early august in the garden

A particularly beautiful moment in the native plant beds these past few weeks. Delicate shades of pinks and purples before the golden blaze of the late summer goldenrods and sneezeweeds.

The recent news about monarch butterflies is very dire. However small a space you have, please consider using it to plant milkweeds and other native plants that serve as food and habitat for local pollinators. The situation could not be more urgent.

Here is a helpful series of guides to help you select the proper varieties of milkweed for your area, with instructions on how to propagate and cultivate them, via the Xerces Society.

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above, clockwise from top left:

Rudbeckia triloba, Echinacea purpurea, Hibiscus moscheutos, Phlox paniculata and Solidago (probably canadensis) line the path between two plots at 6&B

the glorious purple of Scutellaria incana

the white Hibiscus moscheutos (swamp rose mallow) in bloom. Each flower last only a day and is visited by the specialist rose mallow bee (Ptilothrix bombiformis), as well as hummingbirds and other insects. The plants also host a variety of butterfly and moth caterpillars.

the darling wild petunia (Ruellia humilis) creeping over the edge of a raised bed (host plant for the young of the Common Buckeye butterfly)

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my soundtrack for this week: Hildegard von Bingen - Celestial Hierarchy by Sequentia

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below, clockwise from top left:

pink swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)

the radiant face of the pink swamp rose mallow

a diminutive nodding onion (Allium cernuum), beloved by bees and wasps

and more white Hibiscus moscheutos

Sweetest late summer wishes,

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