October Flowers for Pollinators

Fall flowers for pollinators:

Salvia Microphylla ‘Hot Lips’ & Yellow Coreopsis

Happy Autumn Equinox!

Today, Sun, Sep 22, 2024 is the first day of Autumn.

Monarch butterflies are migrating now and today I saw a one visiting my garden. This is the fourth monarch I have seen this summer. It spent several hours getting nectar and resting in the garden. It preferred the zinnia flowers more than all others. This monarch sampled other flowers, but kept coming back to the zinnias. I noticed it liked newer flowers more than the older ones. This suggests it’s a good habit to deadhead your flowers, since cutting back older flowers encourages new buds.  If interested, you can report your monarch sightings to journeynorth.org Include the number of monarchs you observed and the length of time they spent in your area.    

~Goly Ostovar, AGC Member  

Zinnia Garden Bliss: Monarch Butterfly, Hummingbirds, and Cooler Temperatures

 A monarch butterfly spent the whole afternoon in the zinnia garden, and it seemed like she was deposited some eggs the milkweeds. Several humming birds continue to visit the zinnias and the trumpet vine. The garden is so much happier with cooler temperatures. ~Goly Ostovar, AGC Member

Observing Fall Migratory Birds and Garden Delights

Fall migratory birds are starting to show up in my garden. I saw this Black headed grosbeaks at the feeder today. Rufous hummingbirds are competing with Anna’s in the garden. Rufous Hummingbirds travel from breeding grounds in Alaska and Canada to wintering sites in Mexico. All critters seems to be enjoying a bit of cool air, And finally the vegetable garden seems to be relaxing from the intense heat and starting to produce. I had a lot of male flowers on the cucumber plants, and finally I am getting some female flowers and some cucumbers.
Goly Ostovar, AGC Member