I am excited to share that the Bergen-Passaic Chapter of the Native Plant Society of NJ has asked me to present my program, “How to Create a No-Fuss Wildlife Pond” via ZOOM. This program is packed with lots of tips on what not to do, sparing you mountains of aggravation and frustration. It also includes many tips on exactly what works to attract more wildlife than you imagined possible. Details follow.
Members and non-members are welcome! But if you are not a member of the Native Plant Society of NJ, you are missing great opportunities and learning experiences galore!!! It is easy to join and support this great group. To join or renew your membership in the Native Plant Society of NJ, click HERE.
The Bergen-Passaic Chapter of the Native Plant Society of NJ brings you “How to Create a No-Fuss Wildlife Pond,” by Pat Sutton (a ZOOM presentation) Wednesday, October 9, 2024 7:30 – 9:00 p.m.
Registration for this zoom presentation is FREE
via this chapter’s web page
(click HERE to register)
this Zoom presentation will NOT be available on the NPSNJ’s website after this program
Click HERE forPat Sutton’s 2-page handout: “No-Fuss Wildlife Pond”
ABOUT THE PROGRAM: Frogs, toads, and dragonflies all need freshwater ponds for egg laying to create future generations. Even a tiny pond will attract and support them. Learn what a true wildlife pond is and how simple it is to create – with no need for running water, filters, fish, and all the fuss. Pat Sutton will share the basics of how to create a wildlife pond and, even more importantly, how to maintain it so that wildlife benefits. Learn which native plants to add to the pond (and which problem plants to avoid). Don’t make the same mistake that others have made by creating a pond for exotic fish that supports little else. In a true wildlife pond, expect to attract and watch the amazing life cycle of huge Green Darner dragonflies or count a growing population of Leopard Frogs, Green Frogs, and Gray Treefrogs that find your pond as if by magic. Look forward to the child-like wonder and joy of looking for and finding young Gray Treefrogs that have emerged from your very own pond and taken up residence on insect-rich, native nectar plants in your garden! Create it and they will come!
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Learn more about The Bergen-Passaic Chapter of the Native Plant Society of NJ by clicking HERE.
If you live elsewhere in NJ, there are a number of Chapters of the Native Plant Society of NJ. See if there is a Chapter near you. These chapters offer great learning opportunities and will connect you with kindred spirits.
For two solid months (July 9th through September 8th) we enjoyed 1-4 Monarchs daily in our 47-year-old wildlife garden, many days including a female (or two) laying eggs. We saw our 1st Monarch on May 26th, then another on July 1st. On July 9th we spotted a female laying eggs, and the rest is history.
Our neighborhood may be more of a Monarch oasis than many neighborhoods because our wildlife garden harbors so many milkweed plants (over 100) and because I have milkweed scattered around our half acre, not all in one or two spots, and because we have a few nearby wildlife gardening neighbors with loads of milkweed . Garden strolls this summer and early fall included finding multiple eggs, tiny newly-hatched caterpillars, and large caterpillars. Even now, as I write this on September 18th, I am still finding multiple caterpillars (some small and some about to pupate). We have not found a chrysalis . . . YET, but that doesn’t keep us from looking.
Our milkweed offerings are plentiful, including:
Butterfly Weed Several plants return each spring, but are not that happy in our richer-than-they-would-like soil. This native milkweed much prefers sand, gravel, bone-dry sites, and railroad beds, hence it’s other common name, Railroad Annie.
Eastern Swamp Milkweed Seven plants return each spring in my rain gardens, where hose ends empty out our rain barrels. This native milkweed is stunning and a magnet to all pollinators. By September, their leaves are pretty much dried up and not looking their best, but I leave all in place for wildlife!
Common Milkweed Over one hundred plants are scattered throughout the sunny (and not so sunny) perennial garden, meadow, and vegetable garden. Many consider this milkweed to be a thug because it sends underground runners and pops up in entirely new sites like garden paths, lawn areas, other garden beds. For years I dug up these wayward milkweeds and substantial portions of their roots so I could give them away. Now I cherish each outlier because these outliers are less likely to attract as many predators. Monarch eggs and caterpillars on outliers seem to have a better chance of surviving. This native milkweed is a hotbed of Monarch activity. It blooms in late June / early July. Its fragrance is intoxicating and its huge pale pink balls of flowers steal the show and draw in many, many pollinators. By August and into October (and sometimes even through November), its leaves are still robust and being used by resident Monarchs as they lay one last batch of eggs before dying. These late-season eggs, if frosts hold off, result in one last generation of migratory Monarchs on the Cape May Peninsula (where the warm waters of the Atlantic Ocean and the Delaware Bay sustain micro habitats of pleasant weather).
Tropical Milkweed Each spring I purchase 4-5 plants at nearby Goshen Gardens nursery. I tuck this non-native annual milkweed into a few spots in my yard, including out front where I have no other milkweeds. Being an annual this milkweed blooms and blooms and continues to bloom right up until the first frost. It is a favorite of Monarchs for nectaring and egg-laying. September 7th I set up a study station for two young home-schooled naturalists. They discovered an egg and multiple caterpillars on two plants.
I had hoped that my own garden was an indicator that it was a good Monarch year. But I was in several milkweed-rich gardens on September 8, 2024. These gardens (in Atlantic County and Gloucester County) were part of a tour of Native Landscapes in South Jersey, organized by the SE Chapter of the Native Plant Society of NJ. The tour and the properties were inspirational. Each site was unique and offered great learning opportunities. But, I saw zero holes in milkweed leaves in the prolific patches. Huh! It was a shock to see so much untouched milkweed (without holes in the leaves). The garden owners shared that they had seen very few Monarchs so far this year.
