If you visit the wet meadows this week, you will see a profusion of dark-purple flowers on tall stems - ironweed is making its annual show. It contrasts beautifully with the light yellow blossoms of coneflower, prairie dock and stiff goldenrod.
Some joe-pye is blooming in the sunniest spots. Bee balm and milkweed blooms are nearly finished. (The wet meadows are a week or two ahead of my backyard, where there's more shade.)
The bumblebees are placidly gathering pollen, and some goldfinches were gathering insects this morning to feed their young. It's first-hand evidence of Prof. Tallamy's principle: native plants are the basis for abundant birds and other wildlife.
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