Hummingbird and Butterfly Gardening: DAILY BUTTERFLIES Page 40, 0 by mellielong

mellielong wrote:
In other sightings, the duskywings were back and this one was checking out the pentas. I also saw two Zebra Longwings trying to chase each other away. I'm not sure who won because they both flew off in different directions and left me all alone.

But that was okay - because I saw something else flying around. I think I know where my hummingbirds live! I saw one up in our biggest oak tree kind of hovering and flying around the lower branches. Then, he zoomed off across the street. But as I was looking up I saw another hummingbird in a different section of the same tree. They always fly in from the east side of the house where the tree is, so I guess that makes sense. Maybe I've got hummingbird babies on the way?

While I was staring up at the tree I saw a Zebra Longwing wander through on its way to the bougainvillea. And I spotted a new tillandsia (bromeliad) I hadn't seen before. It all got me thinking about those evil guys who stop by occasionally wanting to spray the moss off our trees. Let's just hope I don't answer the door. You see, Spanish moss (and ball moss) is a type of tillandsia - a genus of bromeliads. And I love bromeliads. And except for the two I just mentioned, nearly all of Florida's tillandsias are threatened or endangered. Plus, they don't harm the trees contrary to what the sprayers want you to believe.

Seeing all the butterflies and now hummingbirds up in that tree, I thought how horrible it would be to spray it. The duskywing in this picture (Horace's) uses oaks as a host plant so they would probably gone as well. It was just another reminder of how all things are connected and you really can't harm one thing without having an effect on so many others.