Bees, Birds & Butterflies

Building a Pollinator Garden

It's the last week of April in Wisconsin, the biting damp wind chills my bones. I miss Colorado, it feels like spring will never arrive. We had a rare break of 60 degrees and sunshine, an opportunity to prepare a bed for my cool weather crops.

A friend stopped by and we sat at the little bistro table in the middle of the yard for a chat. Much to my delight, a bumbling bee mistook my neon scarf for a means of nectar and bounced off my cheek. The first kiss of spring!

Milkweed & More

Since I started with a quarter acre of weedless lawn four springs ago, I knew that the clover and dandelions could feed the bees if allowed, but I was on a mission to become a butterfly habitat, too. My first purchase, a butterfly bush, fast growing with long lasting blooms. Recalling a fourth grade field trip, I knew that the Monarch was our state butterfly, well then, I need to find some milkweed too.

A friend brought me a Butterfly weed or tropical milkweed Asclepias currasavica.

Oh what a happy surprise!

It worked so well in tandem with my low growing Nasturtium and the taller Mexican Sunflower. I saved the seed pods and have been growing it since.

One autumn day I was walking my dog, admiring a 7 foot tall bush with stunning orange flowers. The lady of the house was outside and I was able to gather seeds for the following spring. The plant was commonly called Mexican Sunflower Tithonia rotundifolia. It's been a huge hit with all the bees, birds and butterflies in my yard. Even though they are not considered native pollinators, I love them, and they're staying!

Last year, I was able to obtain a native pink Swamp Milkweek Asclepias incarnata.

The monarchs took full advantage of the new nectar, but so did the aphids late in the season. Sadly I eradicated the plant and wasn't able to gather seed pods.

This spring, I can't wait to get my native Blazing Star Laitrus in the ground.

Bee Kind!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------Sheri Kaz is an avid gardener, writer and Interior Designer