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The sudden blast of cool air from yesterday’s storm seems to have seen off the many monarchs from my garden. They drank their fill from the tall spikes of purple liatris and anise hyssop and disappeared, now bumblebees are foraging around the leftovers.
Monarchs aren’t the only butterflies that migrate. At this moment at least fifty painted lady butterflies are fluttering about my garden as they continue on south. They are nectaring on the blooms of salvia, dahlia, purple hyacinth bean, scarlet runner bean, dill, cosmos and zinnias, mostly around the kitchen garden where the warm southern exposure creates a welcoming microclimate. At times they stop and bask on the steppingstones or wood siding of our house, sheltering from the chilly breeze.
Painted Lady butterfly on scarlet runner bean blossom
Painted lady (Vanessa cardui) butterflies don’t make the dramatic migration like that of the monarchs however they do travel great distances. They are found in all continents except Antarctica and Australia. Notably they migrate from North Africa to the UK and back by the millions. In North America it’s thought they do a sort of mini-migration in search of food sources.
There may be more to it than that. Often we think there’s nothing more to learn but migrating insects are still a mystery in many ways. Remember the monarch migration destination was only discovered in 1976! Sounds like a citizen science project in the making.
Usually the territory of hummingbirds, Painted Lady butterflies nectaring on Salvia 'Mystic Spires'
Earlier this summer when I was speaking at a conference three hours northwest of here lots of folks kept telling me about all of these “orange butterflies” that they were seeing everywhere. We quickly determined they were painted ladies that had migrated north. I assume these are subsequent generations moving south. It must be a good year for this species.
Years ago the kids and I were lucky to witness a wave of painted ladies feeding on the chive borders in my Kansas kitchen garden. My son filmed the beautiful creatures with one of those huge video cameras of the day. I wonder where that tape has gone? I just texted him to let him know what an awesome experience that was to share with him years ago. Keep on planting for pollinators, so that his children and yours will see similar sights of wonder for themselves.
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It sounds like the name of a cute cafe or perhaps a quaint kitchen shop but it happens to be one of my favorite combos from the kitchen garden this season:
One of my favorite vignettes in the kitchen garden this year, a combination of cauliflower 'Vitaverde' and red 'Moulin Rouge' zinnias planted through a row of butter beans in the spot where an earlier planting of peas had finished. Bush type beans don't usually have a lot of visual pizazz but these are taller and have little pale yellow (butter yellow) blossoms held high on their stems. I even spied a hummingbird sipping on one. Yes, that is another name for Lima beans. I am hoping the tender young homegrown ones will live up to their buttery name. I can't say enough about those red zinnias (available from Renee's Garden Seeds), don't be afraid of red flowers, they are such a cheerful addition to this edible landscape, and so, so popular with all of the pollinators. The blue-green foliage of the cauliflower and then the chartreuse heads are an eye-pleasing treat as well. Next up roasted cauliflower!
Ah, the smells of autumn, dusty-musty falling leaves and chimney smoke borne on crisp, dry air. There's nothing I love more than that campfire fragrance that lingers longer on your flannel-check shirt come fall. This week I've been lucky with a chance for that smoky smell, twice.
The first opportunity was pure serendipity, you had to be at the right place at the right time as a neighbor with a new outdoor pizza oven and lots of leftover dough was rounding up people out raking leaves. I have to confess we weren't raking but heading off on a rug-buying run which we quickly abandoned in favor of wood-fired food.
Flatbread pizza hits the fire
The same week friends with a way above-average talent for backyard design asked us over to sit by the fire, my favorite kind of invite. Seating fashioned from wood pallets covered in plaid blankets forms an inglenook for enjoying the toasty warmth. The actual fire pit is a high semi-circle of "found" rocks that radiates heat so efficiently. Flames are conducive to good conversation, we discussed the upcoming election, fat-content and flavor of various fast food burgers and owls among other things.
But all this woodsy odor isn't unexpected. Well, I'm getting to that. Go out to my small backyard (we have a mullet-style garden, it's all pollinator-party in the front and rainwater management-business in the back) and you find yourself sniffing and saying hmmm, what is that?
Katsura, Cercidiphyllum japonicum: I love the leaves on this specimen tree. They are usually described as heart-shaped, hence the many comparisons to the equally adorable redbud tree. For me they resemble round coins, especially golden coins when they turn color in fall. As the leaves dry out they produce a burnt-sugar smell similar to cotton candy.
The colorful, fragrant leaves of the Katsura
Prairie Dropseed, Sporoblulus heterolepsis: This graceful grass is a favorite of mine, a hardy native with high habitat value for wildlife. Starting in early fall pinkish-tan blooms form above the wiry blades. These blooms are called panicles and they smell just like popcorn.
Hmm, what smells like popcorn?
