Summer is in full swing, but so is our school habitat. You can see why native plants are so wonderful — they are thriving in the crazy heat (while the rest of us are melting). The blooms are blooming, the butterflies are fluttering, and the bees are all abuzz gathering pollen. The habitat is just busy with life, and come fall everything is going to be even bigger and better than it already is!
Take a tour with us…
Just inside the arbor, countless Queen butterflies are fluttering about the Gregg’s Mistflower. It’s their favorite nectar source.
Even from the back, the garden is a rainbow.
This assassin bug is a welcome beneficial insect and will help get rid of pest bugs.
A swallowtail caterpillar feasts on dill, soon to become a beautiful butterfly.
A bumbling bumblebee is quite fond of the Mealy Blue Sage — look at that big pollen sac it’s collected! It looks like the bumblebee has also been visiting the Zexmenia.
The Flame Acanthus is starting to show off its red tubular flowers — perhaps a hummingbird will visit soon! Speaking of birds, one stopped by to get a drink of water from a birdbath, but it flew off before I could get a good picture!
The yellow Four-Nerve Daisy is striking against the purple blooms of the Prairie Verbena.
A Queen butterfly rests on the Milkweed flower, getting nectar. Soon we might have eggs and caterpillars! The aphids have found the Milkweed, so we hope some ladybugs will arrive soon to have an aphid feast.
Thank you to everyone who adopted a plant for the summer. The habitat looks wonderful, and I know the plants appreciate the water you provide when you stop by!
