By this time of the year, gardens are often losing their value to pollinators day by day.  The reason for this is many of the plants we plant for their beauty and ability to provide pollinators with nectar and pollen have already stopped blooming.  This is unfortunate because butterflies, bees and other pollinators still desperately need sources of food.  Consequently, if you spot bees and butterflies flying about your yard vainly looking for flowers, don’t let this happen again. With that in mind, I suggest that next spring you add some nectar plants that continue to bloom until frost. Two of the best are purple coneflower and cosmos.

       Both bloom throughout the summer into the fall. They are also hardy. In addition, birds will eat the seeds produced by both plants.  Although a number of birds eat the seeds, American goldfinches are especially fond of them.