We (me and you) have been chosen to care for the earth, nature, and wildlife. It is our gift, it is our responsibility.
Our task must be to free ourselves… by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.
~ ALBERT EINSTEIN
Attracting beneficial wildlife is so easy: simply plant a garden. It does not have to be large. Even one small container filled with their favorites becomes an excellent food source and habitat for birds, bees, butterflies and other pollinators. An online search will bring up lots of plant lists for various pollinator friends in different regions.
Some things you can do to welcome wildlife:
“Dear pollinators: You’re invited to a garden party!”
Plant pollination and the production of crops are highly dependent on the critical function of bees and butterflies. Environment America, a citizen-funded, state-based environmental advocacy organization, says, “Millions of bees are dying off, with alarming consequences for our environment and our food supply. We rely on bees to pollinate everything from almonds to strawberries to the hay used to feed dairy cows. What happens if the bees disappear? It’s simple: no bees, no food.”
Plant a Plant for the Bees:
| Alyssum | Anise Hyssop | Bee Balm |
| Borage | Catmint | Coneflower |
| Cosmos | Dill | Goldenrod |
| Hollyhock | Lavender | Parsley |
| Poppy | Rosemary | Sage |
| Salvia | Sunflower | Thyme |
| Verbena | Yarrow | Zinnia |
The continued existence of butterflies is critical, too. These gorgeous creatures are cherished visitors in the garden. American poet Robert Frost eloquently describes butterflies as “flowers that fly and all but sing.” One of the most recognizable of our butterflies is the majestic Monarch, and we’ve all heard the disturbing stories of their habitat loss as they make their incredible journey of migration. The good thing is that gardeners everywhere are responding by creating butterfly habitat stations for these long-distance beauties.
Did you know? Adult butterflies are attracted to red, yellow, orange, pink and purple blossoms that are flat-topped or clustered and have short flower tubes.
Attracting Monarch Butterflies to Your Garden
Here are four things you can do to attract Monarchs to your gardens, from my friend Kylee Baumle. She is a devoted advocate for Monarchs. Her latest book is The Monarch: Saving Our Most-Loved Butterfly.
Want to invite butterflies to your garden? Plant some zinnias, coneflowers, asters and more
A warning about pesticides: This seems intuitive, but be sure you aren’t sabotaging your efforts at attracting Monarchs (and other pollinators) to your garden by using pesticides. These can include fungal treatments as well as soil drenches, which can become incorporated into the actual plant. Spraying for mosquitoes will kill mosquitoes, but it can also kill butterflies and other beneficial insects. And just because something is organic doesn’t mean it’s harmless to Monarchs, so use with discretion.
Leave the Leaves
One day when I was playing in my garden,