Bugbane, Actaea simplex, 'Black Negligee': Such a racy name for this cultivar, referring to its lacy dark foliage and come-hither blooms. You may previously know this plant as "cimicifuga" (pronounced semi-se-fooga), more fun to say but killjoy botanists have reclassified it. It's one of the last flowers to bloom in my garden each year. You'd expect the fragrance to be something spicy, perhaps musky. But no, it's unmistakably grape soda!
Pollinators love the scent too.
Funny that completely unplanned these plants should all end up in my garden within a few feet of each other. Altogether they celebrate the end-of-season joys of the garden. If asked to name a perfume combining all of their scents, no doubt I would call it State Fair!
But that’s where it ends for many gardeners. Red in the garden can be considered old-fashioned or fuddy-duddy. It’s been poo-pooed as gauche or vulgar by refined plantspeople. Sure they’ll go for wine-stained coleus or Bonfire begonias. And folks get giddy over chocolate cosmos in shades of Marsala, the bloody-brown 2015 Pantone Color of the Year.
Chocolate Cosmos is a sophisticated shade of Marsala
Yet you might say pure red is the equivalent of a horticultural stop sign. But hey–ho, hummingbirds love red flowers! Relax!
I decided to test out a few fire-engine red flowers this season. I wanted to see if they did indeed draw in the hummingbirds as advertised. The results were mixed.
Petunia 'Exserta'
Petunia 'Exserta', a wild petunia from Brazil
A wild petunia from Brazil, it’s said to be the only petunia naturally pollinated by hummingbirds. Exserta is unusual with its reflexed petals and a distinctive yellow corona. Images of hummingbirds snarfing nectar from the matte red flowers abound. Alas, the bees loved it but I never saw a single hummer on the abundant blooms of this one in my garden. There’s no accounting for taste, no really, different birds in different regions do exhibit certain flower preferences. (Perhaps Exserta is too spicy for Minnesota birds…just kidding.) Annie’s Annuals was my original source but it has re-seeded so much that I might question the “rare” species designation.
Zinnia ‘Moulin Rouge Red’
Swallowtail on Moulin rouge zinnias
These heirloom cutting zinnias are over my head, literally, six feet tall and bursting with blooms. Singles, doubles, spoony-shaped petals and so on; it’s a mixed bag with full-on red as the common denominator. Popular with bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. In fact I witnessed a hummingbird harassing a Monarch while it foraged on one of the blooms. There were only about 20 more flowers available but the tiny bird wanted that one. Interesting to note that a nearby patch of Zinnia ‘Benary’s Purple’ was hardly touched by any of the large number of pollinators present in my garden. (Note: I received these seeds free from Renee’s Garden Seeds to test in my garden.)
Salvia coccinea, Texas Sage
Morning light on Texas sage
Dangerously similar to grandma-style red bedding salvias, it’s saving grace is a taller stem and looser blooms. Proving quite a hit with the bees, only a few hummingbirds were intrigued, in spite of being the perfect shape and color. It has self-seeded with abandoned and now pops up all over the kitchen garden. The other day the sun was rising low in the sky and focused a single beam on the sage plant. The little flared blooms seemed to catch fire. I ran to catch it but lost the light.
In garden design red is a color that appears to recede, sometimes sucking the life from beds or borders. It needs a deft hand to make it work. In my garden I was lucky that the red blooms played well with the orange/gray/red stripes of my patio umbrella.
Last thoughts: Yes, hummingbirds like red flowers. But while I was experimenting with these wild scarlet specimens, the hummingbirds in my garden were going gaga over a light pink/orange hyssop, Agastache ‘Summer Breeze’ (also from Annie’s), tropical bloodroot (technically half yellow-half red), Black and Blue Salvia and a white verbena. Go figure. The takeaway: Plant lots of flowers and observe the activity in your garden and those of your neighbors to find the perfect hummingbird bait.
Hummingbird browsing on Agastache 'Summer Breeze'.
You know the season is shifting from summer to fall as temps cool and leaves turn color, but did you know it's also a time of Nectar Flow? I use capital letters because this phenomenon is so important to pollinators as they get ready to hibernate or migrate. Simply put, nectar flow is when one or more major nectar sources are blooming.
And here in Minnesota it's a boom year for nectar flow. Chances are it may be in your area too. Abundant rain and moderate weather sees Minnesota and other surrounding states still green and growing even now at the end of September. This is great news for pollinators as they tank up to spend winter in hives and nests or starting lengthy journeys to overwintering sites.
Not every year finds nectar flow plentiful. Drought, erratic weather, indiscriminate mowing, pesticide use and other issues can bring shortages of these vital plants. The more fall blooming flowers you plant the better chance pollinators survive and thrive into the next year.
Across much of the Midwest, native plants like asters and goldenrod account for much of the fall nectar flow. But there are other flowers you can plant to help. Use this forage map to see the best plants in your region for all seasons of nectar flow.
