DAILY BUTTERFLIES PAGE 6

Continued from: http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/732183/

Thanks TGIF for all the great pics you posted in page 5! I loved them all!

I have missed you tropicalkaren! It's very nice to see you.. soon you will have more butterflies. I really enjoyed all you shared with us last year!

Thanks to everyone for continuing to share your daily butterfly events. It is so wonderful to share among you who appreciate the wingers as much as I do!

Well folks I am finally getting more than one Monarch.. I was starting to wonder where they were. The Tropical Milkweed stands are getting really big and I am catching all the seed pods I can, right when they split open. Some have split and blown away in the wind, but I am getting as much as I can. The Cinderella "incarnata" seems to be a late bloomer, but the plants are up to 4' + now and there are buds on the tallest ones.

Here is one of the Monarchs that visited yesterday, literally hugging the blooms on the "currasavica", (Tropical MW).

:-Deb

That is beautiful Deb, I can see how you got hooked doing this, I am hooked now too.

Thank you Josephine!
While I have you here, ...What is the name of the Hercules Club you gave me? So far it's a real hit with the Giant STs!

:-Deb

Deb, What we have is Texas Hercules Club, Zanthoxylum hirsutum, there are three that are native, but this one has the shiny leaves, and is the most common around here. http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/31749
Josephine.

Deb - Your Hercules Club looks great! Is that berries I see on it???? Mine just insists on growing straight up instead of bushing out. I have pinched the growth back and everything, but no luck getting it spread out instead of up. :-/ Stubborn plant!!!

Oh great, ....now I have to have a Hercules club. : )
Where do I find one of those? I don't think I have seen one around here, or I just don't really know what one looks like.

~Lucy

Mine is slightly different than yours, Josephine (and Deb). It came with the house when I bought it in 1994 and is cut into tree form, and it towers over my house. That thing has to be at least 15-20 feet tall and is, IMHO, a beautiful tree. But I have never seen a GST on it. Perhaps I should find room in my yard for one of yours, Josephine? ;-)

Carla

Carla, in case you really want one and can not find it, the wildscape where i volunteer is going to have a plant sale this fall, and we will have some of those available.
Josephine.

Yes, Josephine, I really do want one. If you'll let me know when the plant sale is going to happen, I will definitely plan to be there.

Carla

O.K. it is going to be in October, I will do my best to remember to let you know, maybe you can remind me too.
Josephine.

Went hiking again - check out the thread I made to see a special surprise I found! I also saw this guy - he was flying fast and completely disappeared after I got this one shot off. I'm thinking he was a duskywing of some sort.

Saw this tiny hairstreak and tried not to spook him. I think he's a southern hairstreak judging by the red.

Beautiful Hairstreak Millie! Forgive me if I can't find the duskywing in the other pic.. My eyes are terrible like that.


The GST cats (orange dogs), I have taken in are doing pretty well. Almost an inch long now and scarfin down on the Z. clava I found them on. Here in the containers I rigged with tulle fabric and a rubber band over the top.

Josephine, and all,

I clicked on the link for your Hercules Club Zanthoxylum hirsutum and was surprised to see it has a hardiness of -30. Since I figured most of the things indigineous to Texas aren't hardy in Indiana, I was surprised to see this. Isn't that weird?

Are there other butterflies it would host and feed besides Giant Swallowtails? I am thinking about getting one because they are supposed to be here and aren't.

Suzy

I wound up with 2 different Hercules Club , plants this year. Last fall I tried to order Zanthoxylum clava from Nearly Native in GA, and Jim was to notify me when he got them in. Meanwhile I went to visit frostweed (Josephine), and was blessed to receive the lovely Z. hirsutum, which is very special and has a bit smaller and glossier leaves. The GST oviposits on both of them now, what looks like a regular basis.
Becky, The little fruits look like tiny limes to me.
Lucy, You gotta have one, you're right! Shouldn't be too hard if you look around at your local wildlife oriented nurseries.

