Tag: Plants for Pollinators
Phantom of the Mexican Sunflower
Butterflies are gradually becoming more scarce as we slide into the last week of September. However, this weekend I got a lucky capture of a Black Swallowtail on a Mexican Sunflower (Tithonia rotundifolia). This guy’s stance and coloring made me think of Phantom of the Opera, plus it kind of looks like he is wearing …
Another Useful Goldenrod
Currently we don’t have any of the tall goldenrods in the garden, except for a few volunteer wildlings scattered in corners here and there. We do have a lot of Bluestem Goldenrod (Solidago caesia), however.
Not Your Average Goldenrod
Many people think of Goldenrod as a plant that lives in sunny fields and flowers in wands or plumes at the top of tall stems. There are a number of Goldenrods that do not fit this description, however.
Gorgeous Garlic Chives and a Superb Sunflower
The most interesting plants in the Herb Garden right now are the Garlic Chives (Allium tuberosum) and the ‘Italian White’ Sunflower (Helianthus annuus).
A Bumper Crop of Crabapples
There are so many fruits on our ‘Donald Wyman’ Crabapple that the branches are bending under the weight.
Blooms of the Left Bank
The Left Bank is what I call the part of our garden that sits west of the driveway. It consists of 4 parts: 1) The Lamppost Bed in the parkway; 2) the Crabapple Bed under the dripline (more or less) of the the ‘Donald Wyman’ Crabapple; 3) the area between the Crabapple Bed and the …
Venerable Vervain
Hoary Vervain (Verbena stricta) is an attractive but not a showy plant. But it has great value from a wildlife perspective. First, let’s deal with the name. “Hoary” does not mean what some of you think it means (don’t bother to deny it). It actually means appearing aged, as in white-haired or grizzled. And in …
Thanks a Million
A few days ago the Chicago Tribune ran a story about how 14,000 Chicago gardens had been registered with the Million Pollinator Garden Challenge, contributing to the total of 1,040,000 gardens registered since 2015 when the challenge was launched. Actually, the press release announcing this achievement came out on February 26th, so it’s not exactly …
Pollinators, Known and Unknown, in the Late Summer Garden
Summer is winding down, but there are still plenty of pollinators in the garden. Here’s a collection of some I saw recently. Some are old friends, while certain others and I have never been properly introduced to others. Help with ID would be much appreciated.
gardeninacity 