Goldenrod, Zinnias, and Shop Closing

Happy Sunday Good GROWer,

seasonable warmth is hanging on through the labor day holiday weekend before the north winds return on Tuesday, pushing the monarch migration south.

It will be interesting to see how many more come in to sip for a spell, because it looks like we’ll have an extended stretch of 70’s through mid month. Over the past few years, September and October have consistently had some of the most spectacular sunny weather in our northern region.

As I peak out the window this morning, I’m greeted by a sunny stand of native yellow flowers…

🌿 Garden PLANT Report 🌺

So what’s growing on in the garden this week?

• Goldenrod: is now blooming and a popular destination for bees and other nectar-seeking smallinators…I’ve even spotted a few monarchs on it this year!

• Liatris Scariosa- this eastern native is also known as northern blazing star…we’ve grown this in our old and new gardens. It blooms around the same time as Liatris ligulistylis, and has showier blooms (scroll down to 4b on the linked page)
  

• Zinnias- a must-plant annual for butterfly and pollinator gardens. The zowie and tall state fair mix both attract a bounty of hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies for us this season

next week, I’ll get video of both Mexican sunflowers and giant purple hyssop, which will be the heavy lifters of the 2025 garden, once the liatris fades.

Below, a quick update on Raise The Migration 2025, but first….

Labor Day SHOP Farewell 👋

This labor day weekend is the final time to buy raising supplies from our shop. As you might have noticed, most of the supplies are sold out but you can still buy these supplies through Tuesday, September 2nd. We pay shipping on all shop orders $50+

1. Little hole lids ⬅️ only buy these IF you already own our ‘fat cat’ floral tubes, which are already sold out. These alternative lids are for thin-stemmed cuttings to prevent baby caterpillar drownings

2. Garden for Life Pollinator Garden Flags ⬅️ (20% OFF and a good gift idea for the upcoming holidays!)

3. Raising Butterfly and Milkweed Quickstart Guides ⬅️ (instant PDF downloads: save an extra 15% when you bundle with lids or flag)

Thank you for all your support over the past decade. 😍 Don’t worry, I’m not giving up on supporting monarchs and other beneficial pollinators and will still publish a newsletter and the monarch butterfly garden blog to help you achieve these goals.

In fact, during this final weekend of August, I’m still raising monarchs to release for the great fall migration and will be sharing our 2025 raising experience with you (in this newsletter) sometime toward the end of September.

Raising Report 🙌 🦋

We have 14 eggs and caterpillars now.

The current caterpillars are in the outside habitat, and the eggs and hatchlings will be raised indoors with the window open (during the day) to expose them to natural heat, light, and humidity so they know it’s time to migrate when they’re released.

If you’ve raised butterflies in ‘25…

This is an opportunity to post what you've learned this season, what raising challenges you faced, and anything new you'll be doing to improve your raising process in 2026.

You can fill out the comment box at the bottom of the linked page below.

Please do not post questions in the comment box as blog comments are not a good platform for ongoing discussions. This is specifically to share your 2025 raising experience including any helpful tips you think will benefit others in the community. Thanks in advance for sharing! 😊

You can share your experience here:

Share YOUR 2025 Raising Results and Experience ⬅️

Coming Up Next?

More Blooms, Butterflies, Pollinators, and the migration moves south….

Until next time,

Tony your Butterfly Guide