I moved to Red Bell Farm the summer of 2003. On my first trip north on Settlers Trail, I spied one of my very favorite Iowa wildflowers...butterfly weed. Here it is complete with the tiny visitor it was named for. That first summer back in Iowa there were only two small plants along the roadside; today when I took this photo, I counted at least 20!! I think that speaks well for Iowa conservation practices...no herbicides sprayed along roadways to kill weeds. The plant's scientific name is Asclepias tuberosa, and while it is a native wildflower in Iowa, it can also be grown domestically in your garden. It attracts bees as well as butterflies. I like to imagine what the Iowa tall grass prairie must have looked like before the farmers put plow to it...mile after mile of swaying grasses with these lovely orange spots of color tucked randomly throughout.
2 comments:
Beautiful! It's good that people become aware to stay off pesticides and let nature take over again. The flowers attract the bees and the butterflies and other little critters... It's beautiful where you are!
I enjoyed the waterfall video too, I could almost feel the little water droplets on my face, lovely!
It's beautiful!
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