Fall flowers for beauty and pollinators

Monarch on fall-blooming New England Asters

The calendar says we’ve just entered autumn, but as far as pollinators are concerned, the bounty of summer is long past. The dearth of nectar that follows the wealth of mid-summer flowers has been underway for a while. But pollinators, such as bees and butterflies (including migrating Monarchs), still need high-quality nectar sources on which to feed. In recent years, I've made it a mission to cultivate autumn-blooming flowers for pollinators.

In July, my garden produces a riot of flowers, as well as a bounty of pollen and nectar sources for pollinators.  But by time August rolls around, most of my garden plants—including the milkweeds, Purple Coneflowers, Black-eyed Susans, Wild Bergamot, and Joe-Pye Weed—have stopped blooming. That means pollen and nectar sources for bees, butterflies, and other pollinators decline dramatically. 

Over several years, I’ve worked on finding and adding fall sources of nectar to the garden, to provide for fall pollinators.  And judging by the many bees, butterflies, and other pollinators vising the yard—as well as the purple, gold, and rosy patches dotting the yard—I think I’ve found a good balance. Here are some of the flowers I’ve added.

 

Stiff Goldenrod

Goldenrods: Goldenrods bring beautiful, warm yellows--as well as pollinators--to the garden. The diversity of species is astounding; there’s one for almost every habitat. The Field Museum created this helpful guide to identify common goldenrods in the Chicago region. My yard has two native species, Tall goldenrod, Solidago altissima and Stiff goldenrod, Solidago rigida.

New England Aster, Symphyotrichum novae-angliae (formerly genus Aster): 

New England Asters

The purples of New England Asters provide a lovely complement to the yellows of goldenrods.  I have several wild-type New England Asters, which grow to be 4 feet tall or more. I also have a cultivar (Purple Dome) that is short, only about two feet tall. 

While the shorter cultivar fits more easily into suburban landscapes, my husband and I feel that the wild-type plants attract far more bees and butterflies than the cultivar does. This pattern seems to hold year after year.

Sedum, Autumn Joy

Sedum, Autumn Joy: Not a native plant in Illinois, this popular horticultural perennial plant nevertheless draws scads of bees and butterflies with tiny, rose-colored flowers.

Zinnias: Also not native, Zinnias are annuals that come in many varieties and heights.

Silver-spotted Skipper on Zinnias

 They bloom all summer long, providing great color for the garden and continuous resources for pollinators. This year many types of Skipper butterflies have been enjoying the Zinnias.

In addition to these species, I’ve also encouraged the growth of some common, fall-flowering native plants that have "appeared" in the yard (likely helped by seed dispersal by birds). They are Green-headed Coneflower, Rudbeckia laciniata, a tall species with yellow, daisy-like flowers; and Hairy Aster, Symphyotrichum pilosus, which has clusters of tiny white flowers with yellow centers.

As I finish this post, two Monarch butterflies and a Black Swallowtail butterfly are visiting the flowers in my yard. So please plant more fall-blooming plants, not just for pollinators, but for yourself. The rewards are great! 

Black Swallowtail