My Native Wisconsin Butterfly Garden

Between the way-too-early snowfalls and before the weather got really terrible, I was able to install some fall-ordered bare root plants (never again -- that was brutal!) But the spring version of myself will be thankful that I was able to add in blazingstar, heath aster, blue-stemmed goldenrod, all the violets (labeled) and all the extremely early blooming sharp-loped hepatica (noted with the popsicle sticks). I also put protection around the milkweed, as I've heard rabbits tend to nibble down early milkweed shoots. All the plant labels make it look like a graveyard, but I have high hopes it will be full of life next spring.

I'm not sure that every flower planted is in the sketch yet. Small's Penstemon (SmP) will be listed only if it survives the winter. Blue False Indigo (BFI) also died back early, so I'm not sure it will return. I will never document every violet nor hepatica, but I may try to update more of the others another time. *= a new bloom for that month March: *Hepatica - for early season color after a long winter April : *Bloodroot - for early season color and native bees *CB = Columbine *Common Blue Violet -- Host plant for Great Spangled Fritillary, Aphrodite, Meadow Fritillaries *Common Blue Violet (Pink) -- Ditto *PV=Prairie Violet -- Ditto *Smooth Yellow Violet -- Ditto *Spring Beauty *Wild Blue Phlox Hepatica May : *Cream Violet -- Ditto the other violets. *GA = Golden Alexander -- Host plant for Black Swallowtail *Ph= Downy Phlox -- a high value nectar source, as monarchs begin arriving in Wisconsin mid-May Bloodroot Columbine Common Blue V...