Georgia Magazine - August 2023 - 26

GEORGIA Gardens
Narrow-leaf sunflower
Milkweed is the only larval host plant for monarch
butterflies.
" Many natives provide multiseason support for pollinators, "
he says. " For instance, purple coneflower's blossoms
provide pollen for honeybees and native bees. Their nectar
feeds a wide range of butterflies, including monarchs, skippers,
fritillaries and tiger swallowtails. "
Coneflowers bloom throughout the summer and into fall.
If the flowers remain on the plants, the resulting seedheads
become a food source for birds in the fall and winter. Birds also
disperse the seeds, thus spreading the plants into new areas.
The dead stems, which are hollow, provide shelter for insects,
and the faded leaves offer shelter for over-wintering birds.
The long flowering season for perennial coreopsis makes it
ideal to support pollinators, particularly when regularly deadheaded.
Its bright-yellow, daisy-like blossoms provide pollen
and nectar in the summer. When the blooms fade, cardinals,
chickadees, goldfinches and sparrows feed on and scatter the
seeds in the fall and winter.
Pollinator advocates frequently suggest reducing the size of
a formal lawn and adding pollinator gardens instead to restore
habitat.
" The documented decline of monarch butterflies is a good
example of what happens when native plantings have been
replaced by well-groomed lawns, " Lewis says. " Creating a few
plots of wildflowers, even along the edge of your property, will
add options for the birds, bees, butterflies and other insects and
help ensure the survival of our many pollinators. "
Pamela A. Keene is a freelance writer and Master Gardener
living in Flowery Branch.
Plants for pollinators
Here are some suggestions of plants native to Georgia that attract
pollinators and birds and the seasons in which they bloom.
Spring: Coreopsis, or tickseed, features upright plants with blooms in
various shades of yellow; Stokes' aster provides low-growing clumps of
blooms in various shades of purple, blue, peach and white; golden
Alexander boasts bright-yellow blooms similar to Queen Anne's lace and
is also a host plant for black swallowtail butterfl ies.
Summer: Milkweed is the only larval host for monarch butterfl y
caterpillars. Purple conefl ower is a source of nectar and pollen, and in the
fall the seedheads provide food for birds; liatris, also known as blazing star,
has tall spikes of fuzzy purple blooms that host the larvae of several kinds of
moths, attract bees and other insects, and provide nectar for butterfl ies.
Fall: Narrow-leaf sunfl ower's upright growth attracts migrating butterfl ies,
and it is a host for painted lady and bordered patch butterfl ies, honeybees,
wasps and beetles. Georgia aster blooms from late September through
November, providing late-season nectar and pollen; rattlesnake master-
known for attracting bees, beetles and fl ies-is a perennial herb with
spherical, bristly, white blooms.
26 Georgia Magazine August 2023
Rattlesnake master
ISTOCK.COM / DEAN FIKAR
ISTOCK.COM / JEN JEPP
JUDY CLAYTON WARD
Georgia Magazine - August 2023

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