Hummingbird and Butterfly Gardening: Need Help Building a Butterfly Education & Exploration Site, 4 by SingingWolf

SingingWolf wrote:
Hey Dee, thanks for sharing that site. I'm hoping it will help me find and identify some of my mystery plants. I'm already collecting seed.
I am feeling less pressure on my sinuses, and am over the fever. I hope that you well soon. Hope we both didn't get sick at the RU. Although, DH is fine. Feel better okay?

Kittriana, yep, it's really dry. We had to take out about 100 Monterrey Pines today because of that Pine Beetle. Hopefully, it'll stop the infestation from getting worse. Time to give them supplemental water. Poor trees get stressed in this drought, and the insects take advantage of it.

Zone 8b would be nice, but I thought TX was in a drought too? Then again TX is a big state and you might be in one of those areas with different climate from the surrounding regions.

Lovely photos. Is that first one a scarlet naked lady (amaryllis?). It sure is pretty. I have some pink Naked Lady plants I inherited from DH's grandmother. I don't know where she got them, but they were the only pretty thing I saw when I first moved here. Still have them. Also have some crinum, which have a paler pink flower much like the Amaryllis. Are those blooming right now? Mine won't bloom until July-August.

Snail and slug patrol. You know, my chickens love 'em. I don't like to use poison in my garden, and it's so much easier to just pick them snails up and toss 'em to the chickens.
Slugs are a little harder. I usually scrape them off whatever they are stuck to, and into a container that I take into the chickens. Like I said they love 'em. Extra protein!

I found some photos to show you the area where I want to put the BEES (Butterfly Education & Exploration Site). Yep, that's what I'm going to call it since DH is a Beekeeper, the acronym works.

First photo is taken from the picnic area, looking towards the future BEES. The Oak tree in the background is known around here as Grandfather Oak. This area is the former site of a Tipi Village that we had set up. The Tipi's are long gone, and the area has been partially cleared. I'm leaving the cleared area alone for now, and selectively clearing out the area between the elderberry trees and the dry creek. It will be bounded on the other two sides by the slope and the pathway. Sorry this photo doesn't really show all of these elements, but it helps me to clarify it in my mind to write it all down.

The second photo is of the slope behind the area I want to develop. You can see the rocks in this photo in the previous photo in the upper right corner, which helps you orient to the site.

Third photo, this old bridge will lead to an entrance to the BEES. The pathway goes off the left at the end of the bridge.

Fourth photo, looking over the bridge railing you can see one of the elderberries I want to keep for the site. It also holds my natural bench seat. A partially fallen branch.

In this last photo, the wind broke off this tree which you can also see in the third photo. Looks like it took out part of the railing when it fell. Sigh.

DH wants to take this tree out, but I want it to stay. Snags are important perches for many birds. My Dad's favorite bird the blue jay, can often be seen perching at the top of this snag. The base of the tree is still alive, and I think at some point we will have to trim it, but for now, I want to let it be. Except for the stuff that is currently dead and blocking the bridge, that is.

Anyway, it's a beautiful, sheltered and sunny spot. While I do have water available out there, I do not have electricity, and am planning on using solar with a battery backup for my power needs.

I need to go work on my cat cage. I saw a couple of GF's flittering around out there this morning, and I know that means more caterpillars are on their way. :-)

I'll be taking more photos to post on this thread, and once again I do welcome everyone's comments.

WIB~
SW