Helpful Websites:
Native Lawn Guide through the City of Stevens Point
Soil Testing for Lawns and Gardens
Upcoming Webinars through UW Extension (Often free and online, but registration required)
Wild Ones Central Wisconsin Chapter Facebook Page
Wild Ones Native Garden Designs
WI Native Plant Nurseries List
Member-Created Guides and Documents:
Resources to Learn More about Native Birds
Using Technology in the Garden
Jill’s Plant of the Month
October: Located in prairies and woodland edges, Sky Blue Aster is a medium-sized aster with large lavender flowers that grows in full to part sun in dry to medium soil. The larvae of beetles, leafminers, flies, and walking sticks feed on the foliage and flower parts. Up to 100 caterpillar species use asters as a host plant. This beautiful late blooming aster provides pollen and nectar at a critical time for those beneficial insects overwintering or migrating. Asters are a keystone plant according to the National Wildlife Federation, supplying pollen to 33 specialist bees. Most specialist bees nest underground and look for nesting spots near their host plant. You can leave undisturbed areas of bare ground in your yard and garden to help these nesting bees. Sky Blue asters continue to be a valuable food source in late fall and winter by providing seeds to finches and juncos. This aster is stunning in any garden or prairie with its profuse blooms! Plant with showy goldenrod, little bluestem, butterflyweed, flowering spurge, culver’s root or native coneflowers.
September: Stiff Goldenrod grows 3-5 feet tall with a flat-topped cluster of bright yellow flowers. Easily identified from other goldenrods by its hairy stems and stiff, rough, oblong leaves, it adapts to a wide variety of soil conditions, dry to moderate moisture. It grows in full to part sun and does not spread aggressively. Some mining bees as well as other bee species are specialists of goldenrods meaning that they have pollen-collecting structures that are specific to the size of the pollen grains that they collect from goldenrod. Pollen is the main source of protein required for bee growth. Stiff Goldenrod is listed as a keystone plant by the National Wildlife Federation. It serves as a native host plant for 42 species of pollen specialist bees and also a host plant to 104 caterpillar species! Blooming in late summer to early fall, this plant is a very important source of food for migrating and overwintering insects. Plant Stiff Goldenrod in a meadow or wildflower garden and watch as hundreds of pollinators gather! Companion plants may be rough blazing star, little bluestem, wild asters, joe-pye weeds, leadplant, big bluestem, rattlesnake master, and yellow coneflower.
Stiff Goldenrod (Solidago rigida)
August: Meadow Blazing Star (Litatris ligulistylis) – The ultimate nectar plant for the Monarch butterfly, Meadow Blazing Star grows up to 3-5 feet and produces a tall spike of purple flowers. This plant emits a pheromone that specifically attracts Monarch butterfly migration. Other butterflies such as the common Wood Nymph, Great Spangled Fritillary, Painted Lady, and Skipper butterfly nectar on the flowers. Bumblebees, sweat bees, leafcutter bees and hummingbirds also enjoy the nectar. When the plant finishes blooming it forms seeds which feed hungry finches. Meadow Blazing Star will do best in rich moist soil with full sun. Plant it in a butterfly or hummingbird garden with native coneflowers, mountain mint, milkweeds, blue lobelia, boneset, and native grasses. The Monarchs will thank you!
Meadow Blazing Star (Litatris ligulistylis)
July: Located in prairies and woodland edges, Butterflyweed grows 1-2’ tall forming neat mounds of bright orange flowers. Host to the larvae, (caterpillars) of the Monarch butterfly, Gray Hairstreak butterfly and Milkweed Tussock moth, Butterflyweed is one of our loveliest native milkweeds in Wisconsin. Butterflyweed emerges late in spring so be sure to mark your plants before they become dormant in the fall. In addition to being a host plant, bees such as leafcutter bees, green sweat bees and small carpenter bees, butterflies, beetles, and hummingbirds are attracted to the nectar. Plant in a sunny location in sandy, loamy soil. A deep taproot makes Butterflyweed drought resistant. Butterflyweed makes a brilliant focal point in any garden or prairie with native grasses such as prairie dropseed or planted with prairie flowers like blazing stars, purple prairie clover, or wild bergamot. Be sure to give butterflyweed lots of space since it does not like to be crowded.
