Hummingbirds are fun birds to watch flying through the garden. There is something very intriguing about them that draws our attention. Maybe it’s that they are small yet strong, fast flyers, and hover in midair to drink nectar from flowers. It’s no wonder so many gardeners desire to draw them nearer by planting a hummingbird garden.
In my own garden, I like to plant both native and non-native flowers to attract them. I have been quite surprised to see what flowers the hummingbirds like. It is true hummingbirds are very attracted to the color red, but they are attracted to other colors as well. They are also typically attracted to plants that have tubular shaped flowers, but not always. There are some native plant choices that I’d consider necessary in any hummingbird garden.
One of the best plants for a
hummingbird garden are the bee balms (Monarda). The most common bee balm
you find in home gardens is red bee balm (Monarda didyma) and its
cultivars. This species of bee balm likes average to moist soils. Its cousin,
wild bee balm (Monarda fistulosa) also attracts hummingbirds and likes
average to dry soils. For the hummers that are traveling through in spring, try
attracting them with Bradbury bee balm (Monarda bradburiana). It flowers
earlier in the season than the other bee balms. It is a shorter plant, so it is
excellent for more compact garden spaces.
The native red honeysuckle vine (Lonicera sempervirens) is also an easy hummingbird attractor. Its long red tubular flowers bloom nearly all summer. This vine needs some room to grow, so plan to grow it on a good-sized trellis or arbor.
One other native plant not seen as
commonly in home gardens is hoary skullcap (Scutellaria incana). I have
this planted near my hummingbird feeder, and the hummingbirds cannot get enough
of this plant. It has purple flowers that flower nearly all summer, which is
another great reason to plant it. It does like to spread by seed, so if you
want to reduce its spread, just remove the ripe seed heads in late summer and
fall.
Royal catchfly (Silene regia)
One of my favorite plants that attracts hummingbirds is the native blue sage (Salvia azurea). It flowers later in the summer and will continue into fall, so it is a great nectar source for hummingbirds as they prepare for their fall migration. It’s a tall and slender plant, and one of the few flowers that has a true blue flower. Other notable native plants that attract hummingbirds are royal catchfly (Silene regia), fire pink (Silene virginica), Indian pink (Spigelia marilandica), tall phlox (Phlox paniculata), beardtongue (Penstemon), wild columbine (Aquilegia canadensis), and cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis).
There are also many non-native
annual flowers that attract hummingbirds. I enjoy planting many of these around
my patio spaces to encourage hummingbird visitors to the garden and the feeder
near my patio. Some of my favorites are verbena, pineapple sage, lantana,
tomatillo, annual salvias, Mexican sunflower, and Spanish flag vine. Many of
these plants are native to Central and South America, so hummingbirds are
familiar with them from their southern migration.
Spanish flag
Hummingbirds love to take a rest
and perch, so they will appreciate something to rest on near your feeder or
hummingbird garden. It’s also a great opportunity to watch the hummingbirds or
take photos. I once watched a hummingbird sit on the perch I have near my
feeder take a bath in the summer rain.
To attract hummingbirds throughout
the year, plant your hummingbird garden with a diversity of plants that will
flower throughout the season. Planting them in a grouping together will
encourage the birds to visit your garden routinely and provide more
opportunities to watch them all summer.
Katrina Kelly is a native to Lexington, Kentucky. She is a graduate of the University of Kentucky and has a degree in Landscape Architecture and Music. She is the owner and solopreneur of EARTHeim Landscape Design in Lexington, which focuses on creating unique garden designs with native plants and backyard homesteads. Her interest in native plants began when she volunteered at Salato with Mary Carol Cooper in 2005. She is a board member of the Wild Ones organization in Lexington. In the small amount of time she is not thinking about gardens or gardening, she enjoys photography, writing, science, fitness and nutrition, and building or crafting things around the home.
On a cold, but sunny Saturday in late February, eighteen members of KNPS met at the Bernheim Arboretum Visitor’s Center to begin the process of developing a long range strategic plan for the Society. It was a great mix of members with decades of membership in KNPS, brand new members, professional botanists, and amateur naturalists.