In comparison, my milkweed leaves are full of holes! You might not realize this, but when the tiny Monarch caterpillar hatches from its egg, its first meal is what remains of its egg shell. Then it cuts through the leaf in a nice neat circle around the egg to get the milkweed milky sap (known as latex) to flow . The bit of leaf in the center of this circle is now latex free and safe for the tiny newborn Monarch caterpillar to eat . Elizabeth Howard / Journey North has a beautifully written and illustrated graphic on this topic: “Let’s Find Monarchs! Clues in the Milkweed Patch.”
Maybe the key to more Monarchs is having a few nearby neighbors who are also wildlife gardeners, so your own offerings are not the only show in town. And if you do have milkweed, be sure to have lots of it and scatter it around so that predators can not find every last egg and caterpillar. Predators are drawn to our wildlife gardens and all the life we’ve attracted. Predators are hungry too and a Monarch caterpillar is a choice meal for a paper wasp to carry back to its nest.
Time will tell if summer Monarch numbers were good. They were in my garden; I still had 7 full grown caterpillars yesterday (September 17th), and that was without even peeking under all the leaves. But, as I learned just recently, even a county or two away they were absent.
This Fall’s Monarch Migration
If you are keen to witness this fall’s Monarch migration at Cape May, respond to cold fronts. When temperatures drop and you need to find your flannel PJs or a comforter, seriously consider making the journey to Cape May the next day. These cool winds from the north and northwest blow southbound migrating birds (and butterflies) out to the coast. Once migrants reach the coast they hug the land and follow it south (sometimes working hard not to be carried out over the treacherous Atlantic Ocean waters). These migrants reach lands end at Cape May Point.
Winds That Bring Monarchs to the Tip of the Cape May Peninsula
Often, the strong winds that carry migrating Monarchs to the tip of the Cape May Peninsula are winds that are not conducive for crossing the Delaware Bay (strong winds that could blow them out to sea instead). Their numbers may build as they wait for gentler and more favorable winds to cross the bay. During these periods you can find them nectaring on Giant Sunflower and Groundsel-tree (Baccharis halimifolia) along the trails at the Cape May Point State Park and on Seaside Goldenrod in the dunes.
Winds That Help Monarchs Cross the Delaware Bay
These gathering Monarchs wait for gentle tail winds (winds from the north or northeast) that will enable them to safely cross the Delaware Bay. Such winds often occur several days after a cold front has passed. In the meantime, while they are gathered at the tip, enjoy evening roosts (sometimes holding hundreds or thousands) and return at first light to watch “lift off” as they use these gentle tail winds to continue their migration.
There are many opportunities to learn about Monarchs:
NJ Audubon’s Calendar filters for all their Monarch events:
Monarch Monitoring Project Drop In(s) at the Nature Center of Cape May
Monarch Monitoring Project Drop In(s) at Triangle Park (in Cape May Point)
Monarch Tagging Demos
The Cape May Point Science Center is also offering Monarch Butterfly Tagging Demonstrations using a solar-powered GPS device as part of their Project Monarch. These demonstrations will occur on Thursdays (September 19 and September 26) at 1:00 p.m. and on Saturdays (September 21 and September 28) at 11:30 a.m. Follow the Cape May Point Science Center’s Facebook page so you don’t miss these and other great learning opportunities.
I am a proud member of the Native Plant Society of NJ. I share Garden Gang alerts, when time permits, about the great work this group is doing. I have been remiss, though, in not sharing with you news of one more incredible learning opportunity from this group featuring often funny, sometimes sad, but always reflective conversations in:
The WildStory, a PODCAST of Poetry and Plants by the Native Plant Society of NJ Co-produced by Ann E. Wallace PhD Poet Laureate of Jersey City & Kim Correro Rutgers Master Gardener & Co-leader of the NPSNJ Hudson Chapter Each podcast also features “Ask Randi,” questions answered by Dr. Randi Eckel Entomologist, Vice President of Membership NPSNJ, & owner of Toadshade Wildflower Farm
If you haven’t tuned in yet,
you can learn about and access all episodes (16 as of September 11, 2024)
of the WildStory Podcasts HERE Listen on iTunes (apple podcasts), Spotify, or Amazon Music
I was interviewed by Ann & Kim on July 30, 2024 This interview is part of their September 11, 2024 WildStory Podcast
Follow The WildStory Podcast on Instagram HERE to see videos and extra content
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Since we all love to learn, I knew you’d also want to know that . . .
the Native Plant Society of NJ (NPSNJ) has a terrific library of webinar recordings available to all on their website You can find them HERE (obviously bookmark this page and visit it frequently since new webinar recordings are added regularly)
Obviously, theNPSNJ is a great group to support as a member!
Happy Learning About Native Plants and the Critters That Need Them,
Pat
I am assuming that those of you who have signed up to get my Garden Gang Alerts are wildlife gardeners, that you garden with native plants that serve as nectar plants and host plants for our butterflies and moths, that your yard hosts many birds that feed on those caterpillars, that you welcome all beneficial pollinators, not just butterflies and moths, including bees wasps, flies, beetles, and hummingbirds. If so, your gardens concentrate a super abundance of beneficial pollinators and you are obligated to notify any agencies or private companies that do spray for pest insects like mosquitoes and ticks in your neighborhood.
I am quite flabbergasted by folks who claim that spraying does not occur in their neighborhood. Do they know that with certainty? My neighborhood alone, during this drought summer (except for these crazy rain events), has already been sprayed three times (as of July 3, 2024) by the Cape May County Department of Mosquito Control. If I was not on the Cape May County Department of Mosquito Control’s “Notification List,” I would never know they’d sprayed. They do it at night (between 7:00 p.m. and Midnight or between 3:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m.), by truck, as they drive by.
