July is a time of delight and surprises in my gardens. The hummingbirds and butterflies are now regular visitors. Hummingbirds seem to have a daily schedule that they distribute to their “charm”—the common name for a group of hummingbirds. They regularly join us as we dine in our backyard.
Another fun fact is that hummingbirds can remember the location of their favorite flowers for years, due to their extra-large hippocampus, the part of the brain for learning and spatial memory. Hummingbirds are important to pollination, not just pretty little birds.
My gardens are a-flutter with butterflies, but I especially appreciate it when a monarch butterfly appreciates MY attempt to provide for its needs. The monarch is one of the most diverse pollinating species in the insect world, probably oblivious to the important role it plays as it flits from flower to flower, drinking the nectar from the flowers and depositing pollen along the way, enabling the plant to reproduce.
Monarch moms only lay eggs on milkweed plants. The egg turns into a caterpillar, which eats the milkweed leaves. Then the caterpillar forms a chrysalis that will hang from the underside of the milkweed leaf and soon turn into a butterfly! If you’d like to help, plant milkweed native to North America, not tropical milkweed.
Since many food crops are dependent on pollinators, consider helping them as you garden. Plant native plants that bloom at different times and avoid chemicals or use them very carefully as you target the problem.
There are always surprises to find. Last fall, I placed big, beautiful (couldn’t resist writing that!) pumpkins in my planters near our front door. This spring, I filled the planters with pansies and surprise! A pumpkin vine is now growing there, too! I hope it will spread out into the front bed and produce some pumpkins.
Let’s help our pollinators and look for surprises in our home landscapes.
