AUTUMN BEAUTIES FOR THE GARDEN: Fall-blooming native plants offer food for wildlife and a feast for the eyes; no matter where in the country you live, there are good species to choose from

摘要

A patch of goldenrod teems with wildlife. Bees swarm. Painted lady and red admiral butterflies drink nectar. Green lacewings and other beneficial insects take shelter. Goldenrod spiders lie in wait, ready to ambush prey. Cottontail rabbits browse theleaves. Planting goldenrod in your garden, along with other fall-blooming native perennials, can turn your backyard into a wildlife mecca every autumn. And, best of all, you don't have to worry about allergies. "Goldenrod doesn't cause hay fever," says Kim Todd, a University of Nebraska professor and extension horticultural specialist. The heavy, sticky pollen of goldenrod clings to the insects that pollinate it, she explains. Ragweed, which blooms at the same time and has light, windborne pollen, is the real cause of sniffles and sneezes.