Strategic planning is simply the process of defining the long term direction (or strategy) of the Kentucky Native Plant Society, and then making decisions on allocating resources to pursue this strategy. The strategic planning process begins with an organization’s mission statement. A mission statement simply defines the purpose of the organization answering the question, “why does KNPS exist?”
“The mission of the Kentucky Native Plant Society is to promote education, preservation, and protection of Kentucky’s native plants and ecological systems.”
After discussing the mission of KNPS, the members broke into small groups to brainstorm the Society’s strengths and weaknesses, as well as opportunities and challenges to the Society from outside events and forces. This was a great process and resulted in a good understanding of both the internal and external environments that the Society functions within.
The group ended the morning session with a review of the Society’s long term goals. These are:
To serve as the KY native plant education resource
To promote appreciation of the biodiversity of native plant ecosystems
To encourage the appropriate use of native plants
To support native plant research
To support efforts to identify and protect endangered, threatened, and rare native plant species
In the afternoon the group used a process called structured brainstorming to develop a list of initiatives and actions that should be taken to create the desired future for the Society. In developing the initiatives, the group focused on the mission and goals and considered how the initiatives could move the Society in the direction set by those elements. A list of over 60 possible initiatives were generated. The group narrowed that list down to 10 (list below).
Unfortunately, shortly after the session, COVID-19 changed everything and additional work on narrowing down the list to the top 3 strategic initiatives was put on hold. Fortunately, that gives you, the members and friends of the Kentucky Native Plant Society, the opportunity to participate in the process. Review the initiatives below and then go to this online form and let us know what initiatives the Society should concentrate on over the next 3-5 years.
Potential Initiatives for KNPS to Undertake
Education and Outreach
Continue/re-do the native plant stewardship program with a required practical element
Presence at more conservation (“green”) related events
Bring back the botanical symposium and have it be a real collaboration of botanical professionals
Governance/Leadership/Organizational Structure
Volunteer Coordinator or Volunteer committee
Restructuring board to create more positions to share the workload – make sure everyone knows what their jobs are
Communications Director for press releases, etc./someone needs to work with sister organizations
Preservation, Conservation, and Restoration
Shortage of plants used in restoration projects…some states have set up prisons to produce plants. We could work with government agencies to set up plants. Coordinate with Master Gardeners
K12 Education/Children Involvement
Partner with local parks/schools for kids mini garden… children’s gardens
Creating a board position that is K-12 outreach coordinator, teaching and outreach (schools, scouts, etc.)
As the song goes, June is busting out all over! No month is
kinder to Kentucky wildflowers than June. The delicate and often elusive
ephemerals have given way to an abundance of rambunctious textures, colors, shapes,
heights, and fragrances. If you love wildflowers, you have to love June. Maybe
that’s why so many brides choose June—it’s all about the bouquet! A spectacular
bouquet will include Baptisia australis. Regionally, you might know this
species as wild blue indigo or false blue indigo.
There’s something magical and exotic about this flower—its
structure is so different from what we usually see in our gardens. I expect to
see fairies flitting about as the sun sets and the moon begins its climb into
the night sky. I tell my grandchildren if they want to see fairies, that’s the
flower to watch.
Baptisia australis Tim Waters
Botany and wildlife
Baptisia is in the legume (Fabaceae) or pea family, which explains the bloom’s departure from the more familiar trumpet and ray flowers. In addition, Baptisia has both male and female flowers. The blooms mature from the bottom up, and the older female flowers produce lots of nectar. Blooms toward the top of the stalk are pollen-rich males.
Donna Long
A bumble bee travels to the preferred lower flowers, seeking their nectar prize. The bee grasps the female’s pistils and thrusts itself inside the bloom. Eventually, the bee makes its way up the stalk, reaching the male flowers. This same propelling action brushes the pollen-covered anthers across the bee’s abdomen. After reaching the top, the bee flies to the female flowers at the bottom of the next stalk, depositing its pollen onto the female pistils.
The blooms also attract butterflies and hummingbirds, and Baptisia
is the only known host of the Wild Indigo Duskywing (Erynnis baptisiae)
butterfly.
Another native Baptisia is Baptisia alba. It’s
similar in every way to australis but its blooms are white. There’s
a yellow variety, Baptisia sphaerocarpa, but it isn’t native to Kentucky.
