Hummingbird and Butterfly Gardening: Need Help Building a Butterfly Education & Exploration Site, 1 by SingingWolf

SingingWolf wrote:
Thanks kitt, and I'm waving back to you from way out west here in CA. :-)
You know I hadn't really thought of putting storyboards out with the old stories. Usually story telling is an oral tradition in our culture. I used to do traditional story telling under the Grandfather Oak. I'll have think about it. Maybe I'll have to start doing the story telling again.

Dee, hey sweetie. I'm collecting some of that Tithonia rotundifolia seed if you want some, I'll send it back. It should do well for you. It sure is an impressive flower, and I can't tell you what a kick I get out of seeing the hummers feeding off it in the morning. I did plant if for the B.flies, but the hummies like it too. :-) I am glad you remembered the proper name for it. :-)

Yea! The banana made it so far. Yep, it's frost sensitive. Before I had the gh, I left it on the back patio, and covered it with a sheet on the nights we had frost/freeze warnings. Lived that way for years with no problem. Except it didn't fruit until I planted it in the ground. I'm not surprised it has pups, only that it has three and not the customary two. :-)

I'm glad the Mexican Petunia bloomed for you too. :-) Remember sun and not too much water unless you want them to spread like crazy.

I know you kind of sad that the wisteria we dug up didn't make it, so I dug up another one for you and it's in a pot now. It's doing pretty good.

So far this year I've only seen one monarch. Sigh. No cats at all. :-( I might have to go beg some caterpillars from someone out this way. Although I did see a swallowtail today. :-)

Thanks for the seeds Dee. I'll be keeping my apprentices busy. Heh he he. The calendula sounds intriguing too.

You remember I had problems with my balsam? Well, the one survivor has kind of died back, but I have seedlings springing up like crazy in the pot. I'm hoping they are balsam. I really do like them. Those rainflowers you gave me are blooming right now. It always makes my heart lighter when I see flowers blooming.

Hope your Gd had a wonderful time at her Birthday Party.

Adina, I'm glad you are back. Photos are deceiving. Spots of my garden are beautiful at various times throughout the year. I'm sure I'm not sharing photos of the ugly or untidy stuff.
My garden sure has come a long way in the last few years, though. In some cases, it's become overgrown. I'm slowly getting stronger and am tackling one area at a time so I'm not too overwhelmed.

I started to share a couple of photos yesterday, and ran out of room. I had mentioned that when we first came out here there were only a couple of spots of beauty. The first to my mind has always been Grandmother Oak. She is truly a magnificent tree. It was a good day when we got her in the Historic Tree Registry. Now she's protected.

The other plant that I found beautiful will be featured in my first two photos today. It's commonly called the Naked Lady, or Amaryllis.

When I first came out here, DH's Grandmother was living here with 3 mean little guard mutts, flea ridden chickens, and about 40+ Nubian Goats. The mutts fell prey to the coyotes, as did the chickens. The goats were sold off over the next few years. Once DH got the tractor they really became pests. Couldn't have anything beautiful when they were around. Once they even went across the road and ate the neighbors rose bushes. Dumb goats. You'd think that would have hurt, but hey, I guess they like blackberry vines and those have thorns too.

It was so dry and desolate out here. Even the old homestead had a dearth of green. The only things that survived from DH's Grandfather's day, were two of the English Walnut Trees he planted (he used to have 4). The Honey Locust Tree which is about 70 years old, and an opportunistic elderberry.

At least that's what I thought until in late July or early August when out of no where (it seemed), this beautiful flower appeared. It was large and it was pink! I had never seen anything like it before, and was fascinated. It was several years before I found out what it was though. I always called it my Birthday flower because there would always be one in bloom on my Birthday in August.

Later on I discovered another plant with very similar blooms. (The last three photos) It's called a crinum and is from S. Africa? I found it at an acquaintances folks place, and asked for a rooted bulb. I had it planted in my yard for years before it ever bloomed for me. It also blooms in late July or early August. It's a fascinating plant in it's own right. I never saw anything like how the seeds root before I watched the seeds root on the crinum. They like being surface sown. Then the seed sends out a shoot which burrows into the ground, whereupon it develops a root. Way fun to watch. Easy to propagate once you figure that out, too. Someday, I hope to have enough to hide the ugly meter box in the front yard. I have to protect them from the lawnmower and weedwhacker using some old supports for the soft sided pool we used to have before my ES burned it down. I really ought to make a rock edging around it, so I can use them supports elsewhere. Then again, I throw a sheet over them on them frosty nights to keep the crinum from getting frostbit.

Here's another photo of the Mexican Sunflower. Look at all the color changes in the photo which doesn't really do it justice. I'm planting more next year. I think it could probably take full sun, but seems to do well in part shade where I have it planted. If anyone out there wants seed, let me know, or I'll plant it all. Seriously, I like sharing, and it's no problem. I really do like this flower and think you all will enjoy it too.

That's all I have for now. When I have more energy, I'll come back and post some photos of the Site that I took last spring. It was really pretty, even without our normal rainfall.

WIB~
SW