I've never been much of a gardener or landscaper. My backyard is rough at best, however a couple of years ago I had 3 of the oak trees taken down. I cut them up myself and turned the logs into some beds for vegetables and flowers. These have worked quite well and while the yard is still shaded, some things have grown well.

Fall is finally starting to make it presence known, so the insect visitors are getting less frequent. Yesterday was a slightly cooler day over night and it seemed to spark a last flurry of activity from the bees and wasps.