So, please, for the well being of pollinators you’ve drawn in and concentrated (or if you keep bees, or if you garden organically), if you live here in Cape May County, New Jersey, where spraying for mosquitoes occurs regularly (in response to residents calling in and complaining), you can call and tell the Cape May County Department of Mosquito Control that you do not want your property sprayed.
Call the Cape May County Department of Mosquito Control 609-465-9038 Monday – Friday ( 7:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.) Ask to be put on their “Notification List” / “No Spray List” Be ready to provide: (1) your name, (2) snail mail address (street address), and (3) e-mail address (so they can notify you when spraying needs to be done in your town).
If you have called previously to be put on the “Notification List” (“No Spray List”), you will remain on this list indefinitely, unless you choose to be removed from the list by calling the Cape May County Department of Mosquito Control.
If you live in another county in New Jersey, where mosquito spraying also occurs, you can call your county mosquito department too and make this same request.
Mosquito Education
Regarding mosquito issues in your neighborhood, education is key. Prevention is the first step. Since mosquitoes need to breed in stagnant water, the most effective form of mosquito control is to remove all open containers to stop mosquito larvae from surviving in them. The non-native Asian Tiger Mosquito (above) breeds readily in man-made sites: saucers under plants, tires laying around, open buckets, etc. It is the main nuisance mosquito around homes and can be avoided. Kyle Rossner, an entomologist formerly with the Cape May County Department of Mosquito Control, created this MOSQUITO HABITAT CHECKLIST (click HERE) to help property owners resolve mosquito breeding sites they themselves may have created. Print this checklist and share it with any neighbors who call the Department of Mosquito Control and complain about mosquitoes or have signed on for treatments by a private company. There is a good chance they have caused the surge of mosquitoes themselves.
JUNE 9, 2024, UPDATE: As I was writing this post on June 4th we were starting to see Ruby-throated Hummingbirds trickle back to our feeders. While sitting on our screened back porch the evening of June 2nd Clay had a female visiting a nearby feeder regularly. I had both males and females hovering outside my office window (where I normally have a feeder hanging, but hadn’t hung one yet). On June 5th I hung that feeder and enjoyed a steady procession of hummingbirds (plus their buzzing wings distracted me). By June 7th some favorite feeders were emptying in two days. Sure enough, Japanese Honeysuckle was DONE! The garden is full of bugs for hummingbirds, but June is a relatively quiet time in my garden for hummingbird nectar plants, so feeders are key! As of June 9th, Coral Honeysuckle is no longer covered in blooms, but will continue to bloom sparsely until the frost. Lyre-leaved Sage, Wild Columbine, and Red Buckeye are all done (and in seed). Foxglove Beardtongue is waning. I can’t wait until the late June/early July hummingbird favorites bloom: Red Bee Balm, Wild Bergamot, Blazing Star, Trumpet Creeper, and many other nectar-rich & insect-rich natives!
Originally written on June 4, 2024
This past spring was one of our best springs for Ruby-throated Hummingbirds (I’ve peppered this post with photos from spring 2024). I’ll quantify that in a bit.
I hung our feeders on April 16, 2024, a little later than usual. That evening at 5:04 p.m. the first one appeared. In following days and weeks they were daily visitors to our five feeders, which are scattered around the yard so returning females can feed in peace and be more inclined to nest in our yard. Each day we witnessed chases, and a female came in to drink and bath several times at our fountain.
They were drawn to all the spring-blooming goodies I’ve planted to attract them (Lyre-leaved Sage, Wild Columbine, Coral Honeysuckle, Red Buckeye, Coral Bells, blueberries, and Pinxterbloom Azalea). Since their diet is also made up of soft-bodied insects (the protein they need), they find those “a plenty” in our half-acre of native plants.
By early May a few of our feeders were being emptied of their 2 ounces in 2 days. So, after washing these feeders (which I do every 7 days or sooner if the solution turns cloudy), I refilled them with 4 ounces of solution (instead of my normal 2 ounces for slow periods). Those feeders were also emptied in 2 days. Hmmmmm! This was unlike any spring we’ve experienced when 2 ounces per feeder easily lasts a week. This rather intense and steady Ruby-throated Hummingbird action lasted until the evening of May 18, 2024. Then they were gone, or so it seemed.
The next day I looked around and, sure enough, Japanese Honeysuckle had just begun to bloom, right on schedule. Each mid-May through mid-June Ruby-throated Hummingbird sightings drop off abruptly. Many assume that they’ve left, but in fact they are feeding on blooming Japanese Honeysuckle instead.
Tonight while sitting on our screened porch, Clay witnessed a female Ruby-throated Hummingbird come repeatedly to the feeder hanging from our back porch. Maybe she has young already. As I sit here on this cool June 3rd evening, the sweet scent of Japanese Honeysuckle drifts in my open window. Yes it is highly invasive, and we’ve removed it and are always on the lookout for seedlings in our woods and elsewhere on our property. But a mass of it covers the chain link fence that surrounds our backyard. Because it grows up and over the chain link fence from each of our neighbors’ yards (to either side), we let it be. It is too mighty a task to remove it.
We have a few more weeks of infrequent Ruby-throated Hummingbird sightings. Why? Because they will continue to feed instead on Japanese Honeysuckle as long as it is blooming (@ mid-May – mid-June). As a long-time naturalist and wildlife gardener, I’ve shared this observation/fact in my Hummingbird Fact Sheet for over 30 years now (point 5 under “Feeder Maintainance,”) but still people are caught by surprise when activity drops way off.
