New page.... Will try to get my posts in.. I just composed one and right when I was adding the picture and previewing to enter it... yes, you guessed it, my computer closed the page on me..:- Oh well. I will write more and post some pics if I can...
Here's my new friend>
Oh Deb! That is AWESOME! How exciting to have a hummer hanging around your yard! I'm so happy for ya! Maybe there is still hope for me if I continue to add hummer nectar plants to my yard! With all the great plants you have in your yard now ..... I'm not surprised you've had all kinds of flying critters come visit and stay! :-)
Thank you Becky!! I have seen this one several times all month, but I never got my camera in time.. I was just enjoying watching her, LOL! Plus I din't want to speak too soon.. She likes the Black and Blue Salvia, the Vitex, and Cuphea, and samples other things in between. I will try to keep listing her favorite plants so all of you will know what might attract them.
I figured all the regulars coming back from migration had returned to their old haunts this year, and I expected to wait for the spring broods to be pushed out farther toward my neck of the woods as their parents set up for more.. It happened just as I suspected. Maybe that's all you are waiting for too Becky. Last year they came in August here at my first notice, anyway. This year even earlier in May. Once they find you, they do return... That has been the pattern here so far. Keep looking, they will come soon...;-)
I want to take time to remind everyone of the threads Becky started and left in Page 7 toward the end... I wanted to repost them for people who might just be joining us here:
For Nectar Plants:
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/745182/
Good Butterfly Books:
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/744904/
:-Deb
I am determined to get a little caught up from all my computer crashes.. (I am sooo way behind in posting).
I finally saw a Bordered Patch here!!! Hey, I know they are all over Fort Worth... Just never caught one stopping here before. We are spending a lot more time outside these days, what with the new deck and gazebo.. And DH just HAD to get a hot tub.... Which required building another deck.. Yes! I am officially out of room now. LOL. It's really taking shape finally, but still so much to do!
Here is the Bordered Patch on the Butterfly Daisies, (no surprise)!!
One more view... Oh man!! I always loved these little beauties...
Two decks, a hot tub and a gazebo!! Heck I'm coming to live with you, Deb, I'll bring my working computer! LOL Now that's what I call living the outdoor life especially with all those fluttering visitors you have there in Texas.
I'm sorry you're having problems with your computer. So glad your camera is working like a charm though. Beautiful picture there of the Bordered Patch. I'm going look that one up to see if they live here in Georgia. I've never seen one.
I don't think we get Border Patch butterflies here either! Very pretty butterflies! Seems we don't get that many butterflies in Florida unless they come through migrating. Texas on the other hand ...... gets tons of different species! :-)
Melanie.... You need a bumper sticker. I brake for butterflies. lol : )
Deb... Glad to hear you have a hummer. It might be mine. lol
Mine comes and goes, and I haven't seen him/her in a week now.
I really like your Bordered Patch pictures. : )
~Lucy
Oh, that Bordered Patch is so pretty! We don't have anything like that here. It reminds me of something I've seen from long ago -- maybe a certain chair fabric or dish pattern my grandmother had -- something is on the edge of my memory.
I can't believe that butterfly daisy is still blooming -- hasn't it blooming for like 2 or 3 months already?
Now I really *must* have seeds of it! I can trade lots and lots of stuff from up north. Like Zinnias and Cosmos. LOL! My Salvia is hideous compared to the gorgeous Black & Blue you can grow, so I won't even offer it. The Cleome is just now starting, but I am unclear if it is used by butterflies or not. Basically, they like the bricks on my house and my soil. They just fly over the flowers (not really, but some days it seems like that).
Suzy
Suzy, I raised cleomes from seeds and was so proud of them. They grew up big, and I planted them out.
Just as the blooms were opening, little butterflies, or moths,(couldn't tell) wouldn't stay off of them. When the eggs hatched they would bore down in the stem. They killed all of them, even a bigger one that I bought.
I was sick about it, but oh well, I'll look at everybody elses. : )
~Lucy
Oh, Lucy, and they are such a weed here! If you start with 1/2 cup of seed, you will have much better luck, although I probably shouldn't say that since I don't know anything about Z9. I do know they like the hot weather, it's the winter I'm unsure about. I pinch mine back a couple of times before bloom so I have a bush instead of a 6 or 7 footer.
If his year is like the past 8 years, I should have plenty of seed -- If you want to try it again, why don't you dmail me in Aug-Sep and I'll harvest some for you?
Suzy
Ok, thanks Suzy. I hope I don't forget. I wrote myself a note. lol : )
I so wanted them to grow, but those lil moths wouldn't leave them alone. I'll try again.
~Lucy
Lucy, it's getting so bad I'm trying to ID butterflies as I'm driving. Mostly on the back roads in my suburb where I drive slow, but yesterday on the interstate I had a few fly right in front of me.
I went outside today and got a picture of my Gulf Frit caterpillars. They're very small and I have a hard time holding still so the picture could be better. I felt kind of bad for them because it rained really hard today. Mom said we even had small hail! How ice can form when it's sooo hot outside is beyond me. One of these days I'll build a little butterfly house, but for now it's sink or swim in my garden. Besides, I'm leaving for vacation on Saturday so I wouldn't be here to care for them anyway.
Questions for the experts...the place where my caterpillars are is pretty protected. The wasps don't come near that area, but I do have a lot of ants that climb up and down the fence. Will they bother the cats? They're large ants that live in my oak tree. The bird feeder is at the extreme opposite corner of the yard so I don't fear birds too much, but are there any other predators I should be concerned with?
I'm always telling my husband...slow down, don't hit that butterfly. lol : ) Of course you can't avoid them all, but sometimes just reducing your speed gives them enough time to lift up and over you. : )
~Lucy
Oh boy! Just went through a real hard time with my computer. I was posting a reply to all your kind comments and everything, and it crashed. I lost about a months worth of pics. I had to do a complete back-up from scratch. Good news tho', it is working great! Last night DH finished all the final touches, and the monitor was so dark I was squinting in pain trying to read or see anything. This morning I got up determined to find the monitor control... I found it!!! Now I can use my computer AND see too!! What a nightmare it has been.. whew!
Meanwhile... Our little hummer is guarding the back yard now. She hides in the Privit in the corner and dashes out when any other hummers come into the garden chasing them away, LOL! I told her theres plenty to go around.. sheesh!
In case anyone was still wondering whether Crocosmia was really a good hummer plant or just another pretty flower...
Silver Spotted Skippers are ovipositing on both of the Amorpha fruiticosas (False Indigo) now. There are many leaves on them that are slightly cut , folded, and tucