Goodness, it’s hot and dry. It is a challenging time for plants, wildlife, and gardeners. I previously blogged about why purple coneflowers (Echinacea purpurea) are one of my favorite perennials. They’re now proving to be one of my most drought-resistant plants and attracting the most visitors, including this orange sulphur butterfly (Colias eurytheme).
In addition to various bees, I spotted this female Horace’s duskywing (Erynnis horatius), one of our common skipper butterflies. Skippers are not very showy and are challenging for me to identify. I was unsure about this one, and appreciated a confirmation from BugGuide. I’m glad to add it to our backyard butterfly list.
Once again we’re frequently seeing American goldfinches (Spinus tristis) feeding on the coneflower seeds.
The forecasts predict continued hot and dry weather. I’m glad the purple coneflowers and their visitors are adding some backyard activity.
Betty, I love receiving your photos of your flowers and birds.
Thanks, Evelyn. I appreciate you looking and take time to comment.
Cone flowers are one of my favorites also because they attract so many wonderful visitors, Gold Finches are one of my favorite. They also love to feast on cosmos & zinnias, very easy to grow from seed. I didn’t even plant the zinnia seeds this year, they just self sowed from last year. The cosmos is fairing very well even in the heat & drought conditions. It blooms non stop until the frost according to what I have read, although my experience has been that many weather mild frost & continue blooming. Neither are invasive, although native to Mexico. Thanks for sharing your colorful photography, Betty! Love every time I find an update in my inbox.
Ellen, thanks for your feedback and information. I also have good luck with zinnias attracting butterflies, goldfinches and even hummingbirds. They are probably my favorite non-native flower. I like cosmos, too. However, for some reason they haven’t done as well for me this year.