Black-eyed Susan
It is a beautiful time of the year with July’s grasses and flowers filling every field with treasures like Rudbeckia hirta, or Black-eyed Susan, delighting our insects and sustaining our world. As we embark into August make sure you schedule time to be outdoors this weekend!
Read MoreEastern Purple Coneflower
This Eastern Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) makes for a spectacular “ornamental” type of plant for boxes and plots! I put ornamental in quotation marks because it is far more than a decorative object or flashy looking flower. It is a native perennial that is very popular among our pollinators, and adding them to your garden – wherever it may be – will not only give it a lovely look but also a feeding frenzy of insects. On the day I took this photo I saw Black Swallowtails, Spicebush Swallowtails, Orange and Clouded Sulphurs, Cabbage Whites, a Viceroy, and...
Read MoreClover Up Close
In today’s episode of “Clover Up Close” we see the all too typically busy bee hard at work. Hey, it looks like you missed some of that pollen, come back! And please bring all of your friends…remember, if we build it, they will come.
Read MoreRed Admiral Feeding
The Red Admiral butterfly parade continues! Many have been pouring through the north, and are often noted as having been a primary Purple Martin food source this summer with bits of them left at gourd colonies. This individual paused for a moment and actually allowed me to snap off a shot as many typically have been flying by me without a second look. This sort of flight year really does help our aerial insectivores, a good example of the importance of our food web from bottom to top. Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
Read MorePollinator Meadows
You think there are a few pollinator sources here? It may not be the most ideal mix of vegetation, and it may contain some non-native and even dominant or invasive species, but it is far better than a mowed lawn or some pavement, full of busy bees, beetles, butterflies and many other insects. Let it grow and keep it chemical free, folks! We can perfect it later.
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