But they’ll be back, so be sure to keep your feeders well maintained with fresh solution. And be sure to provide native nectar plants they are drawn to, like Foxglove Beardtongue, a great native perennial during the quiet bloom period from late May to mid-June.
If any of your neighbors are swayed to hire one of the Mosquito and Tick Removal companies, speak to them about your hummingbirds and share that the sprays used by these companies impact hummingbirds, the insects they need to feed on, and many, many beneficial insects. Read my post, “Help! A Private Company is Spraying The Neighbor’s Yard for Mosquitoes.” It contains many more details on this topic. And just today, June 4, 2024, there was an excellent article on this topic (“What are Eco-Friendly Ways to Control Backyard Bugs“) from the New York Times climate desk.
This summer I am teaching a “Landscape Design With Birds & Pollinators in Mind” class twice in Avalon. These 2-hour indoor classes are co-sponsored by the Avalon Environmental Commission and the Avalon Free Public Library. The classes are FREE but registration is required. Details follow:
June 14 (Friday), 2:30-4:30 p.m. (same class offered Fri., August 16, but at a different location) “Landscape Design with Birds and Pollinators in Mind” by Pat Sutton Registration required; Space limited to 20 Where: Avalon at the Tennis Building, 250 39th St, Avalon, NJ 08202
August 16 (Friday), 2:30-4:30 p.m. (same 2-hr class offered Friday, June 14, but at a different location) “Landscape Design with Birds and Pollinators in Mind” by Pat Sutton Registration required; Space limited to 20 Where: Avalon Free Public Library, 235 32nd St, Avalon, NJ 08202
DETAILS ABOUT THESE CLASSES:
Registration is required.
For the June 14th CLASS Avalon property owners began registering May 17. Registration opened up to others on May 31.
For the August 16th CLASS Avalon property owners may register beginning July 19. All others may register beginning August 2.
To register, please call the Avalon Library at 609-967-7155 or stop by their circulation desk at 235 32nd St, Avalon, NJ 08202. At registration, participants will receive Pat Sutton’s handout, “Landscape Design with Pollinators and Birds in Mind,” which includes instructions on creating a sketch of their property required for the class. Be sure to read this handout over prior to the class so that you get as much as possible out of the class.
The property sketch should be emailed to Pat 3 days prior to the class (so by the end of the day on Tuesday, June 11th for the June 14th class and by the end of the day on Tuesday, August 13 for the August 16th class). The property sketch should have the registrant’s name in large, bold letters on the sketch in a spot that will be included when it is photographed or copied and sent to Pat. Photograph the property sketch (so that your name on the sketch shows up), and e-mail the jpg or pdf scan to Pat Sutton (Pat’s e-mail is at the top of her Landscape Design HANDOUT received upon registration). In the e-mail subject line registrants should enter: “Landscape Design – June 14 or August 16 (whichever day/class they signed up for) – their full name.” If you feel more comfortable sending Pat a few photos of the area you would like to transform into a native plant habitat, by all means send photos instead, but please don’t crash her computer with many HUGE photos. If you have any questions, reach out to Pat (but hopefully everything is explained in her handout and these instructions).
The first half of the class will cover resources and a slide program about the topic. During the second half of the class the group will brainstorm the projected images of each participant’s rough sketch. This brainstorming session should result in participants heading home with ideas and plans to enhance each of their properties for pollinators and birds.
Doug Tallamy is returning to Avalon, NJ, this August to present a brand new program. I’m intrigued and looking forward to hearing it. Like me, he gets e-mails, calls, and requests to answer questions folks have. Often, these requests are from folks who have read his 4 excellent books, heard him speak, jumped in to planting native plants, but they want and need more information. Well, Doug Tallamy plans to include many of those questions and his answers in this new program. Mark your calendar and don’t miss it!
Monday, August 26, 2024 7:00 p.m. Doug Tallamy presents: “I Know You’re Very Busy but … I want to learn more about nature gardening” WHERE: Avalon Community Center 3001 Avalon Avenue Avalon, NJ 08202 FREE, no preregistration needed
ABOUT THIS PROGRAM in Doug Tallamy’s words: Nearly every day I get emails from people who have read my books and heard my talks and yet still have questions about ecological landscaping. These are good, thoughtful questions about ecology and evolution, biodiversity, invasive species, insect declines, native and non-native plants, conservation and restoration, residential and city landscapes, urban issues, oak biology, keystone plants, Homegrown National Park, monarchs, supporting wildlife at home, and more. In this talk I address as many of these queries as I can with hope that my answers will further motivate people to help restore ecosystem function where they live, work, play, worship, and farm.
Doug Tallamy is the T. A. Baker Professor of Agriculture in the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware, where he has authored 111 research publications and has taught insect-related courses for 41 years. Chief among his research goals is to better understand the many ways insects interact with plants and how such interactions determine the diversity of animal communities. His books include Bringing Nature Home, The Living Landscape, co-authored with Rick Darke, Nature’s Best Hope, a New York Times Best Seller and The Nature of Oaks, which won the American Horticultural Society’s 2022 award. In 2021 he cofounded Homegrown National Park with Michelle Alfandari. His awards include recognition from The Garden Writer’s Association, Audubon, The National Wildlife Federation, Allegheny College, Ecoforesters, The Garden Club of America and The American Horticultural Association.
Change the course of dwindling bird, butterfly, and moth numbers by gardening for LIFE with native plants. Learn from the guru who has taught so many so much, Doug Tallamy: Entomologist, professor at the University of Delaware, and author of four highly educational, eye-opening, and award-winning books.
