Queen-of-the-Prairie, Filipendula rubra seems like a logical place to start! This plant was introduced to a Master Gardener's Convention in 2005- and wowed the socks off the landscape crowd. I had to have one, or three. And to think it is an Ohio Native, easily found in wet prairies like Cedar Bog (and my backyard)!
Native plant- Purple coneflower, Echinacea purpurea - slightly obscured by a Giant Swallowtail butterfly. They seem to prefer nectaring on the coneflowers in my yard. In fact, I was not a big fan of the coneflower until I saw the Giant Swallowtails. Mark me as a "BIG FAN" now.
Oh, the Phlox of it all... this is probably some garden species from my past "landscaper" life, but I have several varieties of natives too. Spotted phlox, and Blue phlox .. any phlox is a good phlox in my book, as the butterflies love it!
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This lovely female Tiger Swallowtail (note the blue on the hind wings) was just making a spectacle of herself today. How could I not post her for the world to see? Shameless!
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We silly humans cannot begin to compete with the beauty of nature.
