“In all, I recorded a whopping 33 different insect species on this plant! From bees, butterflies, beetles, flies, moths, wasps, and other bugs, I was continually astounded at the vast variety of insects utilizing this clearly important native plant.“
When we first moved to our ca. 1895 home ten years ago, we were delighted with the gigantic maple tree in the back yard. Its colossal, girthy trunk and sprawling, leafy canopy seemed to give our outdoor space an air of stately dignity that evoked the 130-year history of our home. Our enchantment eventually turned to dismay when we realized that our venerable old maple tree is actually an invasive species–the dreaded Norway maple (Acer platanoides). Notorious for its super-dense shade and unquenchably thirsty, shallow roots that suck up precious moisture from the soil, mature Norway maples create shady, arid dead zones, in which few plants can thrive. Additionally, this species has an alarming ability to self-sow, leaving behind dozens of difficult-to-remove seedlings all over the yard each year. After a few unsuccessful attempts to to create an attractive landscape underneath our giant tree, it quickly became apparent that very few plants could survive, let alone thrive, in the dry and shady conditions. So, somewhat discouraged, we gave up, and instead made good use of the space as a ground-level feeding station for the birds we were trying to attract to our yard.
A White-breasted Nuthatch creeping down the massive trunk of the giant Norway Maple tree in our backyard. Here in North America, Norway Maple trees are ecological harmful as no native insects co-evolved with it and therefore, cannot utilize it as a larval host plant. As such, it supports no caterpillars–a critical food source for birds and other wildlife (although in Europe, where Norway Maples originate, it is undoubtedly of significant ecological value).
With the exception of one miraculously thriving Lenten Rose, and some impossible-to-kill Goutweed (aka Bishop’s Weed), the space underneath our enormous Norway Maple looked a tad sad and neglected. The only hope of making it look like we weren’t one of those slatternly households, was to throw some fresh mulch under the tree every year in a lame attempt to show some level of care. I even found myself apologizing to visitors, with comments like, “Yeah this monster Norway maple sure makes it hard to grow anything underneath it!”.
This sad state of affairs continued for a few years until the summer of 2019, when we noticed a volunteer clump of plants emerging near the bird bath that showed promise as something interesting. Curious, we resisted the temptation to pull them out and by August we were rewarded with a lovely froth of white flowers atop graceful, four-to-five feet high stems–a plant we soon identified as Late Boneset (Eupatorium serotinum)–also, a native plant too often dismissed as a mere weed. Its odd-sounding name can likely be attributed to the possible medicinal properties of a closely related plant, Common Boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum), especially in treating the ‘bone-breaking’ intensity of Dengue fever (also known as break-bone fever).
Over the next few years, that one volunteer clump of Late Boneset has self-sowed and multiplied into numerous clumps that have beautifully filled in this once problematic area of our yard. Even before its August bloom-time, the tall stems, with their silvery-green foliage, add a pleasing presence to our yard. But once those flowerheads burst open in their frothy, creamy-white glory, the true rewards of this amazing plant become apparent, for it is absolutely covered in a dizzying array of pollinators!
Fascinated by the extraordinary insect diversity attracted by our Late Boneset plants, I decided to try to document as many as possible this year. At the peak of its bloom time, from August through September, I used every spare moment in the day to survey the numerous clumps of Late Boneset in our yard. In all, I recorded a whopping 33 different insect species on this plant! From bees, butterflies, beetles, flies, moths, wasps, and other bugs, I was continually astounded at the vast variety of insects utilizing this clearly important native plant. While I have observed impressive insect diversity on other late-summer-blooming native plants in our gardens, especially with Goldenrods (Genus: Solidago) and Asters (Genus: Symphyotrichum), neither of these two pollinator powerhouses seem to bring in such an extraordinarily diverse array of insects. Given the alarming decline in both insects and songbirds, and the related fact that insects (not seeds) are the only food that most birds can feed their young, nurturing insect diversity in our yards via native plants is one truly impactful way that we can make a difference . . . one yard at a time!
A few examples of the 33 insect species recorded on the Late Boneset (Eupatorium serotinum) in our yard, Indiana County, Pennsylvania, 2024.
While Late Boneset (Eupatorium serotinum) is not native to all of North America (see above native range map), in those areas to which it is indigenous, it can be an easy and beautiful way to help the birds and insects in your local ecosystem. Given its graceful beauty, its impressive adaptability to any problematic areas in your garden, as well as its unpalatableness to the furry critters (it is left untouched by the usually destructive deer and rabbits in our yard), Late Boneset is truly an underappreciated, unsung hero of any perennial garden. Every time I gaze upon the elegant, tall stalks of creamy-white flowers swaying gracefully in the September breeze, I feel enchanted and grateful that this erstwhile ‘weed’ made our home its home.
To learn more about how you can do something good for the environment in your own yard, check out this ground-breaking and inspiring book, Nature’s Best Hope, by Douglas Tallamy (Professor and Chair of the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware). Also, his affiliated organization, Homegrown National Park, has a fantastic website, packed-full of ideas and guidance on how to turn your yard into a habitat for wildlife.
Be sure to check out all of the other great stories at catbirdlife.com. Click here to subscribe or you may follow us on Instagram.
