Native rose with a bee mimic (a fly), a small sweat bee, and pollinator wasps
Photo by author
A native wildflower garden is not like a tropical flower garden. Our native plants have evolved to thrive in Oklahoma, and they do this very well. They are wild flowers, and much like a “tamed” wild animal, they will rarely do exactly what you would wish for them to do.
- They reseed beautifully, just not always where they started.
- They will pop up where the sun and water are to their best benefit, which may not be where you started them.
- They will spread via their roots and surprise you where they appear next.
- And given support when they are new to your yard, they will thrive.
They will bring the butterflies and bees and hummingbirds and moths. These will bring in the songbirds. You will have the joy of viewing these and much more than what you expected in places you would not have predicted. You may be lucky enough to have a close encounter with a bee or get buzzed by a hummingbird. And in the winter, you may have a flock of finches feasting on the seeds of your sunflowers or coneflowers.
Enjoy.
—Christa