Bowen's Heritage Homestead

06/17/2026

Due to the approaching storm we closed up for the day. Stay safe.

06/14/2026

We had someone bring us this little guy. I am making sure he is eating good and healthy. We will be releasing him in our woods in the next few days. I call him Stinky

06/10/2026

Plant Spotlight

Native New Jersey Tea

Host plant for butterflies and moths including Spring Azure butterfly, Mottled Duskywing, Summer Azure & more.

The dried leaves can be brewed to create a tea-like beverage, providing a caffeine free alternative.

Late season native with vibrant white blooms that provide critical nectar for pollinators.

Full sun / part shade
2-3’ tall
Dry soil

New Jersey Tea will be available at our native plant sale starting June 19th

06/08/2026

Feed native

06/08/2026

Some of our native plants for size.
All natives $10 one gallon trade pots

06/06/2026

PLANT SPOTLIGHT

Meadow Blazing Star

Can I say Monarch magnet? Yes I can and I do.
This is THE plant that I always have Monarchs nectaring on.

Full sun
3-5’ tall
Dry well draining soil

Plant it and they will come. We will have Meadow Blazing Star at our annual native plant sale.

06/05/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/1UwTCJES5R/?mibextid=wwXIfr

You went to the garden center. You bought flowers to
help the bees. The tag said "Pollinator Friendly!"

You planted them. A bee visited.

The bee died.

Most plants sold at big-box garden centers and
nurseries are pre-treated with neonicotinoid
insecticides. These are systemic — they're absorbed
into every cell of the plant. The roots. The stems.
The leaves. The pollen. The nectar.

When a bee feeds on the nectar of a neonicotinoid-
treated flower, it ingests the insecticide. The effect
isn't always instant death. It's worse.

Neonicotinoids disrupt bee navigation. The bee can't
find its way back to the hive. It flies in circles
until it's exhausted. It dies alone, lost, in your
neighbor's yard.

A sub-lethal dose causes the colony to slowly
collapse. Workers forage less efficiently. The queen
lays fewer eggs. Larvae develop poorly. Over weeks,
the hive dies.

Your "pollinator-friendly" plant was pre-loaded with
the #1 chemical linked to pollinator collapse.

How to buy truly bee-safe plants:
Ask the garden center directly: "Were these treated
with neonicotinoids or systemic insecticides?"
Buy from local native plant nurseries — they rarely
use systemics.
Look for "neonicotinoid-free" labels — some nurseries
are now advertising this.
Grow from seed — guaranteed untreated.
After purchasing treated plants: wait 1 full growing
season before allowing pollinators to visit — the
chemicals can persist in the plant for 1-3 years.

The bee on the label was a marketing graphic.

The chemical inside the pot was the real product.

Ask before you buy. Or grow from seed.

06/03/2026

PLANT SPOTLIGHT

-Native Royal Catchfly (endangered plant)

If you’re looking for a showy red perennial that hummingbirds love then Royal Catchfly is for you. It is one of the few ‘red’ native prairie plants. Royal Catchfly is pollinated almost exclusively by hummingbirds so if your goal is to attract them plant it and they will come.

Full sun
2-5’ tall
Very drought tolerant
Dry to well draining soil
Blooms May- September

We will have Royal Catchfly at our native plant sale.

06/02/2026

2026 Native Plant Sale List

05/31/2026

We have Hydrangeas
Pink Diamond, Phantom, Silver Dollar, Tardiva, Limelight