Wildflower Wednesday, and Yard Update

It seems I have only been posting once a month, for Gail's Wildflower Wednesday.  I decided to include some photos of the yard as well this time. I have lots of blooms that are not native, but am continuing to replace some of them with U.S. natives a bit at a time.  I am not attempting to just have locally native plants, though.  A number of plants that do well here would not be found together in nature.  I am just tickled to have what I do, and to see the insect and bird visitors.  I didn't take these photos at a time when they were feeding, even though I have been seeing bees and butterflies on some of the blooms.  I learned recently that different kinds of flowers release their pollen at different times of the day.  I am not making it out at different times of the day as often as I used to, so maybe the numbers are not as low as I think.

Here is the front yard, where a silver maple tree used to be until hollow branches were found, and it needed to be cut down for safety.  The first wildflower I want to talk about is what appears to be the tallest in this photo, at the back by the bird feeder.

 

It took a few seasons, so I am pleased that the white wild indigo plant has been blooming for a couple or three years now.   I planted a couple more this year, and look forward to them growing large enough to bloom.  I recently looked up information to see what native plants are poisonous, after finding out some are.  I found out the baptisias are, but they are not severely toxic.  Here is some information on that.

 It likes sun, and is in a spot that does not get watered much.

There are a number of baptisia australis in the yard.  They are in sun, and part sun.  These have self sown, and I have been able to share some.  I am seeing a few bees on these.

On the east side of the house is a parent plant and its offspring that I didn't get dug out to move or share.  The shorter plant with pinkish blooms is a spiderwort cultivar.  The chair belonged to some neighbors who recently moved, due to the mother having memory problems.  I don't know where it will end up, but it probably cannot stay on the egress window cover.

Amsonias are also some of my favorite spring bloomers.  I just wish the bloom time was longer.

The previous photo was looking north and west.  This one is looking south, and there are more amsonias and another baptisia.

Aren't they so pretty?

I decided to go on a bit of a yard walk, to show the flower beds, always a work in progress.  The tall plant by the shed is a buttonbush, which has not yet bloomed.  I hope this is the year it does.

The golden alexanders are still blooming.

The bare spot by the bird is where I dug out a catmint last year.  I planted some native seeds I got from Gardening with Nature in Mind's (on Facebook) plant/seed share last fall, but neglected to write down what I planted, and I think whatever little things have come up are weeds.  After this photo was taken, I moved some plants from the yard to fill in the space.

I am relieved the rabbits are not doing as much damage to the plants as usual.  The phlox pilosa plants, PPP to Gail, have been eaten down to the stubs other years, but they are doing quite well this spring.

I am glad to be seeing monarch caterpillars on the various kinds of milkweed.

We started and will end in the front yard.  I trimmed back the golden alexanders because they were flopping due to all of the rain we've been getting.  I also cut down more stems of the cup plant than usual, hoping it will not hang over the sidewalk as much.

I am not making it to visit blogs like I used to.  I hope all is well with you, and you are enjoying time in your gardens.