Good reminder! Many of my garden centers have shut down, but there are 2 on my drive from work I havent checked out.
For anyone in US/Canada, someone here gave me this Xerces guide to regional pollinator plants that has sooooo much info. I definitely want some milkweed. We had a resurgence of monarch butterflies last year and it was really nice to see.
Make sure you buy the right kind of milkweed for your latitude! The monarchs need different things during different stages. And don’t get the “tropical” or “Mexican” milkweed if you live above the Mexican border.
I did see there were quite a number of species! That’s what makes all this so daunting! I just want to throw out some scoops of seed and attract bees and butterflies…why must it be so complex?! 🤯
Well you don’t need to be as particular as someone who’s restoring wild habitat. Look at monarchwatch.org for any of the ones that suit your general region, then follow the link to https://www.xerces.org/milkweed/milkweed-seed-finder and input your state, type you want, and Yes or No to seeds vs live plants to find a place to buy them. Once there, you can play around finding other flowering plants native to your state. Also, many insect and bird species are not so fussy! Hummingbirds and bees love my blueberry bush and bougainvillea and lemon tree that aren’t native at all, as well as my Tidy Tips and California Primrose that are. And there’s a Yellow Warbler who loves eating the little bugs (aphids, mites, I dunno) that infest them.
Good reminder! Many of my garden centers have shut down, but there are 2 on my drive from work I havent checked out.
For anyone in US/Canada, someone here gave me this Xerces guide to regional pollinator plants that has sooooo much info. I definitely want some milkweed. We had a resurgence of monarch butterflies last year and it was really nice to see.
Make sure you buy the right kind of milkweed for your latitude! The monarchs need different things during different stages. And don’t get the “tropical” or “Mexican” milkweed if you live above the Mexican border.
I did see there were quite a number of species! That’s what makes all this so daunting! I just want to throw out some scoops of seed and attract bees and butterflies…why must it be so complex?! 🤯
Well you don’t need to be as particular as someone who’s restoring wild habitat. Look at monarchwatch.org for any of the ones that suit your general region, then follow the link to https://www.xerces.org/milkweed/milkweed-seed-finder and input your state, type you want, and Yes or No to seeds vs live plants to find a place to buy them. Once there, you can play around finding other flowering plants native to your state. Also, many insect and bird species are not so fussy! Hummingbirds and bees love my blueberry bush and bougainvillea and lemon tree that aren’t native at all, as well as my Tidy Tips and California Primrose that are. And there’s a Yellow Warbler who loves eating the little bugs (aphids, mites, I dunno) that infest them.
Very nice, thank you for the links and words of encouragement! I tend to overthink things and get bogged down before getting started.