Not too far from here there are some host trees for Tiger Swallowtails. I haven't managed to procure any to date, but they usually find my yard soon after they break out from hibernation. One day I may have their host, but until then I will enjoy them passing through.
:-)
Deb
Yep, I saw one passing by 2 days ago. I did the happy dance!
One of them took a long nap on my neighbor's roof...
Ahh what a life!!
Yeah me too Paige hehe!
Same with Red Admirals, just passing through...Didn't want to make a new thread for one measley pic, lol.
Deb
Great photos! Drats...we don't get Tigers this far south :o(
~ Cat
BEAUTIFUL!!
Thanks Karen!
What ya been up to? How's your host beds coming along?
Deb
Kind of bummed out actually, had 2 frosts here so everything has frozen back. Just starting to emerge again, and so am I (lol). Gonna do some planting today.
Aw bummage Karen...
Freezes are over now, for the most part.. You'll catch up in no time.
Deb
Yup, planted a ton of stuff today and weeded most of the garden. It is wonderful to be able to get my hands dirty again!!
Yeah, you got that right! Lot of crazy things popping up in the garden these days too. Here is a thread update on the Black Swallowtails so far there's one to go.
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/701230/
Deb
Wonderful link Deb, I enjoyed reading it.
Deb - I got to see a Tiger Swallowtail today flitting around my yard. Boy! Are they ever beautiful!! I hope some plant in my yard tempts it to return. I also saw a BST laying eggs on the parsley in the herb garden, a Sulphur that almost bumped into me (lol), and of course, a number of G.F.s. I also saw a white butterfly but couldn't be sure where it was a Great Southern White or Cabbage White or ??? And the Skippers are out in full force!
It seems I have a bit a problem with what I believe might be raccoons. One (usually more than one) have been getting into the squirrel feeder at night and literally ripping it off the post. Grrr... But my biggest concern is that my little white maltese dog ate something in the yard last week and got really sick. Bacterial infection. I now think it might have been raccoon poop. And I have my pond containers filled and have noticed the pots knocked off the pond shelves. It's gotta be raccoons. I need to figure out how they are getting into my yard. My vinyl fence is almost impossible to climb. They must be getting in under the gate or someplace else.
I'm waiting on my sprouts to really start kicking in the growth. Since I have never done a seed bed before, how long typically should I expect it to take before I see some lush growth and especially blooms?
Great Becky, You get them there too..Yay! Some of the most striking butterflies we get here..Some are almost as large as GSTs. I saw another one today too, but it was blowing in the wind before I could grab the camera.. S/he'll be back probably..:-)
What a drag about your wee goggie Beck, how aweful that must have been for him. Guess ya have to patrol the yard before letting him out every morning to check for rac-poopie. Pat him for aunt Deb..
Far as the sprouts go, when they come up a few inches, repot them into styro cups or 3-4" pots with very fine loose soil. I found some great seeding and rooting soil at Wally in a pink and green bag. It's abut $3, but worth it to have a light spongy soil for the critical baby plants. Don't overwater.. Allow the roots to force down deep to find the water every couple to few days. Just so they don't dry all the way. Good sun, but not too much direct sun (depending on the plant requirements). Wait til they are pretty fluffy and full to plant in the yard. I've noticed that most seedlings put out too early will not grow as vigorously. Some I kept back in the GH got fuller while the ones I put out slowed down.
Maybe that will help some.. Let me know how it's going.
o/Deb
Hi Deb! Yep, my poor little doggie has been on antibiotics for 5 days. Almost killed him.
Well, I was out in the yard and kept looking at my 2 ponds and wondering why the water was so dark all of a sudden. So I stuck my arm down and realized that the dang raccoons had actually been IN the ponds and knocked all my water lily containers over. All the dirt spilled out into the bottom of the pond and made the water black. Grrrrrrrrrrrrr! They up-rooted some of my lilies and made a mess of both of my ponds! Boy am I mad!!!! So I went on a hunt to figure out how they got in. I went over to the gate and saw little scratch marks under it in the dirt. I know that's how they got in. There is a gap under the gate and they were able to squeeze under in that area. I have black plastic border around the entire backyard fence about 6" down and the fence touches the ground everywhere except the gate.So I grabbed some concrete borders and laid them down flat under the gate to close the gap. Let's see if they get in tonight! If they do, I may have to stack the concrete borders on the inside of the gate to keep them out. What a hassle!
Last year, I came home late one night and saw what I thought was 2 medium-sized dogs walking from my yard to across the street into the woods. As I got closer with my car lights, I realized they were 2 large raccoons! They used to get into our trash cans. Our trash cans are plastic and one year they shredded the tops to get into the cans! There was trash strewn all over the place. This happens every so often, but I haven't seen it in a long time, so I thought maybe they were gone. Nope! They are apparently still around. Much to my dismay. If I can't keep them out of the yard, I will have to get some live traps from animal control and try to catch them and relocate them. This is a neighborhood, not a forest. I guess with all the development going on around here, they are running out of territory. Sad. But they are not behaving in my yard! Bad manners will get them removed from the area if they don't quit wrecking my ponds. They are going for the seeds from the squirrel feeder for food and probably washing the food and themselves in the ponds. I may try and sneak out there late tonight to see if they have figured out how to get into my backyard again. I will take my camera. Catch those critters red-handed!!! lol
This message was edited Mar 24, 2007 9:10 PM
Deb - I forgot to tell you that I am sowing the seeds in the garden beds. They are sprouting, but I didn't know what kind of time frame to expect. Should I fertilize them now as seedlings or wait until they grow more? I am pretty clueless to growing a garden bed from seeds.
Wait to fertilize, the seed dna has a lot of oomph... You want to let it fill out a lot before fertilizing. Then a light sprinkle will do. I use an organic food I got in a 30# bag.. It has all sorts of natural ingredients, ie. vegetation (alfalfa, etc), in it, plus corn meal that helps keep the soil fresh. I will get the name of it for you if ya like. It only takes a pinch or 2 for each (small) plant,and a tablespoon for a gallon size. I have a lot less concern about burning up my plants now with it.
Those look like Moonvine sprouts there, and they don't need fertilizing until they are getting closer to blooming. They usually bloom when they have reached the top of the trellis, and can't go up any further. Even if the trellis is only a couple feet high... Lots of vines are like that.
Here's a pic of the label>
Thanks for the fertilizer tip and ingredients. I will check for something like that at HD, Wal-mart, or my local nursery.
You are RIGHT! Those are Moonvine seedlings along with Hyacinth Bean vine. I am trying those two plants together up the trellis in that garden bed. I didn't know the vines wouldn't flower until they reached the top of the trellis. That's very interesting! I wonder why?
I saw my first of season Eastern Tiger Swallowtail on Saturday! Yahoo!! Unfortunately, it wasn't interested in anything in my yard. But a Monarch did come and feed from the Alyssum and Profusion Zinnia. Spring has sprung.
Carla
Spring is here, but no butterflies yet.
Karen - Really??? I am so surprised! You should be getting them very soon! Maybe you just aren't watching at the right times. You should already have them! Sending butterflies your way!!! lol