Culture
When Mary Carol Cooper gave me my first Baptisia, she
advised me to find a sunny spot and leave it there. They grow a long taproot
and don’t like to have their roots disturbed. Besides, you might not be able to
move it even if you decide to. Established plants resemble asparagus when they
break ground in early spring but underneath, the roots are woody. I’d describe the
roots as a steel octopus. Established Baptisia is almost impossible to
dig up without superpowers.
They prefer fun sun but will tolerate a bit of shade. They’re very forgiving in their water needs, so go for sun first, then water. However, they need well-drained soil. Steer clear of high pH soils or amend the soil regularly if necessary. Baptisia blooms from April to July. If they stay small and the leaves are a bit yellow, pH might be your problem. They take a few years to produce volumes of blooms, but they are worth the wait.
Propagation
Given Baptisia’s rooting disposition, division isn’t
a great method of propagation. Cuttings will root but few will sprout the next spring.
Leonardo Dasilva
Seeds are the way to go. To collect, wait for the pod to turn brown or black. Blooms persist toward the top while pods ripen along the bottom. Fortunately, they hang on to the plant for weeks so they’re easy to find. Store dry seeds in the refrigerator. They’re easy to germinate and require only 10 days of cold moist stratification and then scarification in hot water. Plant about ½ inch deep.
Because Baptisia is a legume, it requires microorganisms that inhabit nodules on the plant’s root system. If you’re purchasing a healthy plant, don’t worry about it. You might never need to know this, but it can’t hurt to tuck away this bit of botanical trivia in your brain’s gardening section.
In your garden
In nature, you’ll find Baptisia along moist woodland edges and prairies. In your garden, give special care not to crowd them. They grow large and bushy so give them lots of room. The blooms are small, but the volume creates a showy vertical display. You might want to surround them with a bit of ground cover but don’t ask them to compete with another showy plant.
This bushy perennial grows from two to four feet from its woody base. While not a shrub, one plant can spread to three feet. One Baptisia is beautiful and three make a breathtaking display. However, in my opinion, a mass planting loses its visual impact because you see only the color and not the individual, and spectacular, plant.
Baptisia of any color provides both height and depth
to any sunny garden spot. It’s spectacular as a focus spot or in a perennial border
with other natives. After blooming, its blue-green foliage makes a nice
backdrop for later bloomers and persists into cooler weather as do the dark
seed pods.
When purchasing plants, look for older plants that are
blooming; from seed, this plant takes three years (and patience) to produce
flowers. Give Baptisia what it needs, and not only will it take center
stage, but it will also be hearty—to the extent of being almost indestructible.
Reviewed by Jonathan O.C. Kubesch, University of Tennessee
I work in the space between traditional agronomy and ecology with my career in grasslands. While I refer to journal articles for the bulk of my work, a reference book holds an important place for my field. Generally, I go to the library or through hearsay to come across some obscure text with a great description of this species or that agricultural practice. Ah, the life of a graduate student! However, in the case of Reed Noss’ Forgotten Grasslands of the South: Natural History and Conservation, I could not have found a better time to dive into a well-assembled dissection of these oft-overlooked ecosystems. My copy comes courtesy of Dwayne Estes (Southeastern Grasslands Initiative), and came it to me while in the field looking for running buffalo clover (Trifolium stoloniferum) in Davidson County, Tennessee. After an unsuccessful hunt, I poured over the book in concert with my own travels around the Southeast.
Noss thoroughly expands the conceptual grassland well
beyond the tallgrass and mixed-grass prairies of my background to include the
glades, buffalo traces, and barrens. Following the author’s same journey as an
Ohio buckeye gone south, I happened to visit Myakka State Park in Florida as
part of my best friend’s wedding and got a similar feel for Southern grasslands
that Forgotten Grasslands highlights
in an interweaving description of basic ecology and applied conservation. While
broad in geographic range, the book gives a great description of the Bluegrass
Region and some of the floral diversity present within the relatively developed
region. Having just sampled the native clover in the region, I then read into the
magic of my travels within the wider context.
