Posted: September 14, 2021
The goal of the Pollinator Plot is to attract pollinators, ranging from tiny insects to bats, mice, voles, and any other animal with fur that can attract pollen from a specific plant to its body and then transfer that pollen to a different plant.
The annual Mexican sunflower can grow to five feet high, and attracts many pollinators with its bright orange and yellow flowers. Photo by Martie Young
The above-named plot is now two years old and part of the Trial Garden at the Adams County Ag Center in Gettysburg. Many of you already know about the Trial Garden, planted and cared for by individual Master Gardeners. In the case of the Pollinator Plot, the goal is to attract pollinators, ranging from tiny insects to bats, mice, voles and any other animal with fur that can attract pollen from a specific plant to its body and then transfer that pollen to a different plant. This complicated process is what makes our diverse landscape and our ability to grow plants for food and beauty.
The specific aim is to attract butterfly pollinators to our plot of Joe Pye Weed and several different types of goldenrod. To meet this goal a committee of eight people go to the Plot twice a week to record the butterflies that appear to sip the nectar of the now-blooming plants. The plants that were chosen are all late-summer and autumn blooming flowers.
Everyone knows that goldenrod doesn't appear in meadows or fields till late summer or fall--it is a signal that fall is coming. Joe Pye Weed may be more difficult to find, however. In the past this plant was considered a wildflower that bloomed in semi-wet areas or beside woodland streams. Today plants have been hybridized to limit their growth to two to five feet high instead of six feet or higher, making it a suitable plant to grow in your own yard or landscape. It is a good accent plant for a wildlife garden or moist meadow. The flower head is not as large as the wild plant and it comes in several shades from pink to mauve.
Since it's a native plant, search out a plant nursery that offers native plants--they get easier to find all the time, especially if customers ask for native plants frequently. Deadheading will not stimulate re-bloom, so flowers should be allowed to set seed. The seed clusters are attractive and will feed the birds in the fall and provide nesting material in the spring.
While you're searching for Joe Pye Weed, look also for several varieties of goldenrod. Again, native plant nurseries are offering more and more varieties. If you believe that goldenrod will affect your allergies, know that it is not true -- Ragweed is the plant that blooms at the same time as goldenrod and is the culprit.
Some goldenrod can be invasive because it may spread by runners, and some of the varieties grow very tall. The most yard-friendly one is Solidago rugosa "Fireworks." When it blooms it does look like fireworks, shooting out at the tops of the stems. It grows in a clump and spreads slowly--its height is generally two to three feet tall. It fits nicely at the back of a border along with your Joe Pye Weed. Solidago rigida or stiff goldenrod is a large plant with very stiff, rough leaves and stems; it should definitely go to the back of the plot. Solidago speciosa, and Solidago odora which has an anise scent, round out the four choices we will monitor in the Pollinator Plot. All goldenrod plants have yellow flowers, with one exception: Solidago bicolor has white flowers.
The second part of this article describes the various butterflies and skippers that may be seen sipping the nectar from the flowers. We have a list of almost forty butterflies that are active in the Trial Gardens in August, September, and October--the time when our flowers are blooming in our Pollinator Plot. There are 156 species of butterflies in Pennsylvania and sometimes there are "strays" that enter Pennsylvania (consider how close we are to Maryland).
Some butterflies are active all summer, some only in the spring, and some only in the fall. There are many very informative books about butterflies: "Butterflies of Pennsylvania," "Butterflies of Indiana," and "Butterflies of Ohio" are a few.
The Trial Garden butterfly list includes Swallowtails, Whites and Sulphurs, Hairstreaks, Blues, Fritillaries, Brushfoots, and Skippers. Skippers are the most unusual and display many structural features of both moths and butterflies; stocky with a large head, widely spaced, hooked antennae, a chunky body, and short wings, these smallish butterflies are sometimes rapid, erratic fliers.
The Common Checkered-Skipper adults "are active from March through September in the North and at higher altitudes resulting in two or more broods. They are winter-hardy as far north as Pennsylvania...Leave your flowerbeds, where the caterpillars spend the winter in leaf nests, intact when you do your fall cleanup." ("Bird Watchers Butterflies Backyard Guide" 2017 Cool Springs Press.
Having now observed our plot for 3 to 4 weeks (two observers each time), we have seen more skipper butterflies than any others. Skippers are generally small to very small butterflies with prominent eyes and wings that may remind you of a jet airplane.
Other butterflies that we observe are Swallowtails, visible most of the summer and fall; Cabbage whites; Clouded and Cloudless Sulphurs; and Fritillaries. This is a small list--there are many more that we could see, depending on the weather. Most field guides will specify the time of year a particular butterfly is visible based on what native plants are blooming at that time.
Become familiar with butterfly habits and needs so you can plant accordingly--have native flowers blooming from early spring to fall. Choose the time of year when you are most likely to be outside to observe the adult butterflies and plant according to that schedule. It is also important to plant groups of at least three to five plants so the butterfly can stay at one spot for a while to sip the nectar. They need to conserve their energy.
Take special note that butterflies need moisture. A birdbath is probably too large or too deep, but adding a few stones that rise above the water level can help. Mud puddles are also very attractive to butterflies.
Armed with this information, you have all winter to page through the plant catalogs and plan for next year's pollinator garden.
Martha Young is a Penn State Master Gardener from Adams County. Penn State Cooperative Extension of Adams County is located at 670 Old Harrisburg Road, Suite 204, Gettysburg, phone 334-6271.
Monday videos: Visit us on Facebook at Penn State Master Gardeners in Adams County for our Master Gardeners' Monday Videos. Timely and relevant topics will be discussed on a weekly basis keeping readers up to date on current horticultural issues.
Hotline: Master Gardener Hotline is open April through September, on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 10am - 2pm. Please send an email (with pictures if possible) to adamsmg@psu.edu with your gardening questions.
The Trial Gardens are open and visitors are welcome to come at their leisure. We have signs in the garden and in the mailbox.