Butterflyweed (Asclepias tuberosa)
June: A field of lupine creates a spectacular sight in spring. Found in oak savannas, meadows and hillsides along roadways, wild blue lupine is the only host plant to the federally endangered Karner Blue butterfly. It is also the host plant to seven other butterfly and moth species. Not producing any nectar, this plant supplies pollen for many bees such as Bumblebees, Mason, Small Carpenter and Mining Bees. Wild Blue Lupine has recently undergone a common name change to Sundial Lupine to differentiate it from the larger and more aggressive native western blue species, Bigleaf Lupine, (Lupinus polyphyllus) which not only has the possibility of outcompeting our native eastern lupine (Lupinus perennis) but is poisonous to the Karner Blue butterfly larvae. Also, our native Wild Blue/Sundial Lupine can easily hybridize with Bigleaf Lupine and Russel/Garden Lupines leaving the resulting plants unsuitable as a host plant for the Karner Blue larvae. This is why it is important to plant only local natives that attract our local native butterflies and bees. Wild Blue/Sundial lupine is best planted in dry, sandy soil and looks quite stunning in a mass planting. In a garden setting, combine Wild Blue/Sundial Lupine with native Prairie Phlox (Phlox pilosa), native columbine or prairie dropseed.
Wild Blue or Sundial Lupine (Lupinus perennis)
May: Found in moist woods and prairies, shooting stars (Dodecatheon meadia) are striking plants that are as delightful as their name. Flowers dangle from stalks that shoot up from a cluster of oblong leaves growing at the base of the plant. Although Shooting Stars attract bumblebees and other small bees with its pollen, these plants do not provide any nectar. Bees use buzz pollination to extract pollen by vibrating their flight muscles to release the pollen from the plant. This plant blooms at a critical time when queen bees are establishing their nests. Shooting stars do best in a moist partly-shaded area when given some space in the front of your garden where it will not be crowded. Companion plants are dutchman’s britches, spring beauties, columbine, trillium, and woodland phlox. Plant will become dormant midsummer but reappear in the spring.
Shooting Stars (Dodecatheon meadia)
April – Also known as Old Man’s Whiskers, Prairie Smoke (Guem triflorum) is named not for its pretty nodding pink flowers but for its wispy seedhead. Prairie Smoke is drought resistant and grows about 12” tall in dry to medium soil that is well drained. It provides a valuable nectar resource for queen bees emerging in the spring while its pollen is fed upon by tiny sweat bees. Prairie Smoke makes a nice landscape plant when planted in mass in front of taller growing plants or in a rock garden. It provides continuous garden interest with its flowers and seedheads. In the fall, the leaves turn from a blue green to red. Plant this in a dry sunny spot along with columbine, harebells, wild blue lupine and blue grama grass.
Prairie Smoke (Geum triflorum)
Chapter Library:
Did you know that our chapter has a library open to our members? We have a variety of books ranging from plant and insect identification to helping design your garden! Books can be picked up and checked out at our monthly meetings. All books are due back at the final meeting of the year in November. List is arranged by alphabetical order according to their title.
- A Guide for Eastern North America Wasps by Heather Holm
- Attracting Birds, Butterflies, and Other Backyard Wildlife (National Wildlife Federation) by David Mizejewski
- Bees, An Identification and Native Plant Forage Guide by Heather Holm
- Bringing Nature Home by Douglas W. Tallamy
- Gardening with Prairie Plants by Sally Wasowski
- Half-Earth by Edward O. Wilson
- Invasive Plants of the Upper Midwest by Elizabeth Czarapata
- Landscaping with Native Plants of Wisconsin by Lynn M. Steiner
- Monarchs and Milkweed by Anurag Arawal
- On Meadowview Street by Henry Cole (Children’s Book)
- Planting in a Post-Wild World by Thomas Rainer and Claudia West
- Plant a Pocket of Prairie by Phyllis Root (Children’s Book)
- Plants for Stormwater Design by Daniel Shaw and Rusty Schmidt
- Pollinators of Native Plants by Heather Holm
- The Bees in Your Backyard by Joseph S. Wilson and Olivia Messinger Carril
- The Living Landscape by Rick Darke and Doug Tallamy
- Wildflowers of Wisconsin and the Great Lakes Region by Merel R. Black and Emmet J. Judziewicz
- Wildflowers of Wisconsin Field Guide by Stan Tekiel