The grassland ecological model put forward is a strong
one for natural systems and is explored in the context of systems dominated by
fire, soil, water, and herbivory. Kentucky’s ecological diversity offers
examples of all these natural processes. KNPS members might think of river
scours in comparison to calcareous glades. Colorful plates showcase the
diversity of ecosystems and the species richness within these systems. Land
Between the Lakes and the inner Bluegrass are featured alongside Blue Licks
Battlefield State Park.
Conservation is a key concern in Kentucky’s native
plant sphere. In addition to the floral diversity of the Southeast, the
economic opportunity, favorable climate, and social hospitality have led many
to move here. Rather than running out these recent arrivals, highlighting this
biodiversity and the backyard endemism is seen as a promising strategy to improve
the future of these plant species. While not everyone will push through a Solidago key, we can all appreciate the
various forms that grace the state. Even outside of the strict grassland
context, Daniel Boone National Forest and Big South Fork offer well-marked
sandworts for beginners and a diversity of pignuts (Carya spp.) for the initiated.
Forgotten Grasslands of the South appeals to the reader as a primer on these often overlooked ecosystems. Most of us have a collection of carefully-chosen botanical curations and do not generally gather the wider system. However, Reed Noss has succeeded in seeing the grassland through the trees.
Acknowledgements
Special thanks to John A. Lodi of Ann Arbor, Michigan for inspiration and suggestions on this review. Thanks to the Chance and Lodi family for giving me a relaxing time to read and discuss this book with a wider popular audience.
Jonathan Omar Cole Kubesch is a graduate student pursuing a master’s degree in crop science at the University of Tennessee. He studied evolution and ecology—as well as agronomy—at the Ohio State University. He works on forages, grasslands, and prairies with a particular passion for native clovers.
As April showers will soon bring May flowers, this year has proved to be a challenge to maintain a focus on native plants as it seems the world is falling apart right before our eyes. However, I hope every plant enthusiast is trying to get out in the forest and botanize as much as possible. This year has been a great one botanically for me as I have added a few more species on my life list including Pedicularis canadensis/Canadian Wood Betony and Erythronium albidum/White Trout Lily among many others (see pictures at the end)!
The exploration from this year has inspired me to become more involved with the Kentucky Native Plant Society through The Lady Slipper. This has been a great way for me to learn more about native plants and natural history in Kentucky.
Susan Harkins (Managing Editor) and I are always looking to individuals to write to The Lady Slipper and wish for people from beginners just getting into the plant world all the way to life-long botanists to write to the newsletter.
If you simply have a budding idea for an article or already have a full-fledged write-up, we welcome and encourage you to email us: ladyslipper@knps.org
Nick Koenig
White Trout Lily (Erythronium albidum) from March 26, 2020, in Madison County, KY.
Canadian Wood Betony (Pedicularis canadensis) from April 20, 2020, in Madison County, KY.
In any list of the top five invasive plant threats to Kentucky’s native plant communities, bush honeysuckle would appear in all of them. There are three species of bush honeysuckle commonly found in Kentucky: Amur (Lonicera maackii), Morrow’s (L. morrowii), and Tartarian (L. tatarica). Another two, Standish’s (L. standishii) and Fragrant (L. fragrantissima), are less common. All are members of the Caprifoliaceae (Honeysuckle) family. All of them are similar in appearance and effect. Because of the similarities and because it is the most widespread of the bush honeysuckles, the rest of this article will concentrate on Amur honeysuckle. There are slight differences in appearance between Amur honeysuckle and the other bush honeysuckles, but in general they are similar enough to easily recognize.
Description
Most of us have seen invasive Lonicera while hiking or even around town. They’re everywhere. Knowing how to identify them is the first step to removing them.
Appearance
Lonicera maackii is a woody perennial shrub that, at maturity, is typically 6’-20’ tall, but occasionally taller. The shrubs are upright and deciduous. Although deciduous, in Kentucky the bush honeysuckles retain their leaves longer in the fall than native shrubs and leaf out earlier in the spring. The pith of mature stems is hollow and white or tan.
Leaves
Leaves are opposite, ovate with a tapered tip, lightly pubescent, and up to 3½ in. long.
Flowers
Flowers are paired, tubular, white to pinkish, fading to yellow, less than 1 in. long, borne from leaf axils, five petals, upper 4 fused.
