PLANTS LURE WILDLIFE TO GARDEN

Echinacea purpurea can always be counted on for a show of pollinators and birds.
Native bees such as bumble bees and an unidentifed bee with its back legs orange with pollen appear daily to forage the abundant pollen.Standing in a doorway trying not to cast a shadow on the plants I watch Painted Ladies wander from flower to flower and Black Swallowtails pick a spot and stay awhile opening and closing wings moving around the cone. Sometimes flying off then landing back again to work the same flower.
American Goldfinches seem to prefer the purple coneflower early before seeds have had a chance to mature.The goldfinches are loud,messy and joyful, singing and flying and searching out food.

We grow moonbeam coreopsis and it is a beautiful flower.Growing low it makes an excellent edging or groundcover. Its pale yellow blossoms glow in the evening when other flowers fade into the dark . But the species threadleaf draws many more insects and is a reliable return growing tall and wide filled with rich flowers. The annual coreopsis with its yellow and red variations and self seeding habit is a staple in this wildlife garden. Easy to grow and very colorful it will come up and flower amid the grass calling out to passersby, insect and human alike.





Since I am a horrrible photographer here is a link to the site of many great pictures.

Richard Seaman