Native Gardening

[JBtheExplorer]

 

[CountryEscape]

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[CountryEscape]

JB, what is the most unusual bug on the second picture above? Some type of wasp maybe? It’s cool!
Here are some of my milkweed plants that were blooming recently (swamp, tropical, Hello Yello butterfly weed, white swamp, showy, and orange butterfly weed), plus a cool looking bee on a fancy rudebekia I got last year in clearance!

Oh

Oh and my next door neighbors have 4 bee hives so I’m getting tons of bees on the flowers and also in the bog for drinks of fresh water.

 

[JBtheExplorer]

JB, what is the most unusual bug on the second picture above? Some type of wasp maybe? It’s cool!

It's a clearwing moth!

 

[JBtheExplorer]

Butterflyweed

Prairie Coreopsis

Blue Grama

Black-eyed Susans

Hoary Vervain

Purple Poppy Mallow

Spring Azure

Wild Bergamot

 

[JBtheExplorer]

The newest section of my native garden is looking incredible! Seeded in October 2019.

 

[JBtheExplorer]

Rattlesnake Master

Gray-headed Coneflower

Red Milkweed Beetle

Wild Bergamot

Purple Coneflower

 

[gimpy]

OK, JB, I had to look that one up. . I had never heard that name before, "rattle snake master". And I live in rattlesnake country. (well, tried to leave some smilies, but apparently can't, or it didn't). :>),

 

[Rashad]

JB, I love your native plants. Do you have any advice? I have an area that's about 40 x 30 feet filled with several mature cottonwood trees that has a sprinkler system that I've been trying to sort of turn into a native meadow. I spread some native grass seed, and a bunch of native wildflower seed, but I'd say it's about 80% weeds, 20% natives. Do I just need to get really serious about pulling the weeds as they come?

 

[JBtheExplorer]

JB, I love your native plants. Do you have any advice? I have an area that's about 40 x 30 feet filled with several mature cottonwood trees that has a sprinkler system that I've been trying to sort of turn into a native meadow. I spread some native grass seed, and a bunch of native wildflower seed, but I'd say it's about 80% weeds, 20% natives. Do I just need to get really serious about pulling the weeds as they come?

I do some pretty heavy weeding the first year. It's really important to pull them all during the first year. It gets SO much easier after that as long as your native plantings are dense enough and don't allow much room for weeds to grow. During the second year, I do very little weeding, mostly in spring before the natives fill in. It's even easier in year three - almost none at all.

 

[JBtheExplorer]

Wildfire smoke had everything looking nice and golden this morning.

 

[JBtheExplorer]

 

[JBtheExplorer]

 

[JBtheExplorer]

It's been a great day for viewing butterflies!

 

[JBtheExplorer]

More life in the garden.