Butterfly Drive-Thru

Maybe you've seen the line of cars slowly creeping along through the drive-thru at McDonald's at breakfast time or a Chick-Fil-A at lunch--these places are crazy busy at times where I live. Native wildflowers are like that for pollinating insects. Here, a Great Spangled Fritillary butterfly (large one in center) is slurping up sweet nectar from a Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) in our yard. A Silver-Spotted Skipper (back left) and another type of Skipper wait in line. For these little fellows, it is not just about having a sweet tooth, it is a matter of life and death for the calories. Plant native wildflowers for the pollinators in your neighborhood. A good place to start is with the Butterfly Wildflowers Mix at Holland Wildflower Farm.com. You'll be surprised how busy your garden becomes!