West Texas Mist Flower (Eupatorium greggii)

Hi,just thought i,d say g,day from down under.A great pic.

Howdy, shakks. Thanks. I guess spring is just starting there. Many plants native to Australia perform very well here in our south sentral Texas climate. Several years ago, my husband spent many months in Australia and just loved the climate and the people.

What kind of butterflys are they? They don't look like monarchs.......

Hey I was thinking the same thing on the butterfly. I am getting ready to go to work so don't have time to look up but I think it looks like they are Queens. I will keep a watch on this to see if an expert agrees. I have never seen a Queen here in middle Georgia but I just started watching butterflies last fall. I have lots of the Texas mist flower in my yard.

Congratulations on the picture of the day -- beautiful!

What a great picture! I was wondering about the name of those butterflies also.

I checked on a butterfly website and they are Queens for sure.

A beautiful picture--worthy of framing and hanging on the wall. I guess we have always been in Texas at the wrong time to see this one. Darn.

woodspirit1, I should have identified the butterflies. They are queen butterflies as olds88lady correctly identified them. Thanks for your comments.

olds88lady, you know your butterflies! Thanks for identifying them. Do your mist flowers attract butterflies like crazy too? What kind?

There were at least 100 of them at one time enjoying the mist flowers. There were so many it was difficult to take a clear photo because they would fly in front of the camera.

kaufman, thanks, I liked the photo you posted with the spider on the Mexican mint marigold, but I haven't had time to post a comment yet.

Roshana, I am glad you liked this one. Your cactus photos are great. Thanks for your comments.

Phaltyme, thanks for your kind words. I dimmed the brightness on my monitor last year to avoid eyestrain (I work on computers most of the day) and uploaded 200+ photos to the database not realizing they were too light. Some computer expert, huh! If the photo is too light on your monitor, adjust the brightness and it will look a lot better. Sorry.

No mine do not attract butterflies like that. Most of my butterflies are on my Lantana bushes-I have about 3 large and 6 smaller now. I am getting mostly Painted Ladies, Sulphur, Monarch, Gulf Frittaries and Skipper butterflies at this time of year. Also I don't have anywhere near a 100 butterflies at any time. I am trying now to get as many nectar and host plants as I can to hopefully attract more and more butterflies each year. Maybe one day I will be lucky and have a 100 butterflies.

I haven't had very many monarchs this year for some reason. I miss them. My lantana also attract a lot of different kinds. Do you have any pentas planted? They provide a lot of nectar and larval food too. Some of mine now have lots of munched on leaves and are looking shabby, but if I want butterflies to visit I have to sacrifice a few plants.

To my dismay, one year 2 neighbor boys were IN a large flowerbed I call my "butterfly garden" in my front yard capturing as many butterflies as they could. I was hysterical almost. They said that they wanted to obseve, then mount them. I spoke to their mother who told me that the butterflies were not mine and her kids could kill all they wanted. I told her they were trespassing and also trampling all my plants. This started a war. I had to call the police because she told them they did not have to remove themselves from my flowerbed. By the time the policeman arrived, they had a least 20 butterflies in a gallon jar. The policeman was very kind, made them release the ones that were not dead and escorted the mother and kids back to their house. He told them to find butterflies in their own yard. I never spoke to them again and thank goodness they moved the next year.

Good luck to you on your "butterfly gardens".

Sorry it has taken me so long to get back to this. Boy what a horrible experience. How could anyone feel that they could come into your yard no matter what they were doing. I would have called the police too. That is good that they moved since I know it must have been bad having a fight with your neighbors.
On the pentas- yes I have a large pink and red one and a couple of smaller ones. Butterflies do like them and also they love my porterweed. The monarchs have just showed up in the last month or so. My friend told me he had caterpillars on his milkweed and told him they were monarchs and when I went to visit they were gone but I found a green chrysallis (spelling?). As of today he says it has not hatched so I wonder will it over winter.

