It is time for Gail at Clay and Limestone's Wildflower Wednesday. I have two kinds of native plants to share photos of this time. I am sad that I am not finding my usual Comic Sans font to use.
Tall thistle is a native one that is not considered noxious like some are. It is one of those plants that has bees and butterflies on it all day long when it is in bloom. Here is some information on the plant: https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=CIAL2.
There have been some monarchs on the blooms each day.
There have been eastern tiger swallowtails, which I haven't gotten a photo of, and different black swallowtails of some kind. I tried to figure out what kind this is, but can't tell. It doesn't have the white spots on its body some in the photos do. The bumble bee is different than most we see here.
There have been different kinds of skippers.
I have been seeing quite a few of these bees on the blooms each day, and it is fun to watch them. Someone on Facebook let me know these are thistle longhorned bees. They are smaller than bumblebees. I had just come across an article that talked about insects that specialize on specific native plants, so it is good to plant a number of different kinds to provide for them. I am tickled that these bees have found the tall thistles here!
I am not sure what kind of bumble bee this is.
Here is a different kind of skipper than the one in a previous photo.
Helenium autumnale plants have been blooming for a few days. I normally cut them and a few other plants back in the spring to keep them bushy and not get too tall and lanky. I experimented with not doing that this year, and have been tying lots of flopping plants up. The insects do not seem to care one way or the other! Here is some information on them: https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=HEAU. I didn't remember that they prefer a moist area. Mine get a bit of watering from our lawn sprinkler, but the area does not stay moist at all times.
The bumble bee on the left is the kind we usually see. There are two sized kinds that look like this. I am not remembering what the bee on the right is.
I hope your wildflowers are doing well and attracting those pollinators!
Tall thistle is a native one that is not considered noxious like some are. It is one of those plants that has bees and butterflies on it all day long when it is in bloom. Here is some information on the plant: https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=CIAL2.
There have been some monarchs on the blooms each day.
There have been eastern tiger swallowtails, which I haven't gotten a photo of, and different black swallowtails of some kind. I tried to figure out what kind this is, but can't tell. It doesn't have the white spots on its body some in the photos do. The bumble bee is different than most we see here.
There have been different kinds of skippers.
I have been seeing quite a few of these bees on the blooms each day, and it is fun to watch them. Someone on Facebook let me know these are thistle longhorned bees. They are smaller than bumblebees. I had just come across an article that talked about insects that specialize on specific native plants, so it is good to plant a number of different kinds to provide for them. I am tickled that these bees have found the tall thistles here!
I am not sure what kind of bumble bee this is.
Here is a different kind of skipper than the one in a previous photo.
Helenium autumnale plants have been blooming for a few days. I normally cut them and a few other plants back in the spring to keep them bushy and not get too tall and lanky. I experimented with not doing that this year, and have been tying lots of flopping plants up. The insects do not seem to care one way or the other! Here is some information on them: https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=HEAU. I didn't remember that they prefer a moist area. Mine get a bit of watering from our lawn sprinkler, but the area does not stay moist at all times.
The bumble bee on the left is the kind we usually see. There are two sized kinds that look like this. I am not remembering what the bee on the right is.
I hope your wildflowers are doing well and attracting those pollinators!
I do love native thistle and wish I had the sun to make it happy. I may try again...Happy WW.xogail
ReplyDeleteAs always, thanks again for sharing the wonders going on in your garden. It's appreciated.
ReplyDeleteSo rewarding to see all the insects enjoying your chosen flowers.
ReplyDeleteLovely. It seems I always see butterflies on thistles whenever I come across them. I don't have any thistles here, but there are many in the surrounding area.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful thistle photos! Love seeing the bees and butterflies. And those yellow blooms - such a cheerful color! I followed the link you provided to learn their common name - Sneezeweed. I think I have seen them here in Mississippi.
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful weekend!
I need to try native thistle. Did you grow it from seed or purchase a plant? Love all the pollinators in your garden. My sneezeweed isn't blooming yet.
ReplyDeleteHi Karen, I haven't been to my blog for quite awhile. I am actually here right now, because Facebook seems to be down. I see I didn't answer your question. I have memory issues, but I do think that nature planted the ones in our yard. I don't think I planted them. Did you ever find any?
DeleteYour flowers are beautiful! We have a lot of thistles around here too but I haven't learned how to tell them apart yet.
ReplyDelete