Becky, You wanted a scan of the backyard wildscape.. It's still a bit unrefined, but I think that is one of the things that attract so many species. This is only one section I will show ya a couple more..

Edited to list plants in picture:
Left side:
Duranta in ground
Buddleia Sungold
Buddleia Rainbow
A. elegans (Pipevine)
A. fimbriata, (Pipevine)
Amorpha fruiticosa (in a pot)
Agastache rugosa in ground back fence row
TX lantana "
Meadowsweet "
Pink Buddleia

Back to front:
Passionvine, (half eaten) Blue Crown
Various lupines
Assorted Wildflowers
Frostweed
Texas Mistflower
Hollyhock
Columbine'
Dianthus
Frogfruit
Tropical Milkweed
Foxglove
Butterfly Daisies
Ruta graveolens
Bronze Fennel
Parsley
Front center: Z clava (Hercules Club) I repotted it right after this pic into a huge pot. Left it there in front where she knows to find it.

Right row & pots front to back:
Duranta, in ground
Desert Willow (in a pot)
Desert Bird of Paradise (in a pot)
Amorpha fruitcosa (False indigo), (in a pot)
Vitex in ground
Small Black Cherry Tree (in a pot)

This message was edited Jun 16, 2007 11:39 AM

This message was edited Jun 16, 2007 11:50 AM

Yes Suzy,
These HCs are super hardy, and if you get one the GST's will likely sniff it out within a month or so. I would be thrilled to see you get one.

Continuing to scan to the right from the pic above.. I could try to make a short list of thats pictured here..

Coreopsis Mouse Ears
Coreopsis Day Dreams
Salvia gregii
Red Verbena
Black & Blue Salvia
Bat Faced Cuphea
Tiny Mice Cuphea
Nasturtium
Cigar Plant Cuphea
Tall Cosmos
~Behind that row you cant see anything, so I wont list now. Now most of your fancier landscaped gardens will not have tall plants in front, but I find the butterflies are attracted to places they can find to hide behind away from the house view. It also serves as a good windbreak.
The next perpendicular row to the right has:

Flame Acanthus
Salvia gregii
Yarrow
Nasturtium
A long thick row of Asclepias incarnata (Milkweed) About 2 dozen plants of it, some just about to bloom.
Very back of that row, Zanthoxylum hirsutim (Hercules Club)

Far right row:
Spicebush Lindera benzoin
More Nasturtium
More Yarrow
Sweet Pea
Buddleia Royal Red
Aristolochia macrophylla, (Pipevine)
Veronica, Speedwell
More Nasturtium
More Yarrow
More Sweet Pea
Buddleia Black Knight
Another Spicebush
Some Cardinal flowers under the Privet in the back corner, doing pretty well there, about to bloom

The pot hanging from the tree in foreground has Fuschia, and under that is a small Asima trilobata Pawpaw Tree

I missed a lot.. surely. Behind all the tall flowers are:
Lemon Tree
Hops Tree
Echinacea Magnus
Laitris
Rudbeckia
A tuberosa
Sunflowers
Zinnias
Forget me nots
Gladiolas
Crocosmia
Alyssum
Red Monarda
Joe Pye
Spotted Joe Pye

That's it for the most part...If I remember something I will add it later.

:-Deb



This message was edited Jun 16, 2007 11:47 AM

One more pic of the Morning Glory Scarlet O'hara, and Moonvine. Not in pic, under the tree to the right is a Cardinal Climber (Cypress Vine), some Coleus, and Sweet Potato vine.

:-S

Very Lovely Deb, you sure have a lot of neat plants.
Josephine.

Wow, you have alot of nice plants. It looks soooo pretty. Butterfly Heaven. : )

~Lucy

......ditto the above, and it's so neat and clean -- and I always assumed you had a big meadow instead of a regular lot. LOL! Totally unexpected.

