Proof of Pollinators- June
I've decided to capture proof of pollinators on the plants in my garden with photos. I suppose all of us have purchased plants that were supposed to be good for pollinators, but it didn't actually happen. I have seen spirea listed as a good shrub for pollinators. I haven't seen any such activity on my "Neon" spirea shrubs. Perhaps this variety doesn't have much nectar. I've also observed that we don't have as many bumble bees this year. I saw carpenter bees in early Spring. They are quite aggressive with other bees, if not people. As I noted earlier, we've had a super long wet Spring. Is this weather or carpenter bee related? This week we have returned to the high 80's and the 90's. Maybe, I'll see more bumbles later in the season. On to my tried and true pollinator attractors.
Echinacea with a Painted Lady butterfly. It's a little hard to tell with her wings up. I can just make out the spots on lower edge of the wing.
Spiderwort with honey bee. These plants have loved our long wet Spring.
Blue scabiosa , another garden classic. If the weather is cool enough it will bloom all summer here and into fall.
Scabiosa ochroleuca. This creamy yellow plant self seeds in my yard. I love it. It makes a beautiful filler plant. You will see it more than once in my Artful Combinations category.
Black and Blue sage. At the moment this is a favorite of our hummingbirds too. It will keep going all summer long. It grows well in part sun. This is also a great plant to share as it will spread, if happy.
Beautyberry- Callicarpa dichotoma This is also a great plant for the birds. Lovely purple berries form in late summer.
Echinacea and American Bumble Bee