July 31, 2022: What’s Blooming in the Native Plant & Pollinator Garden?
The Garden is in full bloom this time of year, with many beautiful native and pollinator plants to admire. Recently, Barb Crispin 
spotted a real beauty: Allegheny Monkeyflower (Mimulus ringens). According to wildflower.org: “This delicate blossom is said to resemble a monkey’s face. It is a host plant for the Baltimore butterfly (Euphydryas phaeton) and the Common Buckeye (Junonia coenia).” Clearing the slope to the soggy bottom of the Native Plant Garden gave two Mimulus plants room to spread a bit. Now we can enjoy watching their growth and spying to see if they do 
host a few caterpillars this year. Fingers crossed!
It’s also the time of year for summer flowering Phlox as you can see in this beautiful shot of an Eastern Swallowtail on Phlox captured by Derek Stedman. Take a stroll through the Garden soon to see what else is blooming!