Sowing wildflower seeds

I've had a nice selection of native (and non-native) wildflower seeds that I've been meaning to try to sow and nurture for awhile. The natives included  Liatris species (punctata, ligulistylus, pyncnostachya,  and squarrosa), Rudbeckia triloba, Heuchera americana, Tiarella cordifolia, Rhexia mariana var. exalbida, Angelica atropurpurea and Ratibida pinnata. The non-natives included another Angelica ( I think a European species) and Smyrnium olusastrum.

I sowed them in small pots (in an aluminum tray for watering from the base), and will wait to see what happens. As a plant ecologist (who in a previous life studied germination ecology of native plants), I know that the germination biology of most native wildflowers is normally driven by environmental triggers that break dormancy only after successive seasonal warm-cold cycles, etc. depending on the circumstances of the species' native habitat.

One of my purposes of growing more natives (and other plants) is to support pollinators of all sorts.

I recently received an e-mail about a bee-a-thon, sponsored by YOURGARDENSHOW.COM. 

bumblebee 'sleeping' in Catawba rhododendron flower

Sounds like a worthy endeavor (promoting awareness about all of our native bees as well as European honeybes), and I'm planning to join in this Saturday, July 16.

Bloodroot fruits

Bloodroot seeds with elaiosomes

Bloodroot, Sanguinaria canadensis, is a wonderful spring woodland flower in the Eastern U.S.  Its reproductive ecology is fascinating:  ants disperse seeds of bloodroot, as they're interested in the lipid-rich elaiosomes, transporting the seeds as well as the elaiosomes back to their nests.

This is a photo taken by my gardening companion (and newly published author, woo-hoo!) of Wildflowers and Plant Communities of the Southern Appalachian Mountains and Piedmont.

Check out this great photo of bloodroot in fruit on his Wildflower Ecology blog. 

I'm proud of what he's produced with 8+ years of hard work (no apologies for the enthusiasm).  And the books have arrived, and are ready to be shipped.  And all of the proceeds will go to conservation in the Southern Appalachians and Piedmont.

Mocha would be proud, too!