Praise the Daisies

Little Metalmark on Flat-topped Goldenrod (Euthamia graminifolia)

As I plan my wildflower "garden" the focus lies not in aesthetics as much as it lies in ecological purpose. That, of course, does not mean that aesthetics is unimportant. I believe it is. If we are to win over the vast "unwashed masses" that live next to us to our way of thinking about landscapes, they can not be ugly or "out of control."  To achieve both an ecologically significant "wildflower meadow" and an aesthetic one requires planning and management.
The management is something I will write much more about in future blogs, but suffice to say that I pull the weeds that emerge from the now-bare soil in my planting area daily. The seed bank that once lay beneath the sod is now germinating and if I let things progress "naturally", I would have a mess in short order and the weeds would soon overwhelm the plants I want to promote. There is no such thing as a management-free native plant landscape. We all need to firmly put that myth to bed and encourage it to sleep as soundly as Rip van Winkle... Natural areas are "managed" by abiotic forces like fire and hydrology that we need to mimic as the land managers of our slices of land. Weeding is one of those forces that are mandatory.
But, in this post, I wish to focus more on the debate regarding aesthetics and function. I do not believe they have to be exclusive of one another and I am moving forward with my plan. High on my list of desirable plants for nectar are members of the Compositae - the asters and their relatives. For the same reasons that so many of the native-plant enthusiasts are continually posting the merits of Spanish needles (Bidens alba) on social media, composites are the golden standard for most pollinators. They have traits universally shared by the group - not confined somehow magically to Spanish needles, and while I have left small pockets of this one in remote corners of my new yard, it is not welcome within the frame I established for the wildflower "meadow" I am creating in the front yard for all the world to see. Spanish needles simply doesn't play well in a society of other plants. It is "mean and selfish" when it comes to space and it would quickly usurp the space I wish to give to others. Diversity must be at the heart of any native plant landscape if it is truly to function as a living landscape and not simply be a collection of plants. Promoting diversity is not within the heart of Spanish needles....
Composites lure pollinators by flashing their colorful outer petals at them, but they keep their business by producing a quality product for extended periods of time.  If you closely examine an aster or sunflower, for example, you'll see that the outer petals are most often simply for show. They are, more often than not, sterile flowers - producing neither nectar nor pollen. By not producing these products, they are not required to also expend the great amount of energy involved with this. Therefore, they can remain in rather pristine shape for long periods of time. It's the center of a composite that produces the "real" flowers - the ones that reward pollinators for dropping by and the ones that, therefore, make seeds. Composites are the geniuses of the plant world when it comes to managing their finances and earning a return on their investments. 

Composites only open a few of their flowers at a time. Starting at the outer edge, they open individual flowers in a ring that eventually makes its way to the center - often weeks later. By this method, they ensure that a reliable nectar and pollen source is available to the local pollinators for that extended time period. Reliability is an important component of any business arrangement. composites take that business model to the extreme - a quality product, no bait and switches, open 7 days a week... And, it works. Composites as a group include the vast majority of what I would list as the best plants for pollinators. And, the vast majority are beautiful to look at.
The other genius component of composites as pollinator plants lies with their overall structure. Because their actual flowers are located in the center of the overall relatively flat bloom, pollinators can feed on a great many individual flowers without moving more than their tongues. This skipper, pictured above, can remain relatively motionless while probing the floral tubes of more than a dozen individual Spanish needle flowers. Flitting about the garden draws the attention of predators. It is a dangerous thing. Being able to sit still while refueling is golden.
My new wildflower area is already planted heavy with composites and I will add more as my nursery seedlings gain a bit more growth and can be safely moved into the landscape from their pots. It also is designed to provide these blooms for the greatest number of months possible. Some will produce their flowers in spring and a great many others will extend my blooming time deep into early winter. This is the way nature plants things as well. There is no universal nectar source. We achieve success in mimicking nature by creating a diverse landscape of different blooms of different colors and sizes.

Flyr's nemesis - Brickellia cordifolia

For those interested, I have added these composites (Aster family) already. I have photos and growing information for them on my other blog:
www.hawthornhillwildflowers.blogspot.com
if you wish to learn more about adding them to your landscape.

"Asters"
Symphyotrichum concolor - silver aster
S. patens - late purple aster
S. oolentangiense - sky-blue aster
S. georgianum - Georgia aster
S. adnatum - scale-leaf aster
S. walteri - Walter's aster

"Black-eyed Susans"
Rudbeckia triloba - Brown-eyed susan
R. nitida - Shiny coneflower
R. laciniata - Cutleaf coneflower
(the native/regional form of R. hirta are still too small to add)

Goldenrods
Solidago arguta - Carolina goldenrod
S. stricta - Wand goldenrod
S. perfoliata - Downy ragged goldenrod
S. odora var. chapmanii - Chapman's goldenrod

Other Composites I've added to date
Garberia heterophylla - Garberia
Brickellia cordifolia - Flyr's nemesis
Echinacea purpurea - Purple coneflower
Ratibida pinnata - Yellow coneflower
Coreopsis leavenworthii - Tickseed
Coreopsis lanceolata - Lance-leaved tickseed
Liatris provincialis - Godfrey's blazing star
Liatris savannensis - Savanna blazing star

Southern dogface sulfur on Garberia heterophylla