictured here is Rubus phoenicolasius–otherwise known as Japanese Wineberry, Wine Raspberry, Wineberries, or “Hey, look, free raspberries growing by the side of the road!” But, here’s the thing about those raspberries: there is a cost in that it is an invasive species in Pennsylvania.*

According to the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Services, this species “was introduced into the U.S. in 1890 as breeding stock for new raspberry cultivars” and “[i}t is still used today by berry breeders.”*

Like other members of the Rubus genus, “[t]he growth form of wineberry is a multi-stemmed cane-fruit.”** How to tell Rubus phoenicolasius apart from other blackberries and raspberries? According to Chis Evans, writing for the University of Illinois Extension, wineberries can be distinguished by “the combination of white, wooly underside of the leaves and the dense glandular hairs on the canes.”**

What makes the species a problem? According to PA DCNR, “[t]his plant can form extensive, dense thickets that displace native vegetation and restrict light to lower growing vegetation.”*

To learn more about this species and how to control it, check out the articles cited below.

Sources:
* “Invasive Plants in Pennsylvania: Wineberry,” Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (accessed June 23, 2025) (http://elibrary.dcnr.pa.gov/PDFProvider.ashx?action=PDFStream&docID=1738763&chksum=&revision=0&docName=wineberry).

** “Wineberry,” Invasive Species Series, Chris Evans (Forestry and Research Specialist), University of Illinois Extension (July 2020) (https://extension.illinois.edu/sites/default/files/wineberry_factsheet_0.pdf).

06/17/2026

Given its infamy, maybe this plant needs no introduction. Pictured here is Toxicodendron radicans (a.k.a., Poison Ivy or Eastern Poison Ivy). It is actually a native species to Pennsylvania, along with most of the eastern United States. Poison ivy grows as a deciduous woody vine (its leaves change color in the fall). It can grow upward, attaching itself by adventitious roots to tree trunks or other structures.** Otherwise, absent vertical support, it can form a dense ground cover. While the edges of its leaves can fluctuate from smooth to toothed, poison ivy is most easily recognized by the compound structure of its leaves, being composed of three leaflets.***

As stated in a Penn State Extension article by Tim Abbey, an Extension Educator, “[a]ll parts of poison-ivy contain resinous compounds called urushiols. When urushiols contact the skin, or are inhaled, they cause inflammation, itching, and blistering.”* According to a Purdue Extension pamphlet, “[t]his oil is insoluble in water. That means if you simply wash with water alone after coming into contact with poison ivy, you merely spread the oil to other areas and increase the discomfort. However, washing with a strong alkali soap, such as yellow laundry or naptha, will relieve the discomfort. Alcohol will dissolve and remove the oily substance from the skin, and if you apply it soon enough, may prevent irritation.”***

Do not attempt to control poison ivy by burning. “Burning poison ivy can be hazardous because the smoke may contain the oil and can cause the same symptoms.”***

To learn how to properly control poison ivy, check out the cited sources.

Sources:
* “Poison Ivy,” Tim Abbey (Extension Educator, Horticulture - Green Industry), Penn State Extension (updated July 23, 2025) (https://extension.psu.edu/poison-ivy) -

** “Poison Ivy,” based on publication HG 34 Poison Ivy, author Ray Bosmans, Professor Emeritus University of Maryland, University of Maryland Extension (updated Sept. 18, 2023) (https://extension.umd.edu/resource/poison-ivy) -

*** “Poison Ivy,” B. Rosie Lerner (Purdue Horticulture and Landscape Architecture) & Travis Legleiter (Purdue Botany and Plant Pathology), HO-218-W, Purdue Extension (Oct. 2015) (https://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/ho/ho-218-w.pdf).