The obedient plant is really putting on a show in the pollinator garden behind Crofton Community Library! Its tall spikes of pink flowers are adding a beautiful burst of color to the garden and attracting pollinators as summer begins to give way to fall.

Also known as false dragonhead, obedient plant (Physostegia virginiana) is a native perennial that blooms in late summer and early fall. It gets its unusual name from its flowers, which can be gently pushed to one side and will obediently stay in place. The plant is also a favorite of bees, butterflies, and other pollinators, making it a wonderful choice for a pollinator garden.

​The library pollinator garden is one of the gardens established through the Anne Arundel County Pollinator Pathway, an initiative that encouraged the creation of connected pollinator-friendly habitats using native plants. The program has since evolved into RePollinate Anne Arundel, continuing the effort to expand native plantings and provide food and habitat for pollinators throughout the county. The garden at the library remains identified by its Pollinator Pathway sign and serves as a “stepping stone” in this countywide effort.
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The garden is tended by TLC, the Library Crew, a group of Crofton Village Garden Club members who care for the gardens at the library. On this visit, Littany Hollerbach, Nancy Percivall, Yuki Adams, and Laura Austin were there to tend the garden and enjoy its late-summer beauty.

TLC spotted a chunky monarch caterpillar chomping away on milkweed in the Blue Star Memorial Garden at the Crofton Community Library!

Monarch caterpillars have one important job: eat, grow and eat some more! Milkweed is the only plant monarch caterpillars eat, making it essential to their survival. As they grow, they shed their skin several times before forming a chrysalis.
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In about two weeks, this hungry caterpillar could emerge as a beautiful monarch butterfly! 

NATIVE GARDEN SPOTLIGHT: Virginia Sweetspire in Bloom

​Virginia sweetspire (Itea virginica) is blooming in the native garden at the Crofton Community Library, bringing bees, butterflies, and other pollinators to the garden in abundance.

Its fragrant white flower spikes are especially popular with native bees and butterflies. A beautiful swallowtail butterfly was recently spotted visiting the blooms, highlighting the important role native plants play in supporting local wildlife and healthy ecosystems.

Native plants like Virginia sweetspire provide valuable nectar sources throughout the season while adding beauty, fragrance, and seasonal interest to the library garden.
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Visitors are invited to stop by and enjoy the garden as it comes alive with summer pollinators.

The side garden at the Crofton Community Library received additional TLC this morning from The Library Crew! Members Laura Austin, Littany Hollerbach, Nancy Percivall, and Yuki Adams removed volunteer oak and juniper trees and tidied up the space, giving the holly trees room to shine. Many thanks to the crew for their continued care and dedication!

If you’re near the Crofton Library, take a moment to admire the freshly weeded and pruned side garden! The TLC team spent the morning sprucing it up, and it’s looking great.

A big thank-you to Nancy Percivall, Yuki Adams, Angela Wetzel, Laura Austin, and Littany Hollerbach for their time and hard work!