Is the monarch catepillar the big, fat, green squishy one that turns into the pretty green chrysalis (has one "l" - I had to look it up) with gold dots? It has been so long since I have seen one I am not sure if this is the monarch. I think I saw a monarch catepillar eating my red penta 2 or 3 weeks ago. What is porterweed?

Yes monarch is the big green one with the gold dotted chryalis-he looked for it yesterday and said it was gone. I think monarchs only eat milkweed but I am not positive. I have never seen anything eat my pentas. I have black swallowtails who eat my fennel plant and my parsley, gulf frittaries that eat my passion vine, tiger swallowtails on my tuplip poplar tree and that's it. I have lots of milkweed but have not been lucky enough to get the monarch butterflies to lay eggs on it so no caterpillars yet. Porterweed is an annual here in middle Ga but the butterfly love it-it comes in several colors but I have only been able to get the purple. If I knew how to add a link I would but if you go to plants database it should be there. I am collecting seed (this is my first year growing it and I bought a plant) and will send you some if you are interested.

This message was edited Friday, Nov 7th 9:11 AM

This message was edited Friday, Nov 7th 9:12 AM

Boy I just realized I was wrong on my flower. I was looking at your beautiful picture again and I noticed the leaves on your flower look different than mine. I went to the plants database(looking at porterweed also) and realized that my plant is Hardy Ageratum, also know as Blue Mist Flower and Floss Flower (Ageratum houstonianum). Maybe that's why I don't get the butterflies you do.

My west Texas mist flowers attract butterflies more than anything else does. Mostly I get west coast ladies (very similar to painted ladies), gulf fritillaries, and a monarch once in a while. Swallowtails are around but I've not seen them on the mist flower. I've seen queens in Arizona but never around here.

But the main reason I had to check out this forum was that I saw that olds88lady had posted here. No, you don't know me, but my dad has an Olds 88. It's a 1961 Super 88 convertible. It's his pride and joy.

olds88lady, I should have known to look up the Porter weedon the database. I'm going to do so in a minute. The mist flower in my photo is also known as Texas ageratum. Its leaves are narrow and serrated. It is often confused with other ageratum that have similar looking blooms. Its blooms are more open than the Ageratum houstonianum and thus, are fluffier. I haven't seen one swallowtail this year and have missed them.

Kelli, do your west Texas mist flowers bloom there all sunner or just in the late summer and fall? One of my brothers owned an Olds 88. I think it was aqua and white or aqua and cream. It was his pride and joy for many, many years. They don't make 'em like that anymore.

This message was edited Sunday, Nov 9th 2:14 PM

It seems that the mist flower has bloomed all summer, but really, I haven't been paying attention.

Thanks, Kelli.

Hi I love my Olds88-it is a 1995 model. My ageratum only blooms in the fall. I have had black, tiger and spicebush swallowtails in my yard. Also the red-spotted purple. There were lots of giant swallowtails in the city I work in -Milledgeville and also the Palamedes swallowtail. All the swallowtails I have seen have been on lantana except the zebra. I was lucky enough to see a zebra swallowtail at a nursery in Senoia, GA where I was buying native plants and trees to attract the butterflies.It was just flying around and landed on the cement not a plant.

My dad also used to have a 1955 Olds 88 (or Super 88). It was red and white. He doesn't have it anymore. His everyday car is a Silhouette van. I don't think he'd have anything besides an Oldsmobile product. Rogue daughter here has a Honda. :-)

Our ageratum bloom in late summer and fall. Wow, I wish I could see that many swallowtails. I'd be happy to see even one! You must be doing a great job selecting plants to which butterflies are atracted. How you must enjoy seeing them.

This message was edited Wednesday, Nov 12th 11:08 PM

Yes it is great. Today I cleaned up the garden for our first freeze which is supposed to be this weekend. I saw lots of monarch, gulf frittaries and skippers but I did not have time to look at all the little butterflies because I was busy putting down pine straw and leaves to protect my plants.

