little bluets native plants

08/13/2026

Monarch butterfly migration is underway! Remember if you want to support monarchs you'll want to plant milkweed for caterpillars but you'll also want to have a nectar source for adults. Growing plants that are flowering when the monarchs migrate through in spring and late summer/fall will support the adult butterflies!
Here are some suggestions for both!

Milkweed ... Host Plant for Caterpillars
Butterflyweed (Asclepias tuberosa) - full sun, drought tolerant

Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) - sun to part shade, avg or moist soils

Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) - Not recommended for small garden spaces. It grows quickly on underground runners and can be challenging to keep in check. May be ok in a large meadow or prairie type planting.

Tropical Milkweed - Avoid planting! This article from the Xerces Society explains why https://xerces.org/blog/tropical-milkweed-a-no-grow

Nectar Sources for Adult Monarchs
Coreopsis sps - spring
Butterflyweed and Swamp Milkweed - spring and summer
Joe Pye W**d (Eutrochium sps) - late summer
Blazing Star (Liatris sps)- summer
Goldenrods (Solidago sps) - late summer/fall
Fall Asters (Symphiotrichum sps) - late summer/fall
Native Sunflowers (Helianthus sps) - late summer/fall
Crownbeards (Verbesina sps) - late summer/fall
Ironweeds (Vernonia sps) – late summer/fall

08/13/2026

Just saw the first monarchs of the season this past week! I watched a female flutter from plant to plant, laying an egg when she would land on milkweed but simply bouncing off when she landed on a plant other than milkweed. It got me wondering if she was using her feet to sense what plant she was on. I came across the answer to my question in this post from Cornell University. Very interesting!
https://agrawal.eeb.cornell.edu/2021/06/22/qa-how-monarchs-find-milkweed/

07/14/2026

Why Holes in Leaves are Beautiful!

07/14/2026

Got to see this leafcutter bee mama making her nest in a bamboo plant stake at the Holly Springs Food Cupboard gardens! It was literally a dream for this bee lover to get to see, but it was also three-fold. The bamboo was removed during an invasive plant removal workday at a local nature preserve and is now being used to not only hold up plants that produce food which supports the community, but also as a nesting site for some amazing native bees.

07/05/2026

Super excited because I just found the endangered Southern Plains Bumble Bee in my garden! It has been declining and is rarely seen in my area (Piedmont NC). My property is small, only a 1/4 acre and in the middle of suburbia. Just another great example that when we provide habitat and avoid pesticides we can support so much life, even those whose populations are struggling!
https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/44937623/69001851

06/24/2026

06/05/2026

I'll be bringing "baby" bees to the Holly Springs Farmers Market tommorow! A Georgia Mason Bee just completed her nest in my yard and I am now able to bring the nest to observe. Stop by to see a solitary bee nest complete with pollen balls, eggs and larvae, aka "baby" bees!

06/04/2026

This Saturday will be my last week at the Holly Springs Farmers Market until the fall. Stop by for native plants or with questions about pollinator friendly landscapes! Here are a few of the 40+ species I'll have ...
Foam Flower (beautiful in a shade garden)
Barbara's Buttons (darling spring bloomer)
White Beardtongue (bumble bee magnet!)
Coral Honeysuckle and Bee Balm (hummingbird favorites!)
Pink Muhly Grass (fall beauty)
Swamp Milkweed (Monarch host plant)
Goldenrods and Asters (fall pollen powerhouses)

https://www.littlebluetsnativeplants.com/plantavailability

05/29/2026

This Saturday is Strawberry Day at the Holly Springs Farmers Market! I'll have a pollination acitvity showing how essential bees are for growing yummy strawberries! Bring your kids by my table to learn how bees move pollen from flower to flower and why they are Super Pollinators. Kids can also make their own bumble bee mask.

05/27/2026

Plant now for beautiful fall gardens!
Come by the Holly Springs Farmers Market this Saturday morning!
I'll have a variety of native plants including, lovely and important fall blooming perennials including ...
Grayleaf and Sweet Goldenrod
New England Aster
Common and Purple Helenium
Great Blue Lobelia

As well as native bunch grasses that are gorgeous in fall ...
Pinky Muhly Grass
Silver Bluestem
Little Bluestem

I'll also have Swamp Milkweed which ar ea food source for monarch caterpillars when the butterflies migrate through in fall!