Appendix: Gaillardia
pulchella for Pollinator Gardens
The USDA lists Gaillardia pulchella as native to the
lower 48, but that doesn’t mean that my experiences with this species will
translate to other locations. Who knows
what conditions specific to my location made Gaillardia germinate so easily,
attract so many insects, and bloom so long?
But my experiences make me optimistic about the chances. It might be worth a try!
For many reasons, G. pulchella could be a good addition to
native-plantings in populated areas.
Native plants don’t always comport with conventional landscaping
standards. G. pulchella is as self-directed as any wildflower, but it just
happens to be conventionally beautiful as well. While we are waiting for a more
life-centered garden aesthetic to emerge, Gaillardia’s sheer loveliness and
long blooming period may help to placate neighbors otherwise hostile to native
plants.
Then, when space is limited, it’s good to have
plants that are especially good at interacting with the ecosystem. Gaillardia is extraordinary in this
respect. All native plants have “Greater
Selves” made up of the creatures that they need and that need them. G. pulchella is in the Sunflower
Family (Latin name Asteraceae, meaning “asters” or “stars”), and pollinators
love sunflowers. That’s because sunflowers
, known also as “composites,” have apparent blossoms that are actually made up
of multiple flowers, “disk flowers” in the center and “ray flowers” (that look
like petals) around the edge. Thus, when insects expend the energy to visit
a single sunflower, they are rewarded with the energy-rich pollen and nectar of
many flowers. Thus, sunflowers in
general are good attractors.
But Gaillardia is a star among stars. I have watched bees and butterflies sail
right past other sunflower species to get
to Gaillardia. A wildflower’s larger
self is a “self”—unique to that
species. Perennial sunflowers may
invest more energy in roots or stems than in pollen or nectar, and many of
their interactions may be microbial, belowground, not easily visible to humans.
But as an annual wildflower dependent on seed production for self-perpetuation,
Gaillardia invests mightily in flowers. Possibly
for this or for other reasons, they are heavy-hitters when it comes to
attracting pollinators and other creatures that are visible to and appreciated
by humans.
I would also like to add a
caveat about my catalogue of creatures in Gaillardia World. It is by no means comprehensive. The observations recorded at
prairiecommunity.blogspot.com came daily, but from only a few hours in the late
afternoon. Who might I have added to the list if I could
have observed Gaillardia early in the morning or during the night? Perhaps I could have seen the night-flying Wavy-Lined
Emerald Moths, whose progeny, the Camouflaged Loopers, proved so delightful
during the day.
Citations for "At Home on the Land?"
Epigraphs
Frost, Robert. “The Gift Outright.” This line has been interpreted in wildly various ways, including that it refers to settlers’ life in the colonies before the formation of the United States. The ecological interpretation is the one that resonates most profoundly with me.
Leopold, Aldo. “Natural History.” A Sand County Almanac, with Essays on Conservation from Round River. New York: Ballantine 1949;1953; 1966. p. 203.
Tallamy, Douglas W. Nature’s Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation that Starts in Your Yard. Portland: Timber Press, 2019. p. 62.
Kimmerer, Robin Wall. Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous wisdom, scientific knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants. Milkweed Editions, 2013. pp. 346-347.
Carver, George Washington. Qtd. by Clark, Glen. The Man Who Talks with the Flowers: The Intimate Life Story of Dr. George Washington Carver. Macalester Park, 1976. pp. 44-45.
“at two with nature” Woody Allen, quoted in https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/18204-i-am-at-two-with-nature and https://www.nytimes.com/1991/02/24/magazine/woody-and-mia-a-new-york-story.html
“ecological wasteland” Tallamy, Douglas W. Nature’s Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation that Starts in Your Yard. Portland: Timber Press, 2019. p. 62.
"the land-community" Leopold, Aldo. “The Land Ethic, 'Community Concept'.” A Sand County Almanac, with Essays on Conservation from Round River. New York: Ballantine 1949;1953; 1966. pp. 239-241.
“Knowing that you love the earth….” Kimmerer, Robin Wall. Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous wisdom, scientific knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants. Milkweed Editions, 2013. p. 125.
“As soon as you begin to read the great and loving God” Carver, George Washington. George Washington Carver: In His Own Words. Ed. Gary R. Kremer. Columbia: U of Mo P, 2017. p. 158.
“Lord, what fools these mortals be!” Shakespeare, William. A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Act 3, Scene 2.
“A little flower….” Carver, George Washington. Qtd. by Clark, Glen. The Man Who Talks with the Flowers: The Intimate Life Story of Dr. George Washington Carver. Macalester Park, 1976. p. 45.
“Land is a fountain of energy” Leopold, Aldo. “The Land Ethic.” A Sand County Almanac, with Essays on Conservation from Round River. New York: Ballantine 1949;1953; 1966. p.253.
“[The Potawatomi] understood a world of being” pp. 47, 55.
“Begin now to study the little things in your own dooryard” Carver, George Washington. George Washington Carver: In His Own Words. Ed. Gary R. Kremer. Columbia: U of Mo P, 2017. p. 163.
“The land is the real teacher.” Kimmerer, Robin Wall. Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous wisdom, scientific knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants. Milkweed Editions, 2013. p. 222.
Appendix
“Greater Self” Douglas Chadwick uses this terms to describe individual creatures’ interconnections with others. Chadwick, Douglass. Four Fifths a Grizzly: A New Perspective on Nature that Just Might Save Us All. Patagonia Works: 2021. pp. 80-81.
