#DIYLove – Fall Gardening
#DIYLove – Fall Gardening
Via In The Zone by WWF.
“…To benefit the widest range of wildlife species, it’s helpful to plan your garden so that there’s always something blooming from early spring right into the fall.
Here are some examples of how wildlife depends on native flowers that appear in late summer and autumn:
New England aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae): These bright rose-purple flowers produce a lot of nectar even when temperatures are low. So, as fall progresses, they are among the last flowers providing food for pollinators. Migrating butterflies like the common buckeye (Junonia coenia) visit these asters to fuel their southward migration. The flower’s flat platform shape allows the butterflies to rest while drinking nectar.
Spotted Joe-Pye-weed (Eutrochium maculatum): A common sight in late summer and early fall, this tall perennial thrives in moist environments including wetlands, banks of rivers and ponds, and ditches. The nectar feeds adult Eastern tiger swallowtail and monarch butterflies while pearl crescent butterfly caterpillars eat the plant itself. Ruby-throated hummingbirds also drink the nectar and finches eat the seeds…
Canada goldenrod (Solidago canadensis): These plants’ abundant nectar and pollen make them an important support for local butterflies and moths, native bees, and hoverflies, also called flower flies or syrphid flies. The plentiful seeds that they offer also help to feed songbirds like sparrows and juncos before they migrate southward. Note: this species can spread impressively but there are other goldenrods suitable for small gardens, which have similar flowers and wildlife benefits.
Cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis): This plant is a magnet for ruby-throated hummingbirds, which are attracted to the stunning bright red flowers and energy-rich nectar. Cardinal flower is also frequented by halictid bees (also called sweat bees), bumble bees, and several swallowtail butterflies, including black, spicebush and pipevine swallowtails.”
To read more, click here.