Suzy

Deb - I love your backyard Butterfly and Hummer habitat. I see that you have some nice shady areas for the butterflies to rest. And the deck/gazebo is coming off the back of your home? Interesting idea about the taller plants in front to shield the butterflies from humans so they will linger longer. Does it make it easier to sneak up on them too?

You've done an amazing make-over, Deb! It really looks lovely!!!! Thanks for posting all of the photos. So now you can sit out in the screened gazebo and enjoy the view! :-) :-) :-)

Really lovely!!!

Just curious Deb ...... Has your spotted or regular Joe-Pye weed bloomed yet? If so, I'd love to see a photo of what the flowers look like. Mine are still pretty small plants. Actually, I'd love to now see more close ups of all your plants. I am really curious about many of them. Save those seeds, girlfriend!!! :-) :-) Maybe we should start a thread with photos & names of plants that seem to attract the butterflies to our gardens. (Hint, hint... I'm a visual person.)



This message was edited Jun 16, 2007 3:58 PM

My Joe Pye is about a foot and a half tall. I grew it from seed. I'd like to see yours also, Deb.
Good idea about the thread showing plants and names, Becky. : )

~Lucy

Thank you x 4 everybody! Isn't it funny Suzy... great things can grow in small gardens. I don't know what I would do with a meadow. So far it seems easier to be compact. I can just see myself running around a meadow trying to get pics of butterflies, LOL!

I have been prepared to micro-manage most of them because if I don't they can overtake me. I had to crowd out all the weeds that have been back there for so many years. Great incentive for getting up happy with plenty to do every day. I think the layout being lots of rows helps me have more places to put things too.

Yes Becky, It is a lot easier to sneak up on butterflies when you have blind sides here and there. It is not a traditional way to landscape, but my thoughts were not about pleasing people so much as the wildlife. The Joe Pye is beginning to bud out, and I will keep checking for the full blooms. If you make a thread on "Close-ups of Butterfly Plants" (or something like that), I will surely take a bunch of close-ups and post them in there, I was already thinking the same thing.. The overall scans aren't telling enough for me either. LMK if you make a thread, or if you want me to.

:-Deb
Here's what Jee Pye buds looked like on 6-10-07> I will take another pic in a little bit.

I found a Monarch cat high-tailing it across my yard, so grabbed it and put it on a Milkweed plant. I had a feeling it was getting ready to pupate. Sure enough, the next day I found the chrysalis hanging from one of the mw leaves.

It emerged this morning and has been drying it's wings and resting all day. I released it a few minutes ago and after posing on the Porterweed, it flew off to freedom! I never get tired of those butterflies and I have raised hundreds of them. :-) I haven't seen any around my yard at all lately. I didn't even check to see if it was a male or female. (My bad.) So who knows ..... maybe it will come back and hang around. :-) And may start a whole new family of Monarch cats. I can only hope!

Becky, Would you please save me some Porterweed seed? Don't send it, just earmark it for me. I'm sure I'll have something wonderful to send you back in trade, just that we haven't hit real bloom time yet.

Thanks,
Suzy

I sure will Suzy. D-mail me (that way I will remember). I have different folders in my d-mail which helps me keep things straight. (Inbox, Old d-mail, Follow-up d-mail, etc. I would never remember otherwise.)

Here is the NEW thread for Butterfly attracting plants with photos:
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/735959/

This little blue one was driving me crazy all day long.

Then I came home from the movies and this guy was flying around. I only managed to get one shot as it was jumping between blooms with super speed.

Your first one is a Cassius Blue, The other one looks like a Polydamas Swallowtail because of the pattern on the wings and the red body spots. How awesome to get 2 beautiful butterflies in the same day! You go girl!!!

Really! I agree, gorgeous shots Millie!

