Native Plants

Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?

A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.

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Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

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Please forgive us, but Mr. Smarty Plants has been overwhelmed by a flood of mail and must take a break for awhile to catch up. We hope to be accepting new questions again soon. Thank you!

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Wednesday - July 03, 2013

From: Paris, MI
Region: Midwest
Topic: Pollinators, Wildlife Gardens
Title: A list of bloom times for wildflowers in Michigan
Answered by: Nan Hampton

QUESTION:

Hello, I am new to bee keeping and live in central Michigan. Can you tell me or do you know where I could find a list of the Michigan wild flower bloom times? This would be very helpful to me. Thanks.

ANSWER:

Here's how to find what native wildflowers are blooming at any particular time in Michigan. Go to our Native Plant Database and do a COMBINATION SEARCH by choosing "Michigan" from the Select State or Province slot, "Herb" from Habit (general appearance) and the month (or months) you are interested in under Bloom Characteristics: Bloom Time. You can see that there are lots of other characteristics you can choose on that page. You might want to do another COMBINATION SEARCH using "Shrub", "Tree", or "Vine" as well.

You might like to visit our Recommended Species page to see the lists under VALUE TO BENEFICIAL INSECTS. In particular, there is a list with the title, Special Value to Honey Bees. Not all the plants on the list will be native to Michigan, but you can check the DISTRIBUTION list for each species to see if your state is on it. Or, even more simply, you can use the NARROW YOUR SEARCH option to the right of the list and choose "Michigan" from the Select State or Province area and then choose the month or months you are interested in from Bloom Characteristics: Bloom Time.

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Wednesday - July 03, 2013

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