American Painted Lady on Liatris

This is a photo of an American Painted Lady butterfly feeding on a Liatris spicata flower. The plant is also called blazing star. You can plant the bulbs of Liatris in the spring or fall. Obviously, this is one plant that will attract a variety of butterflies to your garden. I also have seen a beautiful male Goldfinch and a female feeding on the seeds recently. A stunning show-- this bright yellow and black bird on the purple flowers!

Blazing Star is a native to the U.S. (I checked several sources and it is found in much of the eastern U.S.- click here for one good site). I strongly encourage you to only plant species native to the U.S., preferably those that occur in your local area. More about this later.

Backyard Wildlife Management

As a professional wildlife biologist with nearly 20 years of experience, I have learned a thing or two about backyard wildlife management. I have also observed backyard wildlife while taking photos of animals in my wildflower garden, from a blind I set up in my backyard to photograph birds, or from my open window. I'm starting this blog to teach you to manage your yard to attract wildlife, support backyard wildlife conservation, and support conservation efforts in general. You can have a positive impact on wildlife and conservation, even if it is in your yard and even if your "yard" is only a few pots of flowers, vines, shrubs, or trees. My experience is in the eastern U.S., so those interested in other parts of the country might wish to find a blog about wildlife in their location. However, some principles of backyard wildlife management are similar no matter where you are located. So, I will post information periodically and try to answer questions you may have about backyard wildlife management.