Episode description

Fall is an extremely important time for pollinators, so having plenty of flowers available at this time of year is crucial if one of your goals is to attract pollinators. Luckily, there are lots of fall blooming, native plants that you can grow in your gardens.

In the last Backyard Ecology podcast episode I talked about five late summer blooming native wildflowers that I love. Lots of people contacted me and said that they loved the episode and would like to hear more of my favorites. So, this time I thought I would share five of the fall blooming native plants that I love.

I’m loosely defining fall as August through October. And just like last time, I’m not saying these are “the best native plants” to include in your pollinator garden. Because the best native plants for your yard and your goals, may not be the same plants that would be best for my yard, your neighbor’s yard, or for someone in a different state.

These are simply a few of the many native plants that I love which bloom in the fall, that the pollinators love, that songbirds love, and which work well in a garden setting. You’ll have to decide if they are right for you or not. I’m also defining native as native to my area, which means you’ll have to double check whether these plants are native to where you live.

To make it easier for you to refer back to particular parts of the podcast, here are the plants and the time I start talking about each:

• Sunflowers (Helianthus spp.): 2:17
• Ironweeds (Vernonia spp.): 5:54
• Joe-pye weeds (Eutrochium spp.): 7:32
• Devil’s walking stick (Aralia spinosa): 11:40
• Asters (Symphyotrichum spp.): 14:47

• Relevant Backyard Ecology blog articles about the plants I talk about:
  • Rough sunflower: https://www.backyardecology.net/rough-sunflower/
  • Tall Ironweed: A Beautiful Source of Fall Nectar and Pollen: https://www.backyardecology.net/tall-ironweed-a-beautiful-source-of-fall-nectar-and-pollen/
  • Joe-pye weed: https://www.backyardecology.net/joe-pye-weed/
  • Devil’s walking stick: https://www.backyardecology.net/devils-walking-stick/
  • New England Aster: A Beautiful and Diverse Native Wildflower: https://www.backyardecology.net/new-england-aster-a-beautiful-and-diverse-native-wildflower/
  • Wavy leaf aster – A late feast for pollinators: https://www.backyardecology.net/wavy-leaf-aster-a-late-feast-for-pollinators/
  • Short’s aster: https://www.backyardecology.net/shorts-aster/
• 5 Late Summer Blooming Native Plants I Love: https://www.backyardecology.net/5-late-summer-blooming-native-plants-i-love/
• Busy Bee Nursery and Consulting: https://busybeenurseryandconsulting.com/
• Backyard Ecology Website: https://backyardecology.net
• Backyard Ecology YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/backyardecology
• Backyard Ecology Blog: https://www.backyardecology.net/blog/
• Backyard Ecology Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/backyardecology
• Subscribe to Backyard Ecology emails: https://www.backyardecology.net/subscribe/

• Monarch butterfly on New England Asters
• Photo credit: USFWS, public domain