Butterfly/Pollinator Havens - Which plants are your favorite to cultivate?

He is gorgeous, Windmere! Like a white tiger! I just saw a Monarch flitting about in my hollyhocks, but he never landed, just checking it out.

I got his shot today of a bumblebee on, you guessed it, a Queen Sophia French marigold:

Bees, almost.....cuddly.....almost.

Scorpio Rising wrote:Bees, almost.....cuddly.....almost.

True.

Really nice pics, Windmere. That's a heck of a nice butterfly too.

Saw my first bumblebee!!!!!

Some of my favorite pollinators at this time of the year - they bring many pollinators into the vegetable gardens to ensure everything sets fruit.

Red Monarda (Bee Balm)


Button Bush



Red Ice Sedum


Sweet Alyssum - these attract beneficial wasps, such as the Aphid Wasp and the Braconid Wasp

I don't know if this is accepted practice but Penn State has been running a series of Webinars weekly since the beginning of June on Wednesdays beginning at 3:00 pm and ending at 4:15 pm. This week's is about Bumblebees and have been looking forward to it. Last week was about Mason Bees. The Webinars are free you just have to register for them. I would feel bad that I didn't mention it sooner but they are recorded, so you can view them if you wish. Everywhere you turn there seems to be webinars. I did do the course earlier this year, Bee Keeping 101 for free but now they are charging $79.99. It would be worth it if you are trying to decide whether or not to try and have a hive or two. Changed my mind, a good amount of work and expense. plus something else I wouldn't get to until too late. No bees for me this year. Here is the link to Penn State but to register for The Bumblebee Webinar you will have to scroll down to the bottom of the web page and then quite possibly scroll left or right to finally find the Bumblebee Webinar. This link is actually what to plant in your garden for pollinators.

https://extension.psu.edu/pollinator-series-gardening-for-pollinators

It seems Pollinator Gardens and which plants to plant for nutritional resources for pollinators for an entire season have been hot topics almost everywhere.

I plant Marigolds in the gardens to repel pests, and to trap root nematodes, but they also attract pollinators to the garden. Practical & Beautiful at the same time.

I love going out in the evening, around 8:00pm, and watching the blooms of the Evening Primrose open up for the night. The flowers are so bright in the setting sun, and the flowers are important for the nighttime pollinators.

A short video of the blooms opening in realtime.

Love that!

Some of my favorite pollinators are in bloom now -- the Crocosmia Lucifer and the Bee Balm (Monarda). When walking by the Bee Balm the air is filled with its sweet smell, and bees & butterflies cannot resist it. The Crocosmia is a favorite plant of the Hummingbirds.


Bee Balm






Crocosmia Lucifer

I forgot to include pictures of the the pollinators on the flowers.  A bee in the Crocosmia bloom, and a Sunflower Bee on the Sunflower bloom.

One of my favorite fall pollinator plants is the Autumn Clematis. It is in full bloom now, and covered with bees and butterflies.

Pineapple sage in the lavender pot.  We transplanted it to a 2' pot and it's getting huge. It's not a good photo as the red flowers are not present but the hummingbirds and pollinators love it.

The front yard Mexican sage is a monster that hummingbirds and pollinators also love.  The beautiful purple flowers.