[PHOTOS: CWF]
These cup plant (Silphium perfoliatum) flowers are the latest addition to the blooms in CWF’s Wildlife-friendly Demonstration Garden, giving our local bee population some much needed nectar and pollen.
It is a tall plant that can reach several feet high and might need some support, with bamboo stakes or jute string, both of which blend in fairly well. It has a square stem with leaves that enfold it to the point of forming a cup which catches rain water. It can be a great way for birds and beneficial insects to drink as well as small birds such as hummingbirds to bathe. The photo below, from a previous year, illustrates this point.
At home I’m still hearing the crickets and grasshoppers – a summer sound I delight in. I hope you are enjoying the sights and sounds in your green spaces, whatever they may be!
Sarah Coulber
Sarah is an Education Specialist at the Canadian Wildlife Federation. She writes about the benefits and ‘how-to’s’ of wildlife-friendly gardening, coordinates content for the Gardening for Wildlife web section, co-manages the wildlife-friendly demonstration gardens at CWF headquarters and assists Canadians looking to achieve similar results with their own properties.