Learn more about what you can do to help pollinators in my book: Pollinator Friendly Gardening: Gardening for Bees, Butterflies and Other Pollinatorswhen it comes out February 1, 2016. Take advantage of the special pre-order priceof $16.27 (reg. $21.99) on Amazon right now!
Here in my garden these eight showy perennials are the big players in pollinator support for fall:
A green sweat bee visiting purple asters.
Graceful arching blooms of Goldenrod 'Fireworks'
Heleniums like 'Mardi Gras' are a favorite for bees
Joe Pye Weed is popular with both bees and butterflies
Bees love to crawl into these turtlehead blooms seeking nectar
Bumblebees sharing gaillardia
Long blooming anise hyssop is popular with butterflies and bees
There was a time when people would have said, "National What Week?". It's so great to see everyone finally getting on board for pollinators. President Obama has started the push for an initiative to plant millions of milkweed plants along the Monarch migration corridor. And now there's the Million Pollinator Garden Challenge sponsored by the National Gardening Bureau. Things are moving in the right direction.
I hope you'll be doing lots to sustain pollinators not only this week but from now on. For the past year I've been writing a book on this very topic. I've been planting for pollinators for many years now and I've gathered all that wisdom and passion into my first book, Pollinator Friendly Gardening: Gardening For Bees, Butterflies and Other Pollinators. It comes out in February 2016 just in time for planning next year's garden with all sorts of great information and photos for creating a beautiful garden that welcomes and supports these vital creatures. I'll have more info about the book as the time draws near. I'll tell you though, it can't happen soon enough!
If you're busy with summer activities or perhaps overwhelmed with weeds, here's the three most important things to know in a nutshell about creating a garden that supports pollinators.
Plant more flowers. They are the source of pollen and nectar that pollinators call food.
Avoid pesticides. They kill more than just the pesky pests, pollinators become collateral victims.
Support their reproductive cycles with bare dirt and deadfall wood for bee nesting, as well as larval host plants like milkweed for hungry caterpillars.
In the meantime join me on Twitter every Tuesday at 8pm CT for #pollin8rchat when I along with lots of knowledgeable and enthusiastic folks share our passion for pollinators and strive to answer everyone's questions on this urgent issue.
Like lots of old-fashioned spring ephemerals this one comes with a slew of funny folk names like dogtooth violet, adder's tongue and fawn lily to mention a few. But what's an ephemeral you say? Just like the label implies these flowers are fleeting. Born atop broad foliage spotted like a trout, the nodding blooms of trout lily appear in early spring and then vanish, going dormant for the rest of the year. The one pictured is the cultivar 'Pagoda'. During the time it blooms this adorable native plant is a source of food for early emerging bees.
Delicate blooms of Yellow Trout Lily 'Pagoda' await foraging bees in my garden
Water: Takes advantage of spring rains, tolerates dry shade while dormant
Size: 12-14 inches tall
Did You Know? Ants help ephemerals reproduce. They carry the seeds to their nest where the young feed on fatty deposits on the seeds call elaiosomes. The discarded seeds then germinate and form new colonies.
What's blooming? It's more like what's buzzing, and fluttering for this Garden Bloggers Bloom Day in August 2104!
It's no secret that The Garden Buzz is all about a lively garden. I've always believed a garden isn't really alive unless there are lots of creatures about. Everyone is concerned about pollinators and people are just now coming to realize, what gardeners have known all along, how important a role they play in our gardens and lives.
While I'm at it, I'd love to invite you to join me at #pollin8rchat. It's a Twitter Chat where we bring together people, plants and pollinators. If you're not on Twitter please consider it, it's lots of fun and a fountain of knowledge and knowledgeable people. Join #pollin8rchat to learn lots about how you can attract and support pollinators. Email me if you have questions about how to participate.
Meanwhile enjoy the blooms and the busy bees and butterflies!
Pollinators love Allium tanguticum
Butterflies love zinnias!
Busy bees on this giant bloom of Angelica gigs
Chocolate Cosmos is a deep wine red color, so is the pollen
I'm late, I'm late, for a very important date! So much going on in the garden but you'll excuse me for missing GBBD by two days due to wedding anniversary #29.
Without further ado...
Ajuga 'Chocolate Chips', cute as the name
Iceland poppy 'Champagne Bubbles', great coral color
Texas sage blooming in the kitchen garden along with Redbor Kale
Pea blossoms promise sweet, tasty peas in a pod
Echium 'Red Feathers' with spikes of pinkish-red flowers
Echium 'Red Feathers' with handsome spikes of reddish-pink flowers
Window Box with succulents, gomphrena and portulaca
Windowbox succulents paired with Gomphrena 'Fireworks' and rock rose
Honeysuckle 'Mandarin'
Mystery allium, can't remember what I planted, can anyone ID?
Salvia 'Purple Sensation' overhead view, spot the bee
'Crazytunia' trial plant from Viva! Plants, each bloom is a little different