Thanks everyone, but you should have seen the ones that got away. I saw a gulf fritillary (possibly two, could have been the same guy). It kept landing on the white walls of our house and then over to the white walls of Dad's shed. Then, I was out front and a zebra longwing flew over me! I never see those in the neighborhood, but then again, we never had passion vine before (evil laughter here). I also saw the common yellow sulphur and those little white ones that seem to like my neighbors' yard. I saw another swallowtail and ran after it, but it crossed the street and I don't like to play in traffic. It was mostly yellow underneath so I'm hoping maybe tiger swallowtail? I saw it the other day but it seems to like my neighbor's backyard and all my neighbors have fences, darnit! I was out planting all the wonderful plants I purchased at the USF butterfly festival so maybe they were all showing me how happy they were.

Thanks for the ID; I was leaning toward Polydamus, but I wasn't sure. I was too busy chasing the thing to really look! Both of those butterflies were photographed on the plumbagos, so if you don't have any, I highly recommend them. The Tiger STs like them too. I have to admit I think they get srcaggly looking and they grow like crazy and the flowers stick to you...but it's worth it to have all those visitors.

Speaking of visitors, I saw another winged creature out and about today, but this one was a lot bigger than a butterfly. I call it our neighborhood watchdog (watchhawk?). It's funny how close I can get to it nowadays. It used to fly away but now I think it just sees me as some kind of animal digging up roots or something. I saw two of them on our oak tree a few weeks ago. I think they must have a nest somewhere near; the one was really active today - it flew by me and over me several times as I was gardening.

Oh Mellie! Your hawk is gorgeous! The birds in our yard are always a plus, IMHO. :-) Way cool!!!!

Thanks, he's a red-shouldered hawk. It's funny, my brother used to run around all the time trying to get photos of it, but I always seem to see it. I think because I'm out there gardening so much it just views me as another one of the animals. It gets so much closer than it used to and doesn't freak out as much when I look at it. It used to fly away if I looked directly at it. As opposed to today when I had the flash going off and it just sat there. After I took the picture it flew up to the top of its favorite streetlight, and then swooped down and landed in the neighbor's yard.

Here's a pic I got of it a while back so you can see the front coloring.

Mel...does USF have a butterfly festival every year? I really enjoyed this years. : )

Neat Red Shouldered Hawk Millie! I get hawks in winter.. They come by for feeder bird snacks almost daily then. The sparrows have a drill they do, even when the hawks aren't around. One flies into the rosebush, and they all swoop in with it. A few minutes later, they all go back to the feeder and the ground to eat again. They do this many times throughout each day, however when it is a real drill they chirp like mad, and it is very distressing. That's when I look out and invariably see a huge hawk on the fence peering intently into the rosebush.

This clutzy Sharp-shinned got so brave, thought he could land on the hanging feeder.... He never tried that again, LOL! I do love the hawks.

And now, back to our regularly scheduled butterflies....


And it is a Skipper feasting on the Echinacea

Deb - LOL! He does have a surprised look on his face, doesn't he?! ROFL!!!

Boy! Your yard looks mighty different now Deb. Amazing what a few months of Spring can do to a garden! lol :-)

Could someone please take a full shot photo of the coneflowers (Echinacea). I think I may have some growing in my garden, but can't tell yet because they haven't bloomed. Please post in the "Butterfly Attracting Plants with Photos" thread for everyone to reference. Thanks!

This message was edited Jun 17, 2007 11:16 AM

A Gulf Fritillary lit on a weathered Zinnia bloom...

ROFL Becky, It sure surprised me too, and had me snickering all day..

Yep, the back sure has changed a lot. While looking for the hawk pic, I found some old shots of after I had the tree cut down and layed out the garden beds. I will post a couple while I still know where they are.

March 16th, '07
From the gate entrance>

Deb - I love your paths! What is it that you used to border them with? It looks really nice. Of course, now ... with all the plant growth, can you even see them? LOL! You did an amazing job this past winter! Love it!!!