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BirdingZen · Jul 29, 2026

Growing in the Heat

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Lili McMillan · BirdingZen

Butterfly Weed, a native species of milkweed.

The last two weeks in Minnesota have been hot. Heat waves in addition to the seasonal humidity have been great for growing plants and insects. Butterflies are abundant in my garden this year which has been a nice change from the past couple of summers.

Eastern Tiger Swallowtails are a fan of giant blue hyssop.
Black Swallowtail caterpillar somehow managing to grow big on a dill stalk. This species loves parsley, dill, fennel, carrots, celery and Queen Anne’s lace.
A Dragonfly resting on the berry stalk of a False Solomon’s Seal. The fruit on this native species is eaten by birds and small mammals.
Hen Turkey and her poults foraging under the bird feeder.

Lastly let me pass on a garden hack to naturally help keep stacked firewood dry. Often when organizing firewood the outer bark from the cut logs starts falling off in sufficient quantity. I save the larger pieces and use them to cover the top of the stacked wood to reduce moisture from the rain creating a nice natural look to the wood rack…..plus it will never have to go into the trash when worn out! It does not stop all moisture unless artfully arranged but it does allow for good airflow during the dry days.

Placing layers of bark pieces on top of the wood pile

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