Bird, Bee & Butterfly Buffet

A follow-up to my post Putting the BLOOM Back In Bloomfield,  …

Today I scattered the first seeds into the new pollinator habitat, a.k.a. the Butterfly Buffet. It was very exciting! Well, that’s a stretch, but it was fun. I hadn’t planned to start so soon but days are getting warmer and our risk of frost is over. Some seeds need cold stratification so I figured I’d better get them in the ground asap while they have a chance to catch a chill.

I think the timing was perfect – it’s been lightly raining all afternoon and then we’re due for a handful of sunny days to warm up those moist little seeds. It’s also the week of the New Moon, so success is practically guaranteed!

I mixed together a huge assortment of deer resistant, drought tolerant, native flower seeds and grasses with rose, white and crimson clover. Lupines, yarrow, cornflower, coneflower, poppy, gaillardia, daisy, flax, primrose and more are now scattered along my pollinator path. I raked the ground, scattered the seeds, raked again, then walked over the surface to press the seeds in. Most importantly, I staked netting over the whole area in an effort to keep the chickens and wild birds out.

I believe I will have my work cut out for me as I attempt to help the flowers outgrow the weeds but I’m up to the challenge. I’m also going to put in some small plants to anchor the space – lavender, sage and a few other butterfly favorites – so even if my seeds don’t cover the space with a blanket of flowers there will still be food for my flying friends.

So this is attempt #1 to put the BLOOM back in Bloomfield… we’ll see what happens!

~~~~~~~~~~ END POST ~~~~~~~~~~