To Weed or Not to Weed, That is the Question: By Heather Whitehead

If you’ve walked around Bent Tree lately, you’ve probably seen a sea of yellow flowers blooming. All along the roadside, and filling every spot of sun with fields of yellow flowers. And depending on your gardening philosophy, you may have looked at it and thought, What the heck is this? The next kudzu, should I cut it down? Nope! Those flowers are essential for pollinators and they are native!

Let’s dive deeper.

Before you reach for those shears, let’s give our little yellow friends a chance. I’ll explain.

One of the yellow flowers is called Bear’s Foot, or Hairy Leafcup, (Smallanthus uvedalia, say that 5 times fast) and it is a native perennial found throughout much of the eastern United States. Then there is goldenrod (Solidago canadensis, seriously, who comes up with these names?) And, we can’t leave out Yellow Wingstem (Verbesina) …. But I digress! All of which naturally grow along woodland edges, streams, meadows, and open woods- which means Bent Tree is pretty much yellow flower paradise! So here’s your take away:

“If it’s Yellow, Let it Mellow!”

Let’s focus on Bear’s Foot for a minute. It gets its charming name from its enormous, lobed leaves, which- with a little imagination- resemble a bear’s paw. And like many of our native plants, Bear’s Foot is doing considerably more work in our ecosystem than its slightly unruly appearance might suggest.

The Summer Buffet

From midsummer into early fall, Bear’s Foot produces clusters of yellow flowers that provide nectar and pollen for bees, butterflies, and other pollinating insects. At a time when some of our earlier summer flowers are beginning to fade, Bear’s Foot is still serving dinner. In fact, it’s just getting started!

And apparently the pollinators have read the restaurant reviews. On a sunny day, watch a patch of Bear’s Foot for a few minutes and you may be surprised by just how much activity those little yellow flowers attract. The longer you sit still and watch, the more activity you will see. Even at sunset the lightning bugs will come alive buzzing around your Bear’s Foot, and shortly after that you may be lucky enough to see bats dive bombing your Bear’s Foot like World War 2 fighter planes feeding off of the many insects that call Bear’s Foot home. Who needs to leave the house when you have this much entertainment in your own backyard.

Then Winter Arrives….

The flowers fade. The leaves turn brown. The stems aren’t particularly glamorous anymore. And this is where we gardeners tend to get ourselves into trouble.

We want to CLEAN IT UP.

But to a bird, insect, or overwintering butterfly, our idea of “cleaning up” can look suspiciously like someone bulldozing the neighborhood and removing the grocery store at the same time.

Those spent flowers develop seeds that provide food for birds and other wildlife. The standing stalks and dried vegetation also create valuable winter habitat. Native insects may shelter in and around dead stems and plant material, while eggs, chrysalises, or other tiny creatures can be tucked into the dead leaves so inconspicuously that we never know they are there.

In other words, brown does not mean useless.

Step AwayFrom the Pruning Shears!

Instead of cutting Bear’s Foot to the ground in fall, consider leaving the stalks standing through winter. Yes, your garden may look a little less tidy. The birds will not complain. In fact they may give you a 5 star review and rebook for next year! Think of those brown stalks as a tiny wildlife condominium complex- with an attached restaurant.

Throughout winter, the plant continues doing the job nature designed it to do. Birds can forage among the seed heads. Insects find protected places to spend the cold months. And the stems and leaves provide cover in an otherwise increasingly bare winter landscape.

Then, when spring arrives and warmer temperatures awaken the insects that have been hiding in our gardens, we can finally tidy things up. Aim for Mid-April for Bear’s Foot clean up.

Moral of the Story: (say it with me) If it’s Yellow, leave it Mellow….All the way to spring!

A Different Kind of Beautiful

Perhaps one of the easiest things we can do for wildlife in Bent Tree is simply do a little less.

You’re Welcome! (More time to work on another project, or just stream the final episode of Friends again)

We don’t have to turn every yard into a meadow or give up carefully tended gardens. Sometimes helping wildlife is as simple as recognizing that a native plant’s usefulness doesn’t end when its flowers disappear.

So this fall, when you encounter that big, slightly scruffy Bear’s Foot and find yourself contemplating its future, remember Hamlet’s famous question:

To weed or not to weed?

For Bear’s Foot, at least until spring, the answer is..

NOT TO WEED!