Nectar Connectors campaign

Greetings! Let's check back in on your reports of flowering of Nectar Connectors species! Your observations give us a better understanding of where and when nectar plants are available for pollinators. This information can be used by the US Fish & Wildlife Service, as well as other organizations, to make conservation plans to protect monarchs and other pollinators. We are still looking for high quality photos of flower buds and open flowers for Nectar Connectors species! Send your photos to erin@usanpn.org and your photo could be featured in our next message.

Swamp milkweed flower buds, denoted as flowers or flower buds in Nature's Notebook Photo: Katherine Mirichak

What you are reporting on nectar plants

You are reporting on nectar plants at 152 sites so far this year, up from 119 sites at the time of our last message. The map below shows where observers are reporting flowers or flower buds and open flowers for the most commonly observed species across the country. The colors of the dots correspond to the names of the species across the top. Green outlines indicate the observer of that site has submitted data for more than one species. The darker dots represent sites with more data submitted.

Let's take a look at your reports on the most commonly observed Nectar Connectors species in the northern parts of the country. In the Northeast, you are reporting flowers or flower buds and open flowers on common milkweed and wild bergamot. For seaside goldenrod, the third most commonly-observed Nectar Connectors species, you have not yet reported flowering. Your "no" responses, indicated by the gray bars on the calendar below, and important for helping us see the start of a particular phenophase such as open flowers.

You started reporting open flowers for common milkweed and wild bergamot in late February in the Northeast. While there have been several peaks in wild bergamot open flowers, common milkweed has started to peak in the last few weeks.

In the Midwest, you are reporting flowers or flower buds and open flowers for eastern purple coneflower, blackeyed Susan, and lanceleaf tickseed.

You started reporting open flowers for eastern purple coneflower in late May, and open flowers for blackeyed Susan in late June in the Midwest.

In the northern Great Plains, you are reporting flowers or flower buds and open flowers for eastern purple coneflower and showy milkweed.

You started reporting open flowers for eastern purple coneflower and showy milkweed in mid-June in the northern Great Plains.

In the Northwest, you are reporting flowers or flower buds for showy milkweed and blackeyed Susan, and open flowers for showy milkweed.

You started reporting open flowers for showy milkweed in mid-April, with a larger peak in activity in June in the Northwest.

In our next message, we'll check in on where flowers are available for monarchs as they head back south for the winter.

Earn your Nectar Connectors badge! You can earn this badge by observing a nectar species once a week for six separate weeks in the same year. See it on your Observation Deck . Thank you for your contributions to this important project!

Contact Erin Posthumus erin@usanpn.org 520-621-1670 bio

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