butterfly – Fine for Friday

Summer Doldrums 18 July 2025

The heat is consistently stifling everyday now. It is energy sapping. Some days have breezes that provide relief but that is the exception. It will be this way until mid September so I have to buckle up and bear it.

The main jobs now are deadheading and removing the occasional plant which has succumbed. The sawflies are under control so the roses are happy.

The garden is still madly blooming. All the stored up rain is driving it. The mainstays of rudbeckia, echinacea and Shasta daisies are magnificent. It did rain some this afternoon so there is hint of cooling in the air.

As usual, I will be posting my blog with the SOS group tomorrow. Come take a look at beautiful gardens with 6 photos each. Here is the site. https://gardenruminations.co.uk The rules are there. Perhaps, you would like to post 6 of your own.

The Purple Heart loves the heat. It is a Tradescantia hybrid if you are unfamiliar. Others in this group are know as spiderworts.

The Indian Summer is a rudbeckia that I have grown for 3 years now. Some survive the winter and others are a reseed I think. The large bloom is spectacular and the foliage is hairy so it tolerates the heat well.

The coneflowers are butterfly magnets. Here I am featuring the Pipevine Swallowtail which is new to my yard. I planted its host 2 years ago and I am very pleased to see this butterfly.

The Mexican hat is one that I grew from seed this winter. It is a prairie coneflower Ratibida columnifera. It has a cousin which has abundant larger yellow blooms. I like this one which is much smaller but with a distinctive bloom.

This prostrate lantana is really coming into its own the last 2 weeks. I was gifted six small plants this spring and I am very pleased with the growth habit.

Finally, I have a swamp milkweed, Asclepius incarnata, to show you. I bought it 4 years ago and I thought it was a no show. I think I had been it out thinking it was goldenrod. It has survived despite my misdeeds. I am grateful.

Happy gardening! I hope the rain and the sun are meeting the needs of your garden.

October Moon 4 Oct 2024

At our latitude, the days are considerably shorter now. Sunrise is today at 644 and sunset at 628. There is less daylight to do gardening chores but the plants are definitely slowing down. This leads to more creativity in choosing items to photograph.

With so much less weeding and pruning, I have begun more planting and editing of the garden since we have several more weeks before frost. This is a good time to add new plants and shrubs the garden.

I hope to join the #SOS group tomorrow. I will be traveling to the Gulf Coast tomorrow for a week of change in latitude, change in attitude. I do intend to post my blog on the blog posted by Jim Stephens here https://gardenruminations.co.uk. If you have 6 photos to share from your blog or file, join us there. The rules will be posted to get you started.

The little yellow is a new butterfly to my garden. He was frantically looking for nectar and he was not easy to photo capture.

The mantis was very easy to overlook since he looked like a bit of plant debris caught in a spider web. He did not move and allowed me to close in to get the shot.

The ginger lilies are a wonderful late fall bloomer. I don’t have the specifics on this one since it was a gift from a neighbor.

The Tick Trefoil in included since it has a pretty pea shaped flower which I have not seen before. This may be its only saving grace. This plant is native and grows best in disturbed soil. I know it particularly since the seed pod sticks to your socks and pants and can be a real nuisance. It is commonly called beggar tick.

The blue ageratum is a beautiful color and adds such a soft presence in the landscape this time of year.

The Alabama croton is a native but grows nicely in my garden under some towering crape myrtles. It is beginning its fall display which was very striking last year.

I will be taking a break next week. Happy Gardening!

More Fall Colors 6 Oct 2022

Our weather continues to be dry. Hurricane Ian passed well to our east and delivered no rain to us here in Central Alabama. There is a chance for rain in the middle of next week. On the other hand, the temps are slowly declining and there is only a very mild wind. Nevertheless, watering is in order.

I am enjoying the fall colors and I have some photos to show you of them. I also want to show the progress of my fall garden.

First, here is a beautiful goldenrod that appeared in my perennial bed.

