The signs of spring are all around! Birds are coming back and wildflowers are
blooming along the roadsides. The
flowers are nice to look at but also can act as a needed food source to
insects, butterflies and birds. This
blog post discusses (in no particular order) some of the more common wildflowers
coming up right now.
Texas Bluebonnet Lupinus texensis and Indian Blanket Gaillardia pulchella:
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Left: Texas Bluebonnet. Photo by Joseph A.
Marcus, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Right: Indian Blanket. Photo by Bruce Leander,
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
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The Texas Bluebonnet is our state flower! You know when spring is here when the
bluebonnets start coming up. Bluebonnets
are members of the Pea family and are a beneficial flower for butterflies and
native bumble bees. Additionally, they
are the larval host for the Hairstreak and Elfin butterflies.
The Indian Blanket is a long lasting flower that will
brighten any garden when blooming. It is
a member of the Aster family and the orange and yellow blooms will attract
butterflies.
Black-eyed
Susan Rudbeckia hirta
and Indian Paintbrush Castilleja indivisa
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Left: Black-eyed Susan. Photo by R. W. Smith,
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Right: Indian Paintbrush. Photo by Bruce Leander,
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
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Black-eyed Susan is a well-known flower commonly seen
throughout the United States from the late spring to early fall months. It is a member of the Aster family. Black-eyed Susan flowers are beneficial to
many creatures; the seeds are eaten by birds and nectar eaten by bees, insects,
and butterflies.
Just like the Texas bluebonnet, Indian Paintbrush is a
common sight around town in the spring.
It is a member of the Figwort family.
Insects, butterflies, and hummingbirds are attracted to the bright red
blooms and the plant is the larval host for the Buckeye butterfly.
Winecup Callirhoe involucrate and Plains
Coreopsis Coreopsis tinctoria
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Left: Winecup. Photo by Dolphia and W.
D. Bransford, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Right: Palins Coreopsis. Photo by Joseph A.
Marcus, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
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The Winecup is a poppy-like member of the Mallow
family and common in Texas in the early spring.
It will attract native bees and butterflies. It is the larval host for the Gray Hairstreak
butterfly.
Another member of the Aster family! Plains Coreopsis is a cheery flower and is
common throughout most of the United States in the spring and early
summer. Bees, insects, and butterflies
eat nectar produced by the plant while seeds are eaten by birds.
Prairie Verbena Glandularia bipinnatifida var. bipinnatifida
and Lemon Mint Monarda citridora
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Left: Prairie Verbena. Photo by Joseph A.
Marcus, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Right: Lemon Mint. Photo by Robert L.
Stone, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
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The Prairie Verbena is a nice touch of purple in hillslopes
of red and yellow. It is a member of the
Verbena family. The flower blooms from
spring until winter and will attract birds and butterflies.
Lemon Mint is a member of the…. Mint family! Bumble bees especially like the upright
blooms. Butterflies, insects and
hummingbirds will also be attracted to the blooms.
Purple Coneflower Echinacea purpurea and Pink Evening
Primrose Oenothera speciosa
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Left: Purple Coneflower. Right: Pink Evening Primrose.
Both photos by Sally and Andy Wasowski, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center |
The Purple Coneflower is our last member of the Aster family
for today. An interesting fact, the
genus, echino, means “hedgehog” for the spiky cone in the middle. The purple blooms will attract butterflies
and hummingbirds.
The Pink Evening Primrose is a member of the
Evening-Primrose family. These dainty
flowers are common throughout most of the United States and the seed capsules
will attract birds.
Seed balls: A great
project for kids or anyone!
I know what you’re thinking… these flowers would be great in
a native wildflower garden… right? Well,
you can make that happen! This
combination of native wildflower seeds is being sold by the Native American
Seed, a company recommended by the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. The blend of seeds is suited for central
Texas and is called the Lady Bird’s Legacy Wildflower Mix. A portion of the sales goes to the Wildflower
Center Seed Grant
program. From the Seed Grant website:
"The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in
partnership with Native American Seed awards grants of seed (Seed Grants) to
Texas schools (K-12) that support the Wildflower Center’s mission to increase
the sustainable use and conservation of native wildflowers, plants and
landscapes. Seed grants can be used to establish wildflower demonstration
areas, to enhance existing wildflower sites, or in other educationally directed
projects."
So buying seeds will help get kids involved and learning
about native plants... it’s a win-win situation! Ok, now that you have seeds, what do you
do? You can plant them traditionally or
another way to get kids involved is to make seed balls.
Seed balls are composed of clay, compost, and seeds with
some recipe variations involving sand.
Basically, mix the dry ingredients together and add enough water to make
the clay sticky. Pinch off small pieces
of the clay and roll into balls between your hands. It will take a day or two to dry
completely. Now, you can throw the seed
balls into a patch of yard and soon you will have a beautiful wildflower
garden!
For more in-depth information on the wildflower species
listed above, please visit the Native
Plant Database, NPID
Resources:
All wildflower information was taken from the Native Plant
Database, NPID on the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center http://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=scientific+or+common+names&newsearch=true&family=Acanthaceae
From the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: How to make
seed balls:
Native American Seed company
Wildflower Center Seed Grant program