Don’t miss this opportunity to hear Doug Tallamy speak. Too, please spread the word. Let’s grow our numbers! Bring your friends, family, neighbors, co-workers, and your landscaper (so you can speak the same language)!
I’ve been chipping away at my wildlife gardens since sometime in March. I am quite sure that as recently as two weeks ago I could still easily spot all the baby Black Walnut trees coming up in my perennial gardens that squirrels had planted for me. I kept trying to bring that task up to the top of the list. Too, just two weeks ago there were many bare areas in the perennial garden. In just two weeks perennials have exploded, there are hardly any bare areas, and those Black Walnuts, well, good luck finding them now.
The lushness and fullness of a perennial garden in late May is joyful to behold. All of sudden my asters were three to four feet tall. So I got my clippers out and gave them and a few other fall-blooming perennials a HAIR CUT . I cut back New England Aster, Common Blue Wood Aster, Smooth Blue Aster, and Tall Sunflower (my stands of White Wood Aster did not yet need a haircut). Why haircuts, you might ask. It is quite simple. If you want these fall-blooming perennials bushy and full of flowers when they bloom, they need haircuts now, otherwise by fall they will be so top heavy that they are likely to flop over from the weight of flowers on long, unbranched stalks.
Years ago Flora for Fauna (native plant nursery) owner Karen Williams shared this sage advice about maintaining one of my favorite native perennials, New England Aster, and I’m about to share it with you. Though this post is for folks with plants that are several years old and flourishing, not for brand, spanking new plants that have just been put into the ground this year.
NEW ENGLAND ASTER 2 HAIR CUTS: Memorial Day & 4th of July
Blooming New England Aster is a magnet for Monarchs and other pollinators, here on October 2nd in my garden
New England Aster can get very tall and top heavy by the time it blooms in the fall. And the last thing any of us want is for its lovely spread of glowing purple flowers, nectar, and joy to be laying on the ground come fall.
To help it grow into a many-branched, bushy plant instead of a tall, gangly, top-heavy plant, all you need to do is to give it 2 hair cuts on or around the 1st two holidays of the growing season: Memorial Day and 4th of July. Of course these dates are not single-day events, but roughly when you want to give New England Aster its hair cuts. Too, you can be the judge if you need to do your hair cuts earlier, or even if the 2nd haircut is needed. With the cool and relatively wet (and very pleasant) spring we had in southern NJ in 2024, I noticed that my plants needed hair cuts quite a while ago. Know that you can jump start the process by several weeks to a month some years!
As a wildlife gardener I don’t clean up and toss the cuttings, but instead leave them on the ground at the base of the plant. That way any caterpillars that went for a tumble with the cuttings can climb back onto the plant and continue to munch. Doug Tallamy (author of Bringing Nature Home, Nature’s Best Hope, and The Nature of Oaks) shares that 112 species of butterflies and moths lay their eggs on our native asters, making asters one of the TOP 20 perennials used by butterflies and moths for egg laying. Don’t be surprised if some of your cuttings take root and become additional asters!
New England Aster in need of its first haircut, otherwise this plant will certainly flop come the fall blooming periodNew England Aster after its first haircut. I cut a good foot or two off the top of each stem (hedge trimmers work great . . . no need to be fussy and cut stem-by-stem).13 days later, the New England Aster is already branching heavily where each stem was cut.
Around Memorial Day, I cut each stem 1/2 (or 2/3) off (or about a foot or two off the top, depending on how tall it is, if that is easier for you to remember). I use big shears and just chop away. What happens next is that each cut plant stem sends out 2 or more new shoots where it has been cut, in other words it branches and becomes more bushy!
E. Cottontail caught in the act of giving Common Blue Wood Asters a hair cut on May 28th one year
Some of my asters get regular haircuts from plentiful E. Cottontails (they must think our yard is one large salad bowl crafted just for them). I’ve planted the lovely fall-blooming, shade loving Common Blue Wood Aster, Symphyotrichum cordifolium, under our Tulip Tree and in our woods. Despite hungry rabbits it has flourished and spread into other beds, our meadow, the perennial garden, and elsewhere and that pleases me. It is so plentiful that it keeps the rabbits busy and away from most other asters. We’ve fenced our yard, so deer are not an issue for us. But other gardeners share that deer routinely give their asters hair cuts.
If needed, around 4th of July, I give my plants their 2nd hair cut (not back to the 1st cut, but cutting back some of the new growth since Memorial Day). You may want to be more creative for this hair cut and cut the many stems in your plant different lengths. For instance, give the stems in the foreground more of a hair cut, the stems in the middle less of a hair cut, and the stems in the back just a little hair cut. This way your plant stems will bloom at different heights.
Summer 2024 Update: 2024 was a very odd (hopefully not the “new normal”) summer. Late May through all of June 2024 we experienced a severe drought in Goshen (Cape May County), NJ. We had no measurable rain for 6 weeks, coupled with a heat dome that hovered over us during the longest days of the year. It was brutal. Many native perennials suffered and barely grew. By July 4th, when I normally give some of my fall-blooming plants their 2nd haircut, it was totally unnecessary. Thankfully, we had some crazy-heavy rains that helped rejuvenate wildlife gardens (June 30 -July 1 we had 4.4″ and July 12-14 we had 5.85″ of rain — I submit daily rainfall to CoCoRaHS). One plant I did give a 2nd haircut to was my Tall (or Giant) Sunflower. And I did not do that until July 9, 2024. In my garden this summer nothing else has needed the 2nd haircut.