Next is a Max Sunflower or Helianthus maximiliani. It is also called Michaelmas daisy. It is a native. It is about 6 feet tall and has just started blooming.

I have a vine to show. I planted it last year and I thought it didn’t make it through the winter. I found it growing and I hope it begins to climb the nearby oak tree. It is a Dutchman’s pipe and is the host plant for the Pipevine Swallowtail.

The next vine is the yellow passionflower or Passiflora lutea. It is the host for several butterlies including Gulf fritillary and zebra longwing. It seems to be thriving but did not bloom this year.

The next photo is a cardinal flower which is also a native I found nearby recently. Hummingbirds like the tubular flowers.

My last photo shows my fall/winter garden. It is off to a great start. Here are the radishes which are called Rhapsody. The fencing seems to be keeping the rabbits and deer from feasting.

I hope you are having good gardening weather.

Don’t forget to look at the propagator blog. I enjoy his weekly blog Six on Saturday.

Happy gardening!!

Fall Colors 30 Sept 2022

This week, it has been fall like weather with highs in the 70’s and morning temps below 60. I have been able to complete many more fall tasks. Most of the planting beds have been cleared and I do have a good start on a fall vegetable garden with radishes, carrots and beets.

It has been a little breezy from a cold front. It is still very dry. The hurricane did not bring any rain our way but it has been devastated to our dear brothers and sisters in Florida. I have spent many vacations in central Florida and it is painful to think of the destruction and misery. God Bless all those who are rushing in to help.

Here are my six.

First is this Inland Sea Oats that I started from seed. It will do well in the shady areas of the garden. It is beginning to show that golden fall color. The seed heads are so unusual.

Next is some boneset. It is a Eupatorium species. It is a common native. I did not plant it but it is a delight of the fall.

Next is a toadlily given to me by a friend. It is Tricyrtis hirta. It is a hardy, shade loving perennial. It is low growing and has such beautiful lily like flowers.

Next is another grass I planted this year. It is a Carex known as Everillo. Beautiful fall golden color. It loves the sun.

I was visited by this beautiful butterfly. I think it is a Red Spotted Purple.

Speaking of blue, here is a group of Ageratum proudly displaying their color.

This Alabama Croton is beginning to show its bronzy side and the dogwood beside it is showing its red side.

At the last, here is a camellia showing that it will bloom in January when the days are dreary and that the spring will return.

Hope you are enjoying the blue sky days of October here in the American South.

Take a peak at the propagator blog. He is the inspiration for my efforts.

Happy Gardening.

September Blooms 2 Sept. 2022

The weather is moderate and the rainfall is adequate here in the American South. College football season has begun and there will be a heavy dose of it this Labor Day Weekend. College football stadiums will be in full throttle and the tailgates will be plentiful and abundant. It is a great time of the year.

The gardens are still beautiful and the butterflies are plentiful. The summer perennials are waning but the fall flowers are appearing. I am beginning to plan fall and winter projects.

Here are my photos for the week.

The first is the beautiful dragon wing begonias. It inhabits the window boxes and will be abundant until frost. I have to remember to remove them before frost since they make a frightul mess if they freeze.

The second is a solitary Shasta daisy. They have been plentiful and healthy this year. They will need some thinning this fall.

Here is an obedient flower. It is a native perennial and has just begun to bloom. Physostegia species are so named because a flower pushed to one side will often stay in that position. It is in the mint family.

The “Indian Summer” black eyed susan and the Penta are still blooming regularly.

These garlic chives are blooming beautifully and attracting many Common Buckeyes.

The zinnias are attracting all manner of butterflies including the gulf fritillary.

Finally, here is an autumn fern (Dryoperis erythrosora) that loves the container on the deck. This beautiful fern is evergreen and hardy in our climate.

Hope you have a memorable Labor Day Weekend and happy gardening.

Remember the Propagator. He is our inspiration.

