Zebra swallowtail saying thans Patch#

And, when the cardinal flowers bloom, I begin anticipating the great blue lobelia, another favorite, which blooms a few weeks later.Įach lobelia, a close relative of cardinal flower, is a magnet for hummingbirds and butterflies. A few weeks ago I wondered if they were still around. Some years they’ve disappeared altogether. Sometimes they jump from place to place in the yard. Red is an unusual color for prairie plants, and I watch for these in July, fingers crossed. Their bright scarlet screams across the yard. Nearby are the velvet flame-petals of cardinal flowers.

Zebra swallowtail saying thans Patch#

I’ve not observed either of these in our yard, but I’m on the lookout! Meanwhile, it’s the eastern black swallowtails I see, drawn to the blazing star blooms by the patio.Ĭulver’s root lights its flower candles in the prairie patch each July-the white so bright against the green! Bees of all kinds love it, as do moths, wasps, and butterflies. Although the flowers have no nectar, they offer pollen to flies and beetles.Ī pawpaw tree behind the prairie patch is a host plant for zebra swallowtail butterflies and the pawpaw sphinx moth. Let’s take a look.Ĭurrently, queen of the prairie at the back of the yard is a showstopper. July is a good month to step outside and sit on the patio for a while. We try to think about different plant heights, bloom times, and mixing a kaleidoscope of colors and shapes and bloom sizes in the yard. What plants are good nectar sources? How might we attract more butterflies? Which plants have good seeds for birds? Which plants are host plants for moth caterpillars?ĭiversity. When we plant, we try to keep insects and wildlife in mind. Our goal has become one suggested by University of Delaware Professor of Entomology Doug Tallamy: plant at least 70% of your yard (by biomass) with trees, shrubs, flowers, and grasses native to your area. I confess to a passion for zinnias the butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds go crazy over them. …a small pond, and a mixture of native plants and favorite non-natives. Over the years, we’ve added numerous raised beds for vegetable gardening… Their deep roots helped absorb some of the water. After removing most of the Arborvitae and all the yews, we planted a border of prairie plants across the backyard. When Jeff and I moved here, there were giant arborvitae, a few yews, and not much else. Our yard lies downslope of two others, and is often wet-if not downright swampy.

My suburban backyard 20 miles west of Chicago is less than a quarter of an acre, and bordered closely on all sides by some of the 300-plus homes in our subdivision. But perhaps never so much as this summer, when I, like other Illinois residents, am spending a lot more time at home. I’ve always been glad I planted prairie in my backyard. “But now, for the first time in its history, gardening has taken on a role that transcends the needs of the gardener.” - Doug Tallamy