You may find that some plants haven’t grown as tall as others, so you may choose to pass on the 2nd hair cut for some plants. If so, you’ll find that these plants will bloom earlier. This staggers the blooming period so that you have New England Aster nectar, color, and joy far longer in your wildlife garden.
My garden on September 27th full of mounds of blooming asters, thanks to hair cuts earlier in the year.
A bit more advice: once given hair cuts, New England Aster has “ugly legs.” The stems below the 1st haircut look “not so nice” . . . the leaves darken and fall off and the stems are quite bare. So you’ll want to have other perennials in the foreground blocking that view, so you’re not looking at ugly bare legs.
You can give 1-2 haircuts to some other fall-blooming perennials that grow tall and flop, so they’ll instead branch and become more bushy: Goldenrod Sedum Sunflower
I love Tall (or Giant) Sunflowers and so do the Monarchs when they are migrating through in the fallBut if I’ve forgotten to give Tall (or Giant) Sunflower the 2 haircuts, it can be a beast to prop up or tie up, and keep from falling over, as you can seeSeaside Goldenrod chopped back after its 1st haircut. As it continues to grow I often spot stems I missed, grab the clippers and take care of business
For some summer-blooming plants that grow too tall for your garden, you can give them one haircut around Memorial Day, forcing them to branch, become bushier, and bloom lower. I sometimes do this with some of my favorite summer nectar plants so that I have an easier time seeing and photographing pollinators on them: Culver’s Root Garden Phlox (I tried this for the 1st time in 2023) Ironweed Joe-pye-weed Sneezeweed Blue Vervain various Bonesets
Culver’s Root responding to its haircut, branching nicely!I gave the Culver’s Root stems in the foreground a haircut, but left the back stems untouched. This way the untouched stems will bloom on time and the branching stems (due to a haircut) will bloom a bit later, and so the plant will offer nectar for a longer period
You can always experiment on other fall-blooming perennials that have flopped in your garden. If you’re not sure how hair cuts will turn out on plants other than those I’ve mentioned, try giving a hair cut to one stem ONLY (or if you have several plants of Cut-leafed Coneflower, for example, in your garden, give one of them hair cuts so you can compare results with your uncut plants). Then see how your plant reacts and whether you like the results.
Don’t hesitate to ask a question, but please use the Comment Box at the end of this post, so others can benefit from your question and my answer. Maybe scroll down through previous questions; you may find that your question is already answered.
This year I am excited to share that I will be leading tours of my wildlife garden for the first time since COVID. It’s been a long time since the last tour (2019) and I’ve missed sharing my wildlife habitat and all the wonder unfolding in it, plus it has evolved as I’ve learned more, as plants have grown and spread, and as I’ve acquired additional Chocolate Cake nectar and host plants. I will be leading these tours for CU Maurice River, a non-profit organization (registration will be required through CU Maurice River, not through me).
In this post I’ve included photos of the garden in late June when the tours will occur(as well as late June garden visitors). Don’t let the photos of ornate bees, flies, & wasps deter you from signing up for this tour. We’ve never been stung in our garden. All these beautiful pollinators are far too busy gathering nectar and pollen, avoiding predators, seeking mates, and selecting nest sites to show any interest in us! Details follow:
“Tours of Pat Sutton’s Private Wildlife Garden” 47 Years in the Making Saturday, June 29, 2024 (RAIN DATE: Sunday, June 30, 2024) Morning Session: 9:30 a.m. to Noon (SOLD OUT a/o 5-31-24) Afternoon Session: 2:00 to 4:30 p.m. (SOLD OUT a/o 5-31-24) Limit / Session: 20 COST/tour: $30 (CU Maurice River member), $40 (nonmember)
These tours are SOLD OUT as of 5-31-24. Please email info@cumauriceriver.org OR call (856) 300-5331 to get added to a waitlist
Contact CU Maurice River at the office (856) 300-5331 to register and pay for this garden tour or do so on their website. For the Morning Tour registerHERE. For the Afternoon Tour register HERE.
Sign up for the session that best fits your schedule (morning or afternoon tour), and join Pat Sutton for a late-June tour of her 47-year-old wildlife garden in Goshen (Cape May Co.), NJ, when some of her favorite nectar plants are in bloom and drawing in pollinators.
Pat’s gardens showcase the many different ways a habitat can offer food, cover, and water. This one-half acre property shelters 202 species of native plants, including 127 native perennials (plus Partridge Pea, a native annual), 60 native trees, shrubs, & vines; 9 native grasses, and 5 native ferns. Pat’s garden plant signage includes common & latin name, year planted, source of plant, and often specific wildlife that benefits from the plant. Pat’s wildlife habitat includes two wildlife ponds (that numerous frogs, toads, dragonflies, and damselflies breed in), many and different water features, bird and butterfly feeding stations, a pocket meadow of wildflowers and grasses (see 1st photo in this post), extensive shade gardens in under shade trees, wildlife corridors, shrub islands, a woodland of native plants (saved from a jungle of Multiflora Rose and Japanese Honeysuckle in 2009), and a full-sun pollinator garden.
Over the 46 years Pat & Clay have lived at this site (since 1977), they’ve tallied 213 bird species including such unlikely species as Varied Thrush, Pileated Woodpecker, Golden-crowned Sparrow, and Black-headed Grosbeak (wintered). They’ve also tallied 79 butterfly species (the 2nd highest butterfly yard list in NJ)! But a real scare in the last 6 or so years has been a drastic drop in diversity and numbers of butterflies (and moths), despite Pat continually adding to their property’s offering of native nectar & host plants.
