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August 27th, 2025 Pollinator Garden Photo Blog

Native Plants at Work: Attracting Summer Visitors

August pollinator garden
Photos by Northern Woodlands staff and friends.

The garden is attracting so much life! Each day brings new or familiar visitors – monarchs drifting among the flowers, hummingbirds flashing past, bees and wasps at work, and tree frogs tucked into the greenery. The variety of species is a daily reminder of how much life a patch of native plants can support.

We were delighted to share that abundance with so many of you at our recent garden party, and it has been a joy to welcome visitors from near and far throughout the season. Seeing the garden through others’ eyes deepens our own appreciation for this space. As summer winds down, the garden continues to provide beauty, inspiration, and – of course – habitat. These photos offer a glimpse of the various visitors that make this space so vibrant.

Our thanks to the Jack & Dorothy Byrne Foundation, The Lyme Foundation, the Utility Club of Lyme, and the many generous neighbors who make this garden possible.

Native Plants at Work Gallery

Robber fly Photo: Jack Saul
This New York bee killer is actually a type of robber fly. Yes, they do capture bees and wasps in midair with their legs, but are not harmful to people. | Photo: Jack Saul
Great black wasp Photo: Ann Little
This great black wasp is one of many solitary species of bees and wasps. An egg is laid underground and left with a parasitized insect for the larva’s lunch when it hatches. | Photo: Ann Little
Gray hairstreak butterfly Photo: Jack Saul
A gray hairstreak butterfly alights in the tall bellflower. | Photo: Jack Saul
Butterfly coneflower Photo: Nancy Farwell
The purple coneflower makes a nice perch for this spotted silver skipper. | Photo: Nancy Farwell
Northern dog-day cicada Photo: Ann Little
A northern dog-day cicada, a species of annual cicada, makes an appearance in the garden. | Photo: Ann Little
Contrasting flowers Photo: Nancy Farwell
We’ve enjoyed the contrasting combinations of flowers in bloom, such as this cheery yellow lance-leafed coreopsis and pagoda-like downy woodmint. | Photo: Nancy Farwell
Bee balm pollinators Photo: Ann Little
The spotted bee balm attracts many types of pollinators and it’s not unusual to see multiple species sharing the same stalk. | Photo: Ann Little
Golden digger wasp Photo: Ann Little
Notice all the pollen on this great golden digger wasp! We all love those fascinating flowers of the spotted bee balm. | Photo: Ann Little
Swallowtail Photo: Nancy Farwell
Despite the damage to its wing, this swallowtail was flitting just fine around the flowers. | Photo: Nancy Farwell
Garden labels Photo: Emily S. Rowe
An improvement in plant labels helps our visitors identify all the various species of flowers. | Photo: Emily S. Rowe
Guests explore garden Photo: Emily S. Rowe
What’s better than a garden party on a late summer afternoon? | Photo: Emily S. Rowe
Party flowers Photo: Emily S. Rowe
A few stems to decorate our party table in an antique bottle found on-site. | Photo: Emily S. Rowe
Garden party remarks Photo: Meghan McCarthy McPhaul
Jack welcomes everyone to the garden and introduces our musician, James Graham. | Photo: Meghan McCarthy McPhaul
Garden welcome Photo: Ann Little
We added a sign to make sure people know the garden is open to all. | Photo: Ann Little
Loaded bee Photo: Ann Little
Look at all that pollen this bumble bee has collected! The plant is purple giant hyssop, topping out at seven feet. | Photo: Ann Little
Monarch caterpillar Photo: Jack Saul
We are delighted when we spy monarch caterpillars on the milkweed. | Photo: Jack Saul
Milkweed and aphids Photo: Ann Little
Milkweed bugs and oleander aphids hanging out on rose milkweed. Despite the numerous aphids, the milkweed manages to survive even if it looks a little ragged. We have attempted washing the aphids off, but they are prolific. | Photo: Ann Little
Monarch coneflower Photo: Nancy Farwell
The majestic monarch. We have seen a definite increase in their presence since installing the garden. | Photo: Nancy Farwell
Happy visitors Photo: Emily S. Rowe
Visitors enjoying time together in the garden. | Photo: Emily S. Rowe
Nancy plants Photo: Ann Little
Nancy showed off some of her favorite plants to interested visitors. | Photo: Ann Little
Garden from above Photo: Jack Saul
What a dynamic space the front yard has become as viewed from above. | Photo: Jack Saul
Bee Photo: Meghan McCarthy McPhaul
A busy bumblebee is undeterred by the party. | Photo: Meghan McCarthy McPhaul
Wasp on milkweed Photo: Nancy Farwell
The rose milkweed was glorious when it was in bloom and attracted many species such as this great golden digger wasp. | Photo: Nancy Farwell
Pollinators on flowers Photo: Nancy Farwell
Multiple species scramble over the clustered mountain mint. Another pollinator magnet! | Photo: Nancy Farwell
Bees on flowers Photo: Jack Saul
Honey bees help with pollination in the garden as well. The flower is wild petunia. | Photo: Jack Saul
Pussytoes Photo: Emily S. Rowe
Attempting to colonize pussytoes in some parts of the path and by the road where crabgrass is trying to establish. | Photo: Emily S. Rowe
Tree frog Photo: Nancy Farwell
We first heard and then located this tree frog resting in the shade on a hot day. | Photo: Nancy Farwell
Bee on coneflower Photo: Jack Saul
Bumble bee and coneflowers are a striking combination. | Photo: Jack Saul
Visitors enjoy bench Photo: Ann Little
We are so grateful for the new benches that were built for the garden. Stop by and sit for a while! | Photo: Ann Little

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Discussion *

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Sep 02, 2025

Your garden looks amazing! Did you figure out what works best to deter the deer? We have 2 pollinator gardens at the forest where I work, but the deer seem to like everything! They even eat the plants that are supposed to be “deer-resistant”. It’s so frustrating! TIA for any help/advice.

Ginny Delaney

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