A honeybee works a Purple Coneflower bloom.

Our municipality’s Council recently approved a bylaw amendment to allow naturalized areas in residential areas.
Don’t tell anyone (shhhh), we have had naturalized areas in our yard for years now. This bed in our front yard is full of Purple Coneflower (background), Tickseed (foreground), and Gaillardia (out of the frame). While I can broaden my knowledge of insects in general and pollinators in particular, I am certain our yard is friendlier to pollinators than that of almost all of our neighbours who have (mostly) turfgrass and imported ornamentals.
We also let dandelions go, probably to our neighbours’ chagrin.
From the few examples planted in a flower front bed a few years ago, the Purple Coneflowers have needed no care at all and multiplied in a way very pleasing to us, and to pollinators both resident and passing through. There’s a honeybee on a flower in the lower right quadrant.
We spend most of our relaxing time in the backyard on the deck. Sometimes, though, we settle in this spot, which provides a completely different perspective on our humble little garden.
Prospecting for pollen, a honeybee mines a coneflower.
This Purple Coneflower stands out from the background.
Back on Thursday – possibly. An event has my full attention. We will see how my time goes that evening.
Though evenings’ light is almost gone, a Purple coneflower still graces with a dash of colour.