One happy gardener took to the r/NativePlantGardening subreddit to show off their recently bloomed Meadow Blazing Star plant and the flock of monarch butterflies around it.
Known as a "monarch magnet," as the original poster's video exemplifies, the Meadow Blazing Star plant (Liatris ligulistylis) is a perennial plant native to northern and central United States prairies. The plant typically reaches 2 to 4 feet in height and reveals beautiful lavender-pink flowers full of nectar that attract monarch butterflies.
"Ever since it started blooming, there hasn't been a moment that there wasn't several monarchs on them or fluttering about!" the original poster shared. "I am once again emphasizing how much of a monarch magnet liatris ligulistylis (meadow blazing star) is!"
Butterflies aren't only beautiful; their presence indicates a healthy environment.
"Healthy ecosystems with large native plant populations attract butterflies," conservation botanist Megan O'Connell explained in a Fort Worth Botanic Garden newsletter.
When visiting plants and flowers for nectar, butterflies unintentionally pick up pollen on their bodies and transfer it to other flowers. This process helps plants to reproduce.
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Butterflies are among the many essential pollinators that help conserve plants and ecosystems. Although on the decline, pollinators are crucial to the human food supply.
According to the Forest Service by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, over 80% of the 1,400 crop plants grown worldwide require animal pollination. In the United States, over 150 food crops, including all fruit and grain crops, depend on pollinators.
You can help protect pollinator populations by creating ideal habitats in your yards. Pollinators love native plants, which require less water and effort to maintain since they are already accustomed to the region's climate.
🗣️ If you have a lawn, what aspect of it do you value most?
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Upgrade your lawn to a native plant lawn, even as a partial lawn replacement, to attract more pollinators and save time and money on lawn maintenance. Buffalo grass and clover are two other low-maintenance lawn replacement options with similar benefits.
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Like the OP, you could add so much life to your lawn with native plants like the Meadow Blazing Star.
"I just bought one of those today!" one commenter wrote excitedly on the Reddit post.
"My liatris are blooming now and I see at least 5-6 [monarchs] everytime I look out," another shared.
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