Here are some fabulous pics MG Ellen took of her beautiful garden visitors! Who knew how much a butterfly loves a cantaloupe?! This is something you can do with your rinds to attract and benefit our pollinators! Place a small amount of your melon scraps in a sunny place. Don’t put out too many or you may attract larger visitors. Leave them out overnight so that the butterflies and bees can find them. Remove and compost them after a few days.

“Birds and other wildlife need all the help they can get when facing both a biodiversity and a climate crisis.”

Marlene Pantin, Partnerships Manager for the National Audubon Society’s Plants for Birds Program

Pollinators are important!

Consider adding beneficial natives that will attract and host pollinators. Garden favorites include milkweed, sunflowers, lavender, Anise hyssop, coneflowers, goldenrod, marigold. Include dill, parsley, cilantro, passionflower, and fennel for caterpillar consumption and a new generation of butterflies. Fall bloomers for pollinators include, asters, goldenrod, boneset, Joe-Pye weed, stonecrop, ironweed, and black-eyed Susans.