Fortunately, other pollinators (bees, wasps, flies, day-flying moths, and beetles) caught Pat’s fancy. They seemed to be abundant, but in reality, they too are probably far fewer during today’s “Insect Crisis,” than they once were. Pat readily admits that “in the good old days, we were so dazzled by the clouds of butterflies dashing about the garden that we barely noticed the other pollinators.”
With less travel during the Pandemic, Pat explored her wildlife gardens almost daily, savoring the myriad of native plants and the many pollinators attracted to them. In previous years she’d dabbled at learning bee, wasp, and fly pollinators, but they are tough! With the help of iNaturalist and Heather Holm’s book Wasps, she earnestly studied and documented the pollinators benefiting from her wildlife habitat.
Late in 2023, Pat was given hope (and great joy) when she tallied up the pollinators (beyond butterflies) benefiting from their diverse ½ acre property. She’d photographed 111 pollinators, including: 37 wasps, 31 flies, 26 bees, 9 beetles, and 8 diurnal moths nectaring in the gardens. That project is ongoing. You can check out Pat’s iNaturalist sightings HERE(once there click on “Sightings”).
During this tour you are sure to see butterflies and many of the other pollinators that have caught Pat’s fancy, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds and other songbirds, and learn of many native nectar and host plants, as well as enjoy many fun garden features and design ideas.
This totally educational experience will benefit and dazzle long-time gardeners and new-to-wildlife-gardening participants alike.
Native plants will be available for sale at two nearby sites the day of these tours.
Upon registration, participants will receive instructions for the tour.
Most of May, Wild Columbine fills our sunny perennial garden (seen here), the woods, and all edges of our yard . . . all from a few plants gifted to me in 1992 by a fellow wildlife gardener. Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are drawn to it as well as other pollinators like this American Bumble Bee (May 9, 2024).
Hi Gang,
This spring my garden took so much of my time (everything takes longer when you are in your 70s) that I created an update of “Some Sources of Native Plants” that I hope will not be so labor intensive for me in the future. But what that means, is that YOU will have to follow the website links I’ve shared to learn of nursery opening dates and hours, pop-up sale dates, and non-profit native plant sale dates & details yourself. My list includes THE BEST sources of native plants that I feel comfortable recommending. So, check it out and visit websites and facebook pages to learn of each of their hours and 2024 offerings! Consider yourselves very, very fortunate that there are so many sources of native plants. That was NOT the case when I began planting natives in the late 1970s and 1980s, or even in the 1990s or early 2000s!
You will find my 6-page “Some Sources of Native Plants in 2024” at the end of this post, already updated to its 2nd Edition (5-20-24).
A number of websites have searchable Native Plant Databases with filters to help you generate lists of plants suited for various sites on your property. Some of my favorites follow: Prairie Nursery, Prairie Moon Nursery, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, and Jersey-Friendly Yards Website which has filters for “native plants only” (@ 317), wildlife value, region, ecoregion (barrier island/coastal, Pinelands), deer resistant, drought tolerance, salt tolerance, and many more filters. Have at it and see what may work in your yard!
PLEASE NOTE: many native plant nurseries are not like the nursery down the road. Often they are owned, maintained, and run by a caring native plant grower who is surviving by also working a 2nd job or sometimes even a 2nd full-time job that covers their health insurance and most of their income. This being the case, they are not available 24-7 to answer all your questions. But when they are open or hosting a pop-up sale, they eagerly and gladly share their knowledge and will guide you towards the best native plants for your site. These same growers collect their own local native seeds or cuttings (they do not dig up from the wild), and they do not use systemic Neonicotinoid Insecticides that would cancel out future generations of butterflies and moths (more on Neonics below). So, don’t panic when their milkweeds have aphids; but instead realize that if there are no aphids, it means the grower has spent hours hand picking them off. Know too that growing from seed can be a lengthy process. The Turk’s-Cap Lily, Lilium superbum, that I purchased from Clemenson Farms Native Nursery in 2014 (now a patch of 44 stalks a/o May 2024) took the Clemensons 8 years to grow out from seed to plant that could be sold. Understand too, that some natives are slow to break ground in spring so are not going to be available during early-season sales: milkweeds, Partridge Pea, and Joe-pye-weed to name a few.
Once hooked on wildlife gardening with native plants, it can be a real challenge to find native plants. Yes a few have been mainstreamed, and the nursery down the street may carry them. But BEWARE OF CULTIVARS OF NATIVE PLANTS. Cultivars are plants created or selected for specific characteristics such as early blooming or color, often at the expense of nectar, berries (the plants may be sterile), and sometimes even the leaf chemistry is changed so the plant can no longer be used as a caterpillar plant. We (wildlife gardeners) want the nectar, the berries, and we want the leaf chemistry intact so our butterflies can create the next generation!
That said, some straight natives might be ill behaved and total thugs, overwhelming other plants in your garden and leading to hours and hours spent thinning them every single year. This is the case with Cutleaf Coneflower. In 2009, a friend shared a cultivar of this plant with me (Cutleaf Coneflower, Rudbeckia lacinata “Herbstsonne,”) that is a Chocolate Cake, always full of pollinators, and not a thug at all because it is sterile. I’ve raved about my Cutleaf Coneflower for years, many have planted the straight native, and been frazzled by its rambunctious wanderings.
Be careful too that your plants are Neonicotinoid free. Neonicotinoids are systemic (get into every part of the plant, including pollen, nectar, even dew) pesticides that are applied to many commercially-available nursery plants and are harmful to bees, caterpillars, moths, butterflies, and other beneficial pollinators.