I finally saw a swallowtail today on globe amaranths. I was sooo happy! There were many different kinds of butterflies, both small and large, having a party on these plants. Have you planted any of them in your butterfly gardens? There was a very small (about 2 inches are so) butterfly with roundish shaped wings that were a white translucent color with pale yellow and maybe pale pink and/or blue markings. I was chasing a monarch to photograph and did not have a good look at it. I had never seen one of these before. Does it sound familiar to you? I know the description is not very good.

Yes I have one plant which has some butterflies on it-it is a beautiful plant but of course is an annual here. No that butterfly does not sound familiar but I am not good at the small ones yet.

The monarchs are migrating through San Antonio on their way to Mexico and the Texas gulf coast now to spend the winter. There are thousands of them.

I get so excited when I see about 6 of them. That must be wonderful to see thousands. I think years ago on the Florida Gulf coast I saw a lot of them but I was into birdwatching more than butterfly watching so I thought they were wonderful but didn't pay close attention. I love birdwatching in Texas and have been about 4 times and have also passed through several times going further west. I always love going there for the wildlife.

If you are this way again, let me know and maybe we can go to dinner.

Sorry with the holidays and all I have not gotten back to the site-I hope you get this message. I would love to have dinner if I get that way again and maybe look at butterflies together.

olds88lady, that would be fun. Just email me if you are ever going to be this way again.

htop that would be great. I sure will email you the next time I head that way. If you ever head towards the middle Georgia area email me. I never did see any Queens here but I am heading to my sister's house in south Florida soon and I hope to see some there and maybe some other new species and hopefully some new birds like the Everglades Kite.

I will if I'm ever your way. Florida is a great place for bird watching and observing other fauna as well. I have always wanted to go through the everglades by boat. There are so many wonderful plants that thrive in Florida too. I hope you have a good time.

Thanks htop I hope to have a good time-I just hate the long drive but don't want to fly. Well I have driven to South Texas so this will be a short trip compared to that since I can make it in one day. It will be nice to hopefully have some warm days - it seems to be a colder winter this year with lots of days in the 20's in the mornings.

We have had freezes a lot earlier than normal here and more of them. My house is full of plants in conatiners right now. Even both of my bathtubs have plants sitting in them. My husband wanted to take a bath and I told him to take a bar of soap outside and he could bathe the dog's when he finished his bath. :o) The freezing temperatures happen early in the morning and do not last long, but will do a lot of damage to lots of my tropical plants. Usually, our really "cold spells" happen in late December, January and early February. Until then, it may freeze in the early morning, but then warms up in the daytime. I had predicted in August that we are going to have a cold winter here. My big old dog's winter coat was starting to grow in earlier than normal. Have a safe and happy trip.

We are about the same here on the weather. Last year we moved my flower bed from one side of the house to the other and we were able to work outside most of January and February but this year seems to be colder. We have had more 28's in the mornings than last year and we have a lot of high's in the low 50's instead of 60's. Maybe though this is just that I am getting older and colder and my memory is getting shorter. I love hot baths in the morning before I go to work so I feel sorry for your husband if he can't have one. I brought in lots of plants last year but this year I cut way back except for brugs. The only other plants are a "Pretty in Purple" pepper that I brought in last year also and my Meyer lemon which I left out last year. It survived but it didn't bloom or produce fruit so I am going to try to make it a winter house plant and hope it blooms at least since the blooms smell wonderful. Thanks for the wish for me to have a safe and happy trip-I sure hope to.

"Pretty in Purple" pepper is a super plant. I plant more pappers each year because they are so beautiul and demand little care. My Meyers lemon is still small and is a container plant. It is the best lemon I have ever tasted. I hope yous blooms for you.

htop, you still around?

mamajack, I am still around ... :o)