I found a salamander type creature the other day - I have lots of holes in my woods from long gone trees and I went to put some leftover dirt in one of them. I pulled out a big clump of dead leaves from the center and there he was: all wet and happy in that group of decomposing leaves. I also find them under rocks. Bottom line - try to leave or create natural areas like rocks (just a single one on the ground, they don't have to be stacked) and decomposing vegetation.

As for bees, think of flowers that are composed of lots of small flowers: viburnums (not the ball ones, those are all sterile flowers), elderberry, blueberries, hollies or this ninebark:

One should consider whether you are using flowers that support pollinators like bees - those showy blue and pink hydrangeas? Mostly, if not all, sterile flowers.

Honey bees seem to love Mexican Heather as well. While my Vitex gets overrun with Bumble Bees the Mexican Heather not far away seems to draw only Honey Bees. Last year we had a good number of Honey Bees(more than in the last few). I am hoping they are making a come back.

The yoshino cherry tree has been humming for the last week.

The bees are coming.But salamanders have not yet.Last year I had a lot of them around.Ilike them when they stare at you.Bees just go about thier business, always, in hurry and not decisive.

cyrus, I think you must be thinking of Green Anoles, not salamanders. Here is a Green Anole:

Cherry Laurel. Evergreen, mine's 20' tall, Today it's alive with feeding bees/micro wasps. Blooms insignificant, but 'chick magnet' for bees and wasps. Short bloom period, about a week. It's amazing to stand close and watch the feeding frenzy. Our pollinator friends are HUNGRY! Very low maintenance, tough, shrub like, bushy, medium tree. Good screen for suburban lot with enough room. Not a holly green....yellow-green with more delicate leaves. Bon Apetite!

bumblebeez - I thought yoshino cherry was sterile?? Be nice if they aren't, we have a lot of them around here.

Most of the heavily marketed Hydrangea paniculata are sterile which is a shame because I love them. Not so much the mopheads, but I have planted a few Hydrangea quercifolia and the bees like them a lot. Snowflake is my favoirte so far and what beautiful fall color! Right now the highbush blueberry is in bloom and they are very busy with bees.

Native bees are an interest of mine, I posted my list of Month by Month List of Native Plants to Attract Honey Bees and am trying to keep track of what the bees prefer as well as bloom time this summer. Several these plants I have but being their first year in, I am not expecting all to bloom. If anyone has input on this list I'd appreciate!

My cherry trees (okame and kwanza) were covered with bees. Could hear the buzzing a few feet away. Now the redbuds are buzzing. They also love the pyrocanthia when it blooms. I get those big bees all over my roses when they are open. Also bee balm (monordia) and butterfly bushes are bee magnets. I also grow native passsion flower and the bees love that.

I've never seen a salamander in my yard. We do gets lots of gekos but I have seen frogs for awhile, I used to get a lot before the drought.

We don't see many honey bees, but get lots of small and medium bumblebees.

We have a lot of skinks, probably Southeastern Five-lined Skink, that I call blue tails. Also Five-lined Skinks with red heads. They are under the deck or in a stone wall in the backyard. We occasionally see a salamander, but not very often. The link below has images of these.

Barbara

Here is a link that might be useful: Lizards of S.C. and GA