Clustered mountain mint (Pycnanthemum muticum): The plant we keep giving awards to
I don't know if the plant cares about awards. But it sure does like attracting insects.
Plants in Plain Language
A publication dedicated to making plants, gardening, and supporting wildlife accessible to everyone.
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Can plants hear? Sorry scientists, I meant, "detect sound waves emitted by pollinators' wingbeats"?
Researchers measured if plants made their nectar sweeter when they "heard" pollinators nearby. They also checked to see if flowers vibrated in response to sound (sort of like eardrums do).
The brief, intense life of a zucchini flower
Squash flowers (along with watermelon and cucumber flowers) only bloom for a few hours. In that short window, we need bees to carry pollen from male to female flowers, or we won't get a harvest.
Scarlet bee balm (Monarda didyma): The hummingbird flower with a messy haircut
Bees and butterflies like it too, but only if they have really long tongues or a tube for a face.
What we mean when we talk about native plants
The advocacy can be annoying, and the science is still emerging. But there are good reasons to plant natives and to persuade your neighbors to plant them, too.
Butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa)
Gives the insects that feed on it Black Panther-like powers, produces truly bizarre and beautiful flowers each summer, and does great it mediocre, rocky soil.
When do you harvest garlic (and what do you do with it once you do)?
The timing, the subtle (and not-so-subtle) cues, how to cure and store, and what happens if you let it flower.
Mt. Cuba Center goldenrod trial: Winners in the wildlife category
There's not really a wildlife category. But Mt. Cuba Center did count which goldenrods attracted the most insects. These 5 were the most impressive of the 70 in the trial.
Northern blue flag iris (Iris versicolor)
A plant whose flowers impressed people so much they made up a whole new set of botanical jargon. Excellent for rain gardens and clay soils.
How a seed knows when to grow
This giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) is one of nature’s largest, longest crescendos.