Florida Chit-Chat #10 - Summertime

Bonnie thank you

Melanie let me know how yours do. I have seeds for a number of unusual kinds and also have 3 seed pods on my Family Jewels milkweed but I have never seed cats on it but I have seen the butterflies laying eggs on it.
These are the seeds I have just bought
Asclepias cryptoceras Davis Milkweed
Asclepias tuberosa Hello Yellow (I have the orange one of these growing)
Asclepias purpurascens Purple Milkweed
Asclepias pumila Plains Milkweed
Asclepias latifolia Broadleaf Milkweed
Asclepias incarnata Ice Follies
Asclepias hallii Halls Milkweed
Asclepias fruticosa African Swan Milkweed
Asclepias fascicularis Narrowleaf Milkweed

I also have seedlings growing of Asclepias speciosa Showy Milkweed and Asclepias incarnata I think it is the red one

Sandy

Sounds like butterfly DisneyWorld is coming to your house soon.

There is this "bright" light coming from the sky. I think I remember seeing something similar in the past but it has been so long!!!! And TWC says this should last all day.

I see an afternoon of mowing in my near future!!!!

I picked up three milkweeds from the Lowes death rack two ago for $.90 and am now covered up with them! So is my neighbor! Don't know the name of the variety, but love the way it reproduces!
Heard thunder while in the pool yesterday-dutifully removed myself!-no rain, just a spit! Went to Publix--as the crow flies , maybe a half mile-- and had to WADE thru the parking lot!
Has anyone found any inexpensive small , low tables to put orchids on in the pool enclosure? Am scouring estate sales and such, but not much luck. Amazon is waaay too dear and don't seem to be looking in the right spots. Help!
Moved some elephant ears to a larger pot today-- shall try a different locale and a bigger pot--don't seem to have the best of luck.
My new theory is shade the roots and see what happens! Got a ton of neglested plants last month at an estate sale(literally-had to have a truck deliver them) and am amazed at how thankful they are!! Plant rescue of another sort!

Oh I well understand Sandy.

Wow Sandy! If I'm a Monarch I'm coming to your house!

Melanie

I also have a bed full of fennel and other butterfly host and nectar plants and hummingbird plants

Debijaynes sounds like Asclepias curassavica also known as Tropical milkweed, it is one of the easiest milkweed to grow.

Sounds like a butterfly buffet, Sandy. Kind of like my house! I'm raising Spicebush Swallowtails on my Sassafras, Eastern Black Swallowtails and Giant Swallowtails on my rue (but I also have fennel for the Black STs), and Zebra Longwings and Gulf Fritillaries on my Passifloras. I found that when I planted for butterflies the hummingbirds seemed to come along. They've been spotted on porterweed, pentas, and abutilon so far this year. Oh, and the one hit up my bromeliad that happened to be blooming. I don't know why I have feeders when they ignore them for the plants. But I'm happy to have them zooming around the place.

Melanie

me to, had a breeding pair this year, have seen one young one.
the weather early this year has cut down on the number of butterflies.

Debijaynes I will try to remember how to tell you how to build your own shelves. I do it with PVC pipes.
Just to sick now.
slept most of the day yesterday and now can't
sandy

you can us pvc pipes to build shelves. To make it easy start by using 2 ft lengths(1in size) that you can get from home depot.
(I for one have problems cutting the PVC pipes)
The you need 8 PVC Fitting - 3 Way Connector and the you will need PVC Fitting - 4 Way Connector and PVC Fitting - 5 Way Connector and either hardware cloth or ClosetMaid shelves (these are easier to use) and some zip ties.
With these you can make the shelves as high and as long as you need it.

You can get the joins from here http://www.greenhousemegastore.com/category/hobby-diy

Sandy--thanks for the advice and I hope you are feeling better.
I will look into those this week.
Debi

I went to the doctor today and I have bronchitis (boo!). But when I was at the Walgreens the pharmacist noticed my shirt that says "Restore Habitat - Plant Milkweed" and she told me she had planted milkweed for the butterflies. That made me feel better already. Here's a picture of a Monarch I released today!

Melanie

Just got a nice downpour..........................so glad I mowed yesterday. Prob won't need to run sprinklers in the AM.

Ugh...I just had to go out and water all my new plants because we didn't get rain today. It's ok, it was fun seeing the butterflies, dragonflies, and other bugs flying around. And I totally amazed myself by the sheer number of Gulf Fritillaries on my Passiflora caerulea. They've taken up permanent residence in my yard, it seems!

Jean, thanks for being one of those people that conserves water by turning off your sprinklers when it rains. One of my pet peeves it watching peoples' sprinklers going off in the rain. Or when it's not their day to water - and yes, I will call the county on you, LOL!

Melanie

Debi I am feeling better but I have another pills to put on my do not take list
I for get to add earlier---do not glue the pieces together as this way you can change your mind or add to the length.
Just use a rubber mallet to bang the ends together

Melanie I never water the "grass" just those plants that need it. Just spot watering

sandy

Yeah, the more natives I use, the less I need to water. Also, it's helped to learn what plant to put where. Trial and error over the years but I think I've got it mostly figured out.

