Few updates from the native wildflower beds . . . transformation is the theme this spring. After several years of waiting patiently, my yellow pimpernel (Taenidia integerrima) finally erupted into its fully mature form, a tall, graceful beauty reaching 3 feet in height. This edge-loving native forb is easily identified by its compound leaf structure consisting of three, smooth-edged leaflets (unusual in the carrot famliy) and its sprawling, airy compound umbels of yellow flowers in the spring. Although the flowers are small, they attract many pollinators, primarily small bees, wasps, flies and beetles. This is also the host plant of the black swallowtail butterfly. I saw a black swallowtail fluttering around the pimpernel this past weekend - I need to check for eggs. A close relative, mountain pimpernel (Taenidia montana) is restricted to the shale barrens of the Central Appalachians, from Pennsylvania south through Virginia.
Charactersitics: part to full shade; moderately dry soil; tall, graceful form factor prone to bending; high pollinator value; host plant of the black swallowtail butterfly.
Equal patience with my coral honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) has been rewarded this spring with an explosive bloom. It takes several years for the vines to harden and new growth to produce the dramatic clusters of orange to red, trumpet-like flowers for which this intrepid twiner is rightly renowned. How anyone would choose to plant an invasive honeysuckle over this gorgeous native simply baffles me. Give it a little structure on which to grow and spread, and it takes care of the rest. Fantastic hummingbird magnet.
Charactersitics: prefers full sun but tolerates light shade; moist soil; cold hardy and deer resistant; needs plenty of space and air circulation to do best; high pollinator value; attracts hummingbirds and butterflies; well-behaved - does not spread aggressively like non-native honeysuckles; long bloom period.
And last, but not least, a new addition to the beds, western Indian physic (Gillenia stipulata), also known as American Ipecac, a glorious native forb with feathery, fernlike foliage and delicate, five-petaled flowers that remind me of white butterflies ascending into the heavens. Easy to establish and adaptable to various light and soil conditions, this attention-grabbing ornamental should be standard issue for a native wildflower garden. The closely-related Bowman's root (Gillenia trifoliata) is also native to the Central Appalachians. The roots of both plants were dried and powered by Native Americans for use as a laxative.
Charactersitics: adaptable to different light and soil conditions, but prefers part sun and moist soil; high pollinator value; attracts bees and butterflies; short bloom period; attractive foliage - turns pinkish-yellow or red in the fall; handy if you're constipated.
