8 October 2023, Durango, CO: It’s delightfully sunny and warm today as the growing season winds down. We are enjoying the beautiful yellow Maximilian sunflowers around the house, especially when contrasted with the blue skies of fall. These bushy sunflowers bloom late here, and we always worry that the frost will kill them before they get a chance to bloom, but again this year these tall clumps of yellow are putting on a show.
We have several other flowers still blooming, but the Maximilians provide a very good late nectar source for any pollinators left here. I am afraid that all our hummingbirds have gone south, but I see plenty of bees on the hundreds of small yellow blossoms, so this should help them prepare for the long winter ahead.
Having good nectar sources continuously available through the season—as the Xerces Society explains here—is an excellent way to keep the pollinators healthy as they confront so many other challenges to their survival. I trust the bees and other pollinators enjoy these showy flowers just as much as we do.
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