06/05/2026
🌸 Echinacea season is one of my favorite times in the homestead garden! 🌸
Not only are these beautiful purple coneflowers a magnet for bees, butterflies, and other pollinators, but they're also one of the most useful plants I grow.
Echinacea has been used for generations in herbal wellness practices, and I love harvesting and drying the flowers, leaves, and roots to make homemade echinacea tea. Whether you're growing it for its beauty, its herbal uses, or its ability to support pollinators, this perennial is a true garden workhorse.
While photographing these blooms, I spotted a tiny white crab spider🕷️tucked among the petals. My first instinct was to wonder if I should move it since I planted these flowers specifically for pollinators. But after learning more about them, I discovered that crab spiders are actually a natural part of a healthy garden ecosystem. Unlike web-building spiders, they hide on flowers and patiently wait for insects to visit. While they occasionally catch a bee or butterfly, they also prey on flies, beetles, and other insects. Their presence is often a sign that your garden is attracting plenty of life—which is exactly what a thriving pollinator garden should do.
The real takeaway? If you're seeing pollinators, beneficial insects, and even the occasional predator, your garden is doing exactly what it's supposed to do.
Why I love growing Echinacea:
🌿 Supports bees, butterflies, and other pollinators
🌿 Beautiful long-lasting summer blooms
🌿 Easy-to-grow perennial that returns year after year
🌿 Drought tolerant once established
🌿 Can be harvested and dried for herbal tea and other traditional herbal preparations
🌿 Provides weeks of color and interest in the summer garden
These blooms started as tiny buds and are now opening one by one, bringing beauty, pollinators, and purpose to the garden. That's one of the many reasons Echinacea will always have a place on our homestead.
Do you grow coneflowers for the pollinators, the herbal uses, the beauty—or all three? 🌸🐝🦋
👀 Smokey has found his new favorite place to relax!
