Milkweed Flowers and Others

Tags

asclepias, cone flower, cosmos, echinacea, milkeed, photography, postaday

This year I planted milkweed (Asclepias) to try to help and attract butterflies, especially Monarchs, a species that is in decline in North America over the past several years. The milkweed flowers have started to bloom.

Asclepias or Milkweed

Let’s see whether the Monarchs will come! In the meantime, other summer flowers are very noticeable also, and butterflies, but not Monarchs, do fly around the yard.

Cosmos

Cosmos

Cone flower (Echinacea) and green bee.

Midsummer Photos

Tags

cone flower, cosmos, echinacea, photography, postaday

It is midsummer, and the following photos are typical of those that can be captured at this time of the year. I took them around our house.

Cone Flower (Echinacea)

Cone Flower (Echinacea)

Cosmos

Cone Flowers (Echinaceas)

Tags

bee, cone flower, photography, postaday

Cone flowers or Echinaceas are at their peak at the height of summer. These days, in addition to the traditional pink, they come in many shapes and colors such as white, yellow, orange, purple, and even green. I took the following shots this past weekend at the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge in the Finger Lakes region of New York state. The refuge had several varieties, but the pink ones dominated. The bees loved them!

Pink Echinacea

Bee on Echinacea

Closeup of bee on cone flower

Yellow cone flower