These ferny leaves and light purple blossoms don’t go together. Rather, they clearly DO, but they don’t belong to the same plant.
This is a commingling of two plants, both pollinator-friendly. The fernlike fronds and top white blossom (plus some of the nearby dead brown blossoms) belong to a yarrow. I started planting yarrow in my back and front yards after I sought fennel for butterfly egg-laying, and local native plant experts told me that fennel was not a native to mid-Michigan, but the very similar yarrow was. Most of my yarrow is white, but I acquired a pink one this year and might spread that around. (Side note: I have one bronze fennel in my herb garden, no visible eggs, but delicate yellow flowers just beginning to bloom.)
The light purple blooms – can you tell I’m dodging the word “lavender”? – and most of the foliage belong to an anise hyssop, a licorice-scented plant that our yard bees have enjoyed for a few years now. It is so well loved that SOMETHING transported genetic matter 45 feet so we have another anise hyssop against the back wall of the garage. Would we have put one there, next to the yard tool rack? Heck, no. But it’s thriving and the bees have found it and are enjoying it, so there it stays.
Beth's Planet 