BY DAVID P. DAVIS
At the West Virginia Botanic Garden the summer blooms continue to come with all manner of flowering plants in bloom.
A recent addition to the list of bloomers includes the rose mallow, a hibiscus hybrid, that is opening in the Yagle Garden in shades of purple, pink and white. Rose mallow is an herbaceous perennial with huge blooms, up to 8 inches wide! This beauty’s family that includes hibiscus, the Malvaceae, is in the lead for most striking blooms. Hibiscus flowers have five or more crepe-like petals, with a dramatic protruding pistil (the female reproductive structure of a flowering plant).
In the native wildflower category, the cardinal flower, Lobelia cardinalis, is coming into bloom in the Butterfly Garden. It is a member of the bellflower family. This herbaceous perennial produces long stalks that are 3-4 feet tall and are loaded with vibrant red, deeply lobed five petal blooms with an upright tube of nectar. While the original population has been self-seeding and moving around the lower half of this bed for the last few years, last year we started some from seed and planted them in the lower end of the Butterfly Garden. These new plants have become robust clumps and are producing multiple stalks of deep red flowers.
Cardinal flowers are pollinated by ruby throated hummingbirds which are common at the WVBG, but butterflies also love the nectar of these flowers.
Another pollinator making the rounds at the WVBG is the hummingbird clearwing, Hemaris thysbe, a member of the moth family Sphingidae. While most moths are nocturnal, this lovely olive and burgundy moth is a daytime flyer who is taking nectar from the many wild bergamot bee balm that are present in the Yagle Garden and the pollinator beds. They get their name as they hover like a hummingbird, rapidly beating their wings, as they position their long proboscis to collect nectar.
Now is a great time to see these moths and celebrate insect diversity in honor of the 11th annual National Moth Week (July 23-31).
Come see what you can find at your WVBG.
FOR INFORMATION, MAPS, AND MORE, go to WVBG.org or visit at 1061 Tyrone Road in Morgantown.
