6/6/2024: An Ecological Rainbow

Starting things off with white, we'd like to introduce you to pearly everlasting (Anaphalis margaritacea). This wildflower has a natural bunched appearance because of the flower heads balanced on woody stems. The actual bloom is yellow, surrounded by paper-like white bracts that resemble, but are not, petals. Pearly everlasting is a food plant for painted lady butterflies (Vanessa cardui) and is very popular in dried floral arrangements.

Presenting our second color is the magnificent tuberous grass pink (Calopogon tuberosus). This member of the orchid family owes its namesake to grasslike leaves, and the identifiable hairs on the lowerlip of its upper petal lend more meaning to “Calopogon”---Greek for “beautiful beard”. It requires pollinators of a certain weight to drop the labellum, such as bees, which flings the insect onto the flower’s column. You can find grass pink blooming in moist areas from late spring to early summer.

The Eastern tailed-blue butterfly (Cupido comyntas) comes flying in as our light blue mascot this year. Males are a shimmering iridescent blue on their undersides. While females in the summer are brown or charcoal, in spring they have blue along the base of their wings. What makes Eastern tailed-blue butterflies so interesting is that unlike many of their cousins, this species thrives in disturbed habitats, and you will often see them hovering around puddles along mowed strips of roadway. Adults seek out the nectar of plants such as wild strawberry (Fragaria vesca).

For brown, meet Christmas fern (Polystichum acrostichoides). Christmas fern (Polystichum acrostichoides) does not bloom flowers, but in early spring you will find sprouting fiddleheads. It makes a spectacular accent plant with its interesting fountain shape and helps combat soil erosion when placed on a slope. While this fern is not a primary food source, many wildlife species such as wild turkeys (Meleagris spectacular) will eat the fronds. Some birds will also utilize the leaves for nest-making materials and shelter, making this native fern not only sought after for its beauty but the value it brings to any garden.

Black on the Progress Flag is represented this year by the bumblebee. According to the U.S. Forest Service, there are 49 species of bumblebee (Bombus sp.) in the United States. Unlike most of our solitary native bees, bumblebees are social insects and live together in groups from 50 to 500 individuals. These cute, fuzzy, robust bees are excellent pollinators. What makes them so good is a combination of their large bodies and their ability to vibrate their wing muscles at high speeds, setting up enough of a vibration to release tightly packed pollen. This incredibly effective technique is called buzz pollination. Buzz pollination is the most effective method of pollination for some important food crops, including blueberries, cranberries, tomatoes, peppers and eggplant.

Bumble bees face an onslaught of threats such as habitat loss, pesticides, introduced disease, climate change and competition with honey bees. Gardeners like you are an essential part of conserving these critical creatures and can help by planting native flowers, protecting hibernation habitats such as fallen leaves and preserving nesting sites like unoccupied birdhouses or fallen logs.

Fire-pink (Silene virginica) is a bright red flower and a staple for hummingbirds because it replenishes nectar throughout the day. Also known as catchfly, it has sticky hairs on the stem reminiscent of fly paper to discourage ants from climbing the plant to steal nectar. It grows best in well-drained soil and will reach 1- to 3-feet in partial or full sun. It is able to self-seed, and larger clumps can be divided.

Small, agile and very orange despite their name, red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) range from 22 to 25 inches in length with an additional 14 to 16 inches of tail. While their fluffy coats often make them look bigger, especially in winter, they only average 8 to 12 pounds. Their size and flexibility allow them to get into smaller spaces, opening more hunting and foraging opportunities. We were lucky to have a family of foxes at the Preserve last spring, which you can see here.

The American goldfinch (Spinus tristis) is an adorable little bird with striking yellow feathers and contrasting black and white markings. Females tend to have a duller coloration and appear more olive. They’re a joy to watch because of their acrobatics and habit of singing while they fly. Native plants like asters provide crucial food for American goldfinches, and native shrubs such as American elderberry (Sambucus canadensis) offer shelter.

Striped maple (Acer pensylvanicum) is our green mascot this June not for its leaves but because of its bark. Named for its green bark with vertical white stripes, striped maple is an eye-catching tree with arching branches, cascading yellow-green flowers and clear yellow fall foliage. Most often naturally found in cool, forested settings, it is a true understory tree and will not grow in hot sun. It does best in cool, moist and well-drained soils. As with all maples, it is an important host plant to the imperial moth (Eacles imperialis), feeds spring pollinators like bees and provides seeds along with nesting for birds.

Our blue flower this year has a lavender look to it. Narrowleaf vervain (Verbena simplex) blooms from the bottom up on 1 - 3 inch stalks and does well in open, dry areas. Its long bloom time is essential for small pollinators like native bees, butterflies and moths.

Our final color for the series is purple, represented by a very cool native plant: purple pitcher plant (Sarracenia purpurea). These cold-tolerant pitcher plants are among the 600+ carnivorous plants in the world. The long pitcher shape has digestive juices inside to break down insects unfortunate enough to fall in. It grows best in consistently moist soils and makes an excellent, attractive addition to a bog garden.