Fruits
Fruit
Fruits are red to orange-red berries produced in late summer and persist through the winter. This shrub can bear fruit when it is as young as 3 to 5 years old.
Habitat
Amur
honeysuckle is one of the most common and invasive bush honeysuckles
found in Kentucky. It occurs in most states in the eastern U.S.
except for Minnesota, Maine and Florida and has been reported to be
invasive in many. It is adaptable to a range of conditions from sun
to deep shade and wet to dry. It occurs in disturbed habitats
including forest edges, forest interiors, floodplains, old fields,
pastures, and roadsides. Disturbance increases the likelihood of
invasion. Amur honeysuckle grows especially well on calcareous soils.
It spreads by fruits that are abundant and highly attractive to birds that consume them and defecate the seeds in new locations. Vegetative sprouting aids in the local spread and persistence. It does not generally root sprout.
Where Found in KY
The
bush honeysuckles are found across Kentucky, in any just about any
suitable habitat.
How it Got Here
NE
China, Japan, Korea, and Russian Far East
Amur honeysuckle was imported as an ornamental into New York in 1898 through the New York Botanical Garden. It has been widely planted for wildlife cover and soil erosion control but long ago escaped from plantings and began reproducing on its own and spreading into natural areas. It was originally planted in the U.S. as an ornamental shrub, but it quickly escaped gardens and naturalized throughout much of the eastern U.S. to the Great Plains into a variety of sites including roadsides and railroads, woodland borders, some forests, fields, unused or disturbed lands and yard edges. Once spread into the wild, it can form dense, shrubby, understory colonies that eliminate native woody and herbaceous plants. Amur honeysuckle flowers late April to June, and the white and yellowish flowers produce red berries in the fall that may contain more than 1 million seeds on mature (25-year-old), 20-foot tall plants. The seeds are consumed and spread by some species of songbirds generally after other more nutritious native foods are gone. As with many invasive species, bush honeysuckle can grow and thrive over a wide range of habitats. In Kentucky, all shrub honeysuckles are exotic and invasive.
Ecological
Impacts
Amur honeysuckle impedes reforestation of cut or disturbed areas and prevents reestablishment of native plants. It leaves out earlier than most natives and form dense thickets too shady for most native species. Additionally, researchers in the Midwest found increased nest predation of robins using Amur honeysuckle as a result of plant structure, which facilitates access to nests by predators such as snakes. While the carbohydrate-rich fruits of exotic honeysuckles provide some nutrition for birds and rodents in winter, they do not compare to the lipid-rich fruits of native species that provide greater energy to sustain migrating birds. Few insects feed on the plant, but birds and mammals spread the fruits. It may have allelopathic effects on neighboring plant species.
How to Control
There are several methods for controlling–removing–invasive bush honeysuckle. They all take tenacity and a bit of effort.
Manual/Mechanical
Young plants can be pulled by hand. Larger plants either can be pulled using a weed lever-type tool or cutting repeatedly for a few years.
Grazing
Goats are particularly fond of this this plant and will rapidly consume young plants and any they can climb into. Cutting larger plants and allowing goats to eat the sprouts can be effective, but could take several years depending on what root reserves the plants have.
Fire
Fire will kill seedlings. Larger plants may be top killed, but mostly likely will sprout from the base. The sprouts must be treated as well.
Biological Control
No biological controls are currently available for this plant. However, the honeysuckle leaf blight fungus (Insolibasidium deformans) has been found in both northern and central Kentucky. It has been observed severely injuring and killing open grown populations of Amur honeysuckle.
Herbicides
Appropriate herbicides, when applied correctly, are known to effectively control bush honeysuckle through cut stem, foliar, and bark applications. Contact your local Extension Office, or Natural Resources Conservation Service office or Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife private lands biologist for recommendations concerning herbicide choice, application rate and application method that best suit your conditions and needs.