Melanie

Hi All,

Still trying to get the hang of how these forums work. Super hot here. Had only one day with rain and that was yesterday. About a month ago my A/C drain line got clogged and I couldn't get it unclogged. I instead redirected the water to a 5 gallon bucket that I've been using to water my plants. Only one problem, I have to empty the bucket about 3 times a day. As I write I hear thunder so my fingers are crossed.

Nice photo Melanie, sorry you had to see the doc. Summer colds are the worst. I just picked up one of those blue porterweed.

The Gulf Frits are everywhere in my yard. They almost killed a couple of my recent passiflora additions to the yard. I had these plants on a misting bed and they're still getting in there. Had to bring a couple back into my garage for some TLC, no frits there yet!

I've had some zebra longwings in the yard but they don't alight in my yard often, usually hit something they're attracted to in the adjacent property (wooded area).

Gorgeous blooms Sylvain and Shauna!

Darren

Darren the Zebra Longwings like to lay their eggs on plant that are in the shade. So if you move a plant or to into a shady area you will have them.

I have never seen a zebra in my area until yesterday. He even let me snap a picture.

Thanks Wren, I kinda gathered that but didn't know for sure. I have been slow to plant stuff in the shade but do have a few plants I need to make room for under my oaks. Thanks for the encouragement.

Darren

Darren - the butterflies will not kill your Passion Flowers. They will strip the leaves off but those will soon come back, along with hundreds of new butterflies.

There is one Passion Flower that you do not want if you want butterflies and that is the red Passiflora coccinea, it
is deadly to the cats.

Sandy

I had a P. Coccinea before I moved here. It grew with wild abandon and bloomed almost year-round. It was a gross feeder and the caterpillars left it alone. Oh, if I could only get my grubby paws onto a few cuttings of that cardinal red passionflower, my treillis wouldn't be such a disgrace 50% of the time, after it served as an all-you-can-eat caterpillar buffet. The HOA has me on their radar because the blue passionflower (a stingey bloomer) that is currently growing there is "seasonal", as they put it. What do they know? A pox on all condo commandos!

Take care, all.
Sylvain.

I will have to see if there is any more hiding in my yard

Sandy

I love the passion flowers--mine seem to be leafy all year. They have grown into the yard behind us and that house is for sale. A neighbor and I foraged back there and were amazed. Besides the passion fruit, overgrown bougies, overgrown travelers palm, plumerias that were thrown there and stuff that I don't even remember--there was a double yellow mandevilla. Wow--at least I think that's what it is.
I picked up a stingray Alocasia today at Lowes--not mark-down and got the last one. Quite striking-looks just like a stingray.
Any hints on the best way to root hoyas? I am over run and thought I'd cut back and see what happens.
Sylvain--remember when we dug those lobster claws 2 years ago (almost)? They are finally blooming and more of a parrots beak!!! The wasps and the little teeny snakes just love to rest on the leaves during the summer!

Qwilter,

They may not kill them but they sure do a number on them. I will be ok with them eating all the leaves but I need to get the plants established first, LOL. All my plants are small for the most part and when they eat all the leaves it doesn't help with the growth. They really favor the newest leaves too.

Good luck Sylvain, I couldn't live in a condo or neighborhood with restrictions. My yard is a wildlife sanctuary..........or least that what I want to believe. I pretty much let some of the small weeds come in and don't mow as often as I should because my yard supports all kinds of critters. I have gopher tortoise that visit daily along with a bunch of rabbits and god knows what else. I know I have at least one black racer, dozens of anoles and frogs and toads.

Had my first bloom of passiflora incense today and then gave the blooming plant away. No worries, I have many more growing, but it was my first bloom for this plant, smells very nice. Didn't even get a pic. Should have more blooms from another plant in a few days.

I think many people get passiflora vitifolia confused with passiflora coccinea. I've never seen that plant for sale but have seen p.vitifolia. P.lady margaret is another popular "reddish" plant.

I've seen caterpillars eat my p.vitifolia but it is not getting ravenged for some reason.

Darren

lady margaret is safe for the cat to eat.

I found one GF and one ZL on one of my new passion vines. Moved the GF to another vine

most of my passiflora incense are in pots but I think one escaped.

Most hoyas you just break off a piece & stick it in th epotting soil.

For those who want to grow milkweed from seeds check out this link, just type in Milkweed seeds(you will get more hits) http://www.georgiavines.com

I just checked on my plants and I've got a furry little dark brown/black cat on my passiflora pallida, any ideas what beauty this will be?

Gulf Fritillary if it was white and place it would be the Zebra Longwing, they look alike except for the base color

Thanks Wren, this is a solid brown/black fur ball, no color like a gulf frit or zebra. I'm thinking maybe moth but having hard time finding it on the web. It looks like fur as opposed to the "tentacle" look that the gulf frit has.

might be one of the sphinx moths, some of them will eat most any thing I think

My Daves page is a mess, this is kind of a test to se if things are posting. Font is not lining up, the heading doesnt load, pages take forever to load. Its only Daves website tho.

Same here, GG.

Melanie

Get out & back in. THey have changed the background formatting.

Mine is working fine but I do not like it.

Just found out I have sleep apnea.

Sandy

I find it hard to believe that is how they want it. Maybe its not finished

I logged in and out but it's still all wonky.

Sandy, are you going to get a CPAP machine? Both of my parents use them and it's really helped.

Melanie