by Pandra Williams

Lobelia cardinalis, the cardinal flower, has a range that covers better than half the North American continent.  This plant grows to between 3 – 6 feet in height, and flourishes in full sun to open shade.  Right now these beauties are putting on a fireworks display in the EcoAddendum nursery with their striking racemes of brilliant red flowers.

As most insects find the tubular flowers too long to access the nectar, the major pollinator of the cardinal flower is the hummingbird.  Cecilia Marrero, our nursery manager, captured a photo of this cloudless yellow sulphur butterfly (Phoebis sennae) sipping nectar from the brilliant red blooms.  The butterfly is not likely doing much pollinating, as it is not brushing against the stamens and pistils of the flower.

Over picking of the Cardinal flower has led to the plants’ scarcity or threatened status in some states.  The plant is easy to grow in normal garden cultivation, and would be a lovely addition to any garden wishing to broaden its appeal to wildlife.

The Cloudless Sulphur butterfly uses cassia species of plants (in the pea family) as host plants for its caterpillars.  The adults get nectar from flowers with long tubes, such as cardinal flower, hibiscus and wild morning glories.

Our sources for this article:

for more information about the flower:

Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center, the University of Texas.  2009. http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=LOCA2

USDA, NRCS. 2009. The PLANTS Database (http://plants.usda.gov, 18 August 2009). National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA.

for more information about the butterfly:

Opler, Paul A., Kelly Lotts, and Thomas Naberhaus, coordinators. 2009. Butterflies and Moths of North America. Bozeman, MT: Big Sky Institute. http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/ (Version MMDDYYYY).

Phase I:

First Phase of the Hammonds House Museum “garden greening” will be a Native Plant Sanctuary Garden at the back, or third tier, of the Hammonds House Museum property, with the intent to create a peaceful natural environment for meditation and communing with nature. An additional purpose of the Native Plant Sanctuary at Hammonds House Museum is to provide an aesthetically appealing and educational garden space composed of native plants and shrubs. This tranquil green space will expose the thousands of visitors, who frequent the Hammonds House Museum through museum visitation, programs offered and facility rental to the benefits of native plants, what they do for us, as well as the historical cultural and pharmacological uses of the plant species. Educational benefits also include identification of species, symbiotic support of the ecosystem and environmental conservation and what they do for the birds, butterflies and pollinators. These plants will serve to re establish our ecological connectivity.

Ecoaddendum’s model for a Georgia native plant garden located at Hurt Park has been thriving throughout this year’s seasons. Its mid summer now and we’ve gone through a selection of very charming blooms. The ever so vibrant Black-eyed-susan, Rudbeckia fulgida, has been the garden’s main attraction for passer byers this time of year. There is more than meets the eye when it comes to this drought tolerant species. This plant serves as a nutritious meal for the birds and bees and shelters little critters hiding from intimidating predators.