Autumn is in the air, but the garden is far from finished. As I picked raspberries this morning while it was chilly enough to thwart the wasps, I thought of the pollinators and whether there were enough blossoms to keep them busy. Here are a few ideas for late-season blooms that will provide food for the pollinators.

Creating a Butterfly Garden

Asters are the Best of the Late-Season Blooms

There are so many different types of asters available, and they’re all wonderful for providing a food source to pollinators until the first snow.

Goldenrod

Next up in the stellar fall pollinator department is goldenrod. Not only is this a beautiful flower in the garden and a favorite for bees and butterflies, but it also makes a terrific dried flower. Just cut it and hang it upside down.

Sedums Last Forever

There is a lot to be said for sedums. There are several exceptionally hardy varieties that are drought tolerant and hold on into the fall for an extended period, withstanding those first frosts that knock out other flowers. Plus, pollinators of all sorts are drawn to their wide blooms.

Black-Eyed Susans

These sunny flowers are a favorite for butterflies and native bees, and often bloom into early fall. Leave the stems and seed heads after they bloom because goldfinches and chickadees utilize them as a food source.

Gaillardia (Blanketflower)

Gaillardia likes it cool, which is why it often fades during the summer heat yet sometimes rebounds in the fall. It’s a favorite of native bees and butterflies.

Beneficial Insects Love Sunflowers

I often kick myself for not weeding out the sunflowers more because the garden is a chaotic forest of yellow and green, but in reality, they do so much good for the bees and other beneficial insects.

Cosmos throughout the Season

Cosmos are one of my favorite annual flowers because they grow so well, reseed, and are simply happy flowers. Plus, butterflies and other pollinators gravitate towards them throughout the season.

Bachelor’s Buttons

This is another excellent annual that continues to bloom until the snow flies. They come in blue, pink, and white, along with a deep violet that I fell in love with this year.

Liatris

We have a native Liatris that grows on the prairie, which is a good indicator that this is a solid plant for native pollinators. It’s an equally lovely domesticated specimen and grows well in the home garden.

Agastache

This is a lovely-smelling plant that bees and butterflies love. It blooms best in the fall when you keep it cut back throughout the summer, and it will typically keep producing flowers until a hard freeze.

Echinacea have Late-season blooms

Like Black-Eyed Susans, the seed cones are an instrumental piece in the fall and winter garden for the birds, but as long as you have blooms, butterflies, and other pollinating insects, you will use them.

Five Underused Late Fall Bloomers

Stretch your blooms out as long as possible with one, or all, of these autumn thriving flowers to keep the pollinators and other beneficial insects happy in your garden.