Speak up when you purchase plants. Ask if the nursery uses Neonicotinoid Insecticides. If they don’t know what you are talking about, it sounds like a nursery to avoid. If they proudly share that they do not use Neonicotinoid Insecticides (verbally and/or on their website), they are a nursery “in the know” and a nursery to support. The Xerces Society’s publication, “Protecting Pollinators from Pesticides: Buying Bee-Safe Plants,” addresses asking nurseries these important questions and is available HERE. There is a complimentary Xerces Society publication for nurseries, “Offering Bee-Safe Plants: A Guide for Nurseries,” available HERE. Let nurseries you frequent know about it. If you find that any of the nurseries on my list are “in the dark” and still using Neonicotinoids, please alert me ! ! !
Around the world steps are being taken to protect pollinators from neonics. In 2018, the European Union voted to completely ban all outdoor uses of three types of neonics (citing their impacts to honey bees). Canada followed suit, planning to phase out all outdoor use of three specific neonics in 3-5 years (2021-2023) because of impacts to aquatic ecosystems. In 2016 Connecticut became the first state in the nation to restrict the use of neonicotinoids when the legislature unanimously passed An Act Concerning Pollinator Health (banning sales of neonics for use by general consumers in backyard garden settings). Soon after, Maryland passed a similar bill that restricts the sale of neonics and bans their use by consumers. And in January 2022, New Jersey became the 6th state to pass a similar bill to save pollinators by classifying bee-killing neonicotinoids (also known as neonics) as restricted use pesticides.
Educate yourself about Neonics by reading the following:
American Bird Conservancy’s Neonicotinoid Insecticides Harm The Little Creatures, including how 90 percent of food samples taken from Congressional cafeterias contain neonicotinoid insecticides (highly toxic to birds and other wildlife) .
HUGE IINSECT DIE-OFF / INSECT APOCALYPSE
‘A car “splatometer” study finds huge insect die-off’
Nov. 13, 2019, by Damian Carrington, Environmental Editor, The Guardian
Measuring how many bugs fly into car windshields might sound silly. But to scientists predicting an “insect apocalypse,” the numbers are deadly serious.
The Insect Crisis, The Fall of the Tiny Empires That Run the World, by Oliver Milman. 2022. A devastating examination of how collapsing insect populations worldwide threaten everything from wild birds to the food on our plate.
BIRDS ARE VANISHING
“Birds are Vanishing from North America”
The number of birds in the United States and Canada has declined by 2.9 billion, or 29 percent, over the past 50 years (1970-2019), scientists find (Science, 2019).
Here are just a few of the things that each and every one of us can do:
1. Plant NATIVES, especially Keystone Species (read Doug Tallamy’s books to understand what Keystone Species are). If you live in the East, the “Eastern Temperate Forests – Ecoregion 8″ plant list should be the backbone of your plantings! If you live elsewhere, chose your Ecoregion HERE for your list of Keystone Species.
2. Ask nurseries you frequent if their native plants have been treated with Neonicotinoids (see Xerces Society’s document, “Protecting Pollinators from Pesticides: Buying Bee-Safe Plants,” for tips and how to ask these important questions) . If they don’t know, ask them to find out. If the answer is yes, don’t purchase and explain why, that Neonics are hazardous to the wildlife you are trying to attract and benefit.
3. Leave fallen leaves on the ground: they are full of insect life, they protect tree and shrub and perennial roots, they break down and naturally nourish your soil, and they prevent erosion. Listen to Doug Tallamy’s talk about his latest book, The Nature of Oaks (search youtube Doug Tallamy Nature of Oaks), and learn that oak leaves are the BEST fallen leaves to LEAVE on the ground because it takes them so long to break down (3 years or more). All that time (3+ years) they are providing for an abundance of LIFE that needs fallen leaves to survive. Heather Holm calls these leaves “Soft Landings” for the many caterpillars feeding on the tree above to land in and then nestle down into as they metamorphose into the next life stage before emerging as an adult butterfly or moth the following year. To truly preserve the life in leaf litter do not mow it / mulch it (that would chop up all that life using it).
4. DO NOT USE Pesticides (including Organic – they KILL too) or Herbicides or synthetic Fertilizers
5. Turn outdoor lights OFF at night (use motion sensor lights instead)
6. Remove as many invasive plants as possible on your property
7. Share some of your native “Chocolate Cake” perennial divisions (that are also Keystone Species: Asters and Goldenrods, for example) with others to help get them hooked
8. Read and give Doug Tallamy’s books (Bringing Nature Home, Nature’s Best Hope, and The Nature of Oaks ) to family members, friends, co-workers, neighbors.
9. If you ever have a chance to hear Doug Tallamy speak, BE THERE and bring your neighbor, friend, family member, landscaper, lawn care service worker so they can learn to speak the same language. In the meantime Google “YouTube videos (or podcasts) Doug Tallamy” and you’ll have dozens to choose from, many of which are keynote talks he’s given about the importance of insects, native plants, fallen leaves, and much more. Watch Doug Tallamy’s presentations and what you learn may change your life and/or the way you view life. Share video links with neighbors, friends, family members, co-workers.
10. Read and give Heather Holm’s books about beneficial pollinators (Pollinators of Native Plants; Bees, An Identification and Native Plant Forage Guide; and Wasps, Their Biology, Diversity, and Role as Beneficial Insects and Pollinators of Native Plants) to family members, friends, co-workers, and neighbors to help you (and others) understand beneficial pollinators. You’ll learn key practices like leaving stem stubble during spring garden clean up and standing dead trees (these stems and dead trees provide pollinator nesting sites), utilize fallen branches and tree trunks to line garden or woodland paths (ditto: potential nest sites), leave fallen leaves, and avoid too much hardscaping, mulching, and turf so that ground-nesting pollinators have safe places to nest.
Hi Gang,
