Ordered a few packets of wildflower seeds today for the pollinators. Showy (prairie) sunflower, scaly blazing star, canada milk vetch and meadow blazing star (#1 for monarchs).
Canada Milk Vetch:
Info:
This plant is known as a common nectar source for bumblebees and honeybees, and for
food for herbivores including deer, groundhogs, rabbits and livestock. The seeds may be eaten occasionally by the Wild Turkey. Also called Canadian Milk Vetch, it also attracts hummingbirds, song birds and butterflies, including the Western Tailed Blue butterfly larvae.
Showy Sunflower:
The flowers attract bumblebees, Miner bees, large Leaf-Cutting bees, Halictine bees, bee flies, butterflies, and skippers. Typical butterfly visitors include Phyciodes tharos (Pearl Crescent), Vanessa cardui (Painted Lady), and Chlosyne spp. (Checkerspots). These insects seek nectar, although the bees also collect pollen. The caterpillars of the butterflies Chlosyne nycteis (Silvery Checkerspot), Chlosyne gorgone (Gorgon Checkerspot), and Vanessa cardui (Painted Lady) feed on the foliage of this and other sunflowers. The caterpillars of several species of moths and miscellaneous other insects feed on various parts of sunflowers (see Insect Table). This includes the larvae of Microrhapala cyanea (Leaf Miner Beetle) and Gnorimoschema sp. (Gall Moth sp.), the latter forming circular galls on the stems.
The large and nutritious seeds are eaten by many kinds of upland gamebirds, songbirds, and small rodents (see Wildlife Table). The Eastern Pocket Gopher eats the roots, while deer and livestock browse on the foliage.
Scaly Blazing Star:
Info:
The flowerheads are cross-pollinated primarily by bumblebees, butterflies, and skippers. In general, several insect species feed on Liatris spp. (Blazingstars). These species include: the caterpillars of Schinia sanguinea (Blazingstar Flower Moth), which feed on the florets and developing seeds; the caterpillars of Papaipema beeriana (Blazingstar Borer Moth) and Carmenta anthracipennis (Liatris Borer Moth), which bore through the stems; and the aphids Aphis laciniariae and Aphis craccivora, which suck plant juices.
The foliage and flowerheads of Blazingstars are edible to many mammalian herbivores, including cattle, horses, sheep, goats, deer, rabbits, and groundhogs. Where these mammals are abundant, Blazingstar populations usually decline.
Meadow Blazing Star:
The flowers are pollinated primarily by long-tongued bees, butterflies, and skippers. Other visitors include Halictine bees, bee flies, and day-flying moths. Among the long-tongued bees, are such visitors as honeybees, bumblebees, Little Carpenter bees, Miner bees, and large Leaf-Cutting bees. Butterfly visitors include Monarchs, Swallowtails, Painted Ladies, Sulfurs, Whites, and others. The caterpillars of the rare Schinia gloriosa (Glorious Flower Moth) feed on the flowers and seed capsules. Various mammalian herbivores readily consume Prairie Blazingstar.
Younger plants may be eaten by rabbits and groundhogs, while mature plants are likely targets of deer or livestock. Small rodents, such as the Prairie Vole and Meadow Vole, sometimes eat the corms. An overpopulation of these animals can make establishment of this plant difficult in some areas.
All the pics are courtesy of Prairie Moon Nursery and the info came from
www.Illinoiswildflower.info. These are very important pieces to the puzzle on my farm since wildflowers are basically non-existent and they will add much needed diversity and appeal to lots of animals, and insects besides the game species I chase.