More Butterflies 26 Aug 2022

Here in the American South, August is ending. It continues to be a few degrees cooler than expected and we are getting some rain every day this week. The foliage is green but the flowers are fading. The butterflies, skippers and insects are very noticeable this week.

I have two feeders that the hummingbirds are keeping very busy. The hummingbird “wars” are fun to watch.

Weeding has gotten a little ahead of me but perhaps I can catch up now with the moderating temps of the approaching fall.

First up today is a fiery skipper in my zinnia patch. This patch has been a butterly magnet. Sorry, it is a little fuzzy but that skipper is quick.

Next up is a silver spotted skipper in that same zinnia patch.

Just adjacent to the zinnias is my milkweed patch. I have only seen a few Monarchs but these milkweed bugs are in abundance. I will try some Neem oil spray on them.

I have a Rose of Sharon blooming nearby with this noticeable white color with a white throat.

The rain has brought out a lot of mushrooms on the lawn. These are some vermillion waxcaps according to my iNaturalist app.

In the sideyard, there are some roseglorybowers. They are also called Mexican hydrangeas. They are attractive to the bees but they are pushy and I have to keep an eye on them.

This last one is a Seashore mallow in the genus Kostetetskaya. It is a late summer bloomer and seems to shyly catch your eye. As you can see, it does resemble the Rose of Sharon.

I hope some rain and sunshine is coming your way. Here’s to happy gardening. It is a splendid way to keep your mind off trouble and worry.

Remember to take a peek at the the propagator. Just click the link and see what he is doing this week.

Butterflies and a Ginger Lily

In the American South, we are having more below average temp and some rain chance most every day. It has been possible to get out and do some shrub pruning. The garden is beginning to look tired and a little ragged but some fall flowers are appearing.

Butterfly numbers seemed to be below normal this summer but this week I have been surprised to find much more butterfly activity.

Here is the collection.

Here is a hardy mum. Unsure of name but this is thriving enough that I have divided it and have it in three locations now.

The vitex of chaste tree is very happy and continues to bloom.

The American beautyberry is beginning to show off its purple berry collars. It is a very reliable native shrub.

The “Katy Road” rose is showing some new buds with the let up in the heat. It is such a beautiful pink. The leaf beetles really get after it but I am trying to keep them at bay with some weekly Neem oil applications. Sorry that it is a little fuzzy.

The encore azaleas are really showy this week. I just had to show them off again. They really look good along this paver path.

Here is a gulf fritillary on the profusion zinnias. The host plant is a passionflower. I would show it but the caterpillars have chewed it up.

Here is a monarch. These zinnias are right next to the butterfly milkweed. I just had to stand between the two in order to get a good photo.

The ginger lily bloomed this week. I have them in some pedestal containers at the garden entrance. I was not expecting them to bloom this year so it is a surprise.

Hope you have some rain and moderating temperatures this week. It makes the gardening such a treat.

Remember the inspiration of this blog, The propagator blog.

Bird Project 15 July 2022

I noticed that my bluebird houses have attracted pairs of Eastern Bluebirds for the second time this year.

I have several houses at home and one at the Mens Garden.

I have followed the recommendations of the Audobon Society in building them in order to keep other birds away. I built them out of red cedar donated by a friend.

https://www.audubon.org/news/how-build-bluebird-nest-box

Bluebirds are almost exclusively insect eaters. They capture insects, crush them and feed them to their young. As you can see from the nest placement, they prefer to nest near a lawn or farmland so that they can capture insects easily.

I also inspected the trees nearby since they are abundant sources of caterpillars for the bluebirds and for other birds.

I know I have hackberry trees host to 6 different butterflies including the hackberry emperor.

I also found a shagbark hickory which is a host plant to many butterflies included the hairstreak.

In my search, I also found this in my side yard. He was perfectly still until I emerged enough to take this picture.

Finally, I hope you enjoy this Casablanca lily which just began blooming this week.

Happy gardening!

Be sure to check out the propagator