If You Plant Them, They Will Come...

PHEW! It sure is warm still! For most of July, our team has kept busy planting rows and rows of native wildflowers before the warmth of our growing season passes. While the summer is quickly passing, it doesn't look like the heat is going to let up anytime soon. This is good news for the most part as our plants' little root systems have some extra time for development.

We're ready for another month of Downtown Farmers' Market, too! 

Something so beautifully telling of how precious prairie nurtures life occurred Saturday morning during the market. Around 9am, a slightly unexpected guest showed up at the very back of our market stall. It didn't have an enormously large physical presence nor was it very loud, so it went undetected by most passersby that morning. Only those who stopped in and took a gander at the plants were privy to this excitement. 

Our visitor sincerely liked one particular species of wildflower, and it did not make a move to visit any of the others during its stay. It perched on Liatris ligulistylis until we were ready to pack up the plants and take off around 12:30pm.

     

            Danaus plexippus, the Monarch Butterfly feeding on Liatris lingulistylis, Meadow Blazing Star

In general, the downtown area is everything but perfect habitat for Monarchs or any nectar hungry critters for that matter, but...as we say all the time, "If you plant them, they will come." So, if you'd like to see more butterflies, take a look at these Butterfly Garden options. Below is a list of recommended wildflowers and/or grasses, their heights and moisture needs. A flat of 38 plants is perfect to get them to come...