Mondays with Martha #271 - Common Yarrow

This week I share one of the most ecologically productive perennials you can plant in your Michigan gardens, Common Yarrow (Achillea millefolium). This mid-season bloomer helps fill the Father's Day lull in bloom period and forms a backbone of pollinator support for a month or longer. Drought tolerant and adaptable to tough soil conditions, this lovely wildflower also serves as a host and nectar plant for butterflies and moths, attracts natural enemies of garden pests, inhibits the growth of parasites in bird nests, and feeds the birds both with seed and by providing a healthy supply of caterpillars for nestlings!

Resources to learn more:

michiganflora.net/record/207

illinoiswildflowers.info/weeds/plants/yarrow.htm

www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=acmi2

xerces.org/blog/planting-for-helpful-predators-how-natural-enemies-can-control-garden-pests-for-you

www.nrcs.usda.gov/plantmaterials/mtpmcpg13974.pdf

fs.usda.gov/wildflowers/plant-of-the-week/achillea_millefolium.shtml

www.canr.msu.edu/nativeplants/