Native Alternatives
Lonicera simpervirens
Whether you were raised in Kentucky or you’re an implant, you’ve probably enjoyed the luscious fragrance of honeysuckle as the sun begins to set. It isn’t quite jasmine; not quite gardenia; it’s unique, powerful, and intoxicating. It’s easy to understand why homeowners planted the invasive Loniceras. Where alternatives are concerned, there’s good and bad news. The good news is that we have native Lonicera. The bad news is, they are pollinated by bees and hummingbirds, so the scent is weak. In comparison, the invasive is pollinated by moths—hence the strong evening scent. What the natives lack in fragrance, they make up for in color (to attract the bees and hummingbirds).
Across North America, there are over a dozen native Lonicera species. In Kentucky, we have one to consider: Lonicera sempervirens L., trumpet or coral honeysuckle. It prefers moist soil and full sun, but tolerates shade, although, in the shade, it will produce blooms for a shorter period of time.
Lonicera simpervirens
Lonicera sempervirens is one of the longest-blooming natives available to us here in Kentucky. It’s brilliant red trumpet-shaped flowers spring into life as early as late March and persist into fall, even early winter. Its leaves often persist throughout the cold, giving a bit of winter interest. The base is woody and gnarly (interesting to look at) but the vigorous upper vines are gentle and easily coiffed if necessary. You can train it to look like a bush if you prefer.
Unfortunately, Lonicera sempervirens won’t gift you with a glorious fragrance. If that’s what you’re after, consider Wisteria frutescens (L.) Poir., Kentucky wisteria. Similar to Lonicera, you’ll get the most blooms in full sun, but it will tolerate shade. It’ll grow in the same type of moist soil as well. It’s purple blooms are larger and showier, and it’ll grow a bit larger than Lonicera, but the native species isn’t as harmful to structures as the invasive Wisteria floribunda and Wisteria sinensis. Wisteria is stronger and woodier than Lonicera so it will require a stronger support, such as a strong arbor. (Resist growing it along a fence or up the side of your house because it’s difficult to remove.) It’s also more assertive than the native Lonicera, so it might require a bit more care to keep it under control.
There are several other species of Lonicera listed as native to Kentucky by the USDA plants database, but they’re rare or endangered. It’s unlikely you will find one in a reputable nursery.
Cover of Wildflowers and Ferns of Red River Gorge and the Greater Red River Basin
With Important Contributions by Halard Lescinsky
(Geology), Adam Rollins (Myxomycetes-Slime Molds), Alan Cornette (Cultural
History), Tara Littlefield (Plant Life of Red River Watershed), Julian Campbell
(Species List)
Illustrations by Elijah Hicks unless otherwise
stated
Photographs by Dan Dourson unless otherwise
stated
Published by South Limestone Books (an Imprint of the University Press of Kentucky), Lexington, 2019
Dan and Judy Dourson are avid botanists and naturalists, as well as active participants in the Kentucky Native Plant Society’s Annual Wildflower Weekend. In 2019, Dan and Judy co-authored a book that gives a reader an extensive snapshot into the plant life of the Gorge.
Wildflowers and Ferns of Red River Gorge and the Greater Red River Basin is an enjoyable book to throw in one’s hiking pack or place on a coffee table for perusing through after a day full of botanizing. Dourson and Dourson elude early on the purpose of their book — among many purposes — is to highlight this “lesser-majority” of organisms that may not be as eye-catching as eagles, but are often the overlooked yet the speciose majority of living things in the forest. While most of the book highlights the plant life, a prehistoric and cultural history lesson of the Gorge is first given, followed by an in-depth geological and biological background of the area.
The bulk of the book consists of pictures and drawings of the plant life in the gorge with a short description of the species following. The plants are broken down by taxonomic groups starting with the non-flowering organisms transitioning to the Fern and Fern Allies that have accompanying illustrations by Elijah Hicks that complement the pictures greatly.
The next part of the book makes it a great help if one is hiking in the Gorge and finds an unknown flower. Before the flowering plants is a color flower chart with the flowering time of the year, which can help narrow down the search to just a small chunk of pages to flip through. This makes locating the species much easier and more approachable than a traditional dichotomous key. The book ends with a glossary and an extensive species list.
Wildflowers and Ferns of Red River Gorge and the Greater Red River Basin is a wonderful addition to one’s botanical library especially for a naturalist looking for a deep understanding of the life forms in one of Kentucky’s most treasured natural areas.
