A prairie with many a blossom

My friend, Jannine, and  I recently enjoyed the Midwest Native Plant Conference at Dayton, Ohio. I learned a lot from presenters and other attendees. The conference concluded with field trips, and Jannine and I chose the 112-acre Huffman Prairie which is located on the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. I had hoped for blossoms and was not disappointed.

Huffman Prairie - Dayton,Ohio

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Garden tour of Lexington Monarch Waystations

Monarch Waystation signMONARCH WAYSTATION GARDEN TOUR
SATURDAY, JULY 11, 2015 –  10 to 5 – rain or shine
Includes 10 Lexington gardens
Tickets $10 – available at each of the following certified Monarch Waystations

Come and see how these gardeners have incorporated native plants into their landscapes to help Monarchs and other pollinators.

  1. 232 Castlewood Drive (Google map)
  2. Wild Ones’ Pollinator Garden @ Wellington Park (Google map)
  3. 224 Leawood DriveThis is our yard. I hope you’ll stop by to take a look and say hello. (Google map)
  4. St. Michael’s Church, 2025 Bellefonte Drive – please park on Libby Lane (Google map)
  5. 4 Richmond Avenue (Google map)
  6. Cardinal Hill Hospital, 2050 Versailles Road – please enter from Mason Headley Road (Google map)
  7. 124 Idle Hour Drive (Google map)
  8. Klausing Group, 1356 Cahill Drive (Google map)
  9. 571 Mitchell Avenue (Google map)
  10. 1721 Gettysburg Road (Google map)

For tour garden descriptions, visit the Lexington Wild Ones website.

I’d appreciate you sharing this with anyone else who might be interested.

 

Late summer at The Arboretum

I’m grateful to live near The Arboretum and to be able to observe and learn from the diversity of plants. On a recent walk, I was delighted to find several native perennials with colorful blooms.

I like the soft mauve color of Joe-pye Weed (Eupatorium fistulosum), and it was a special treat to see a Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) on this one.

Monarch on Joe-pye weed

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Purple coneflower visitors

Goodness, it’s hot and dry. It is a challenging time for plants, wildlife, and gardeners. I previously blogged about why purple coneflowers (Echinacea purpurea) are one of my favorite perennials. They’re now proving to be one of my most drought-resistant plants and attracting the most visitors, including this orange sulphur butterfly (Colias eurytheme).

Colias Eurytheme Butterfly on EchinaceaPurpurea

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