Installed two years ago, the small wildflower meadow on our campus in Chadds Ford is providing habitat and sustenance to a variety of pollinators.
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Native Phlox Flowers Attract Bees
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And Silver Spotted Skippers
A pollinator is any critter that moves pollen within a single flower or between multiple flowers. Most everyone knows the important role honey bees play in pollinating many locally grown food crops. But did you know that butterflies, moths, birds, bats, beetles, and wasps can also be pollinators? About 1,000 different plants grown worldwide for food, beverage, fiber, or medicines rely on some type of animal critter for pollination. In turn, many of these critters rely on those same plants as a primary food source.
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Native Cardinal Flowers Attract Ruby Throated Hummingbirds Insects that rely on flowering plants as their only food source need to be able to find those flowering plants for the entire season. (And this is where our meadow plays an important role.) For example, bumble bees, queens and then drones, forage from early spring to early fall and a consistent supply of flowering plants is important for their survival. A meadow or garden full of a variety of native plants with various bloom times is critical. Now, at the height of summer, our wildlife meadow is bursting with colorful blooms: purple coneflower, bright gold black-eyed Susan, deep orange butterfly weed, pink phlox, and blazing red cardinal flower, to name a few. In another month or so, different flowering plants in our meadow will provide a bridge from late summer to early fall for those insects still looking for a mate or a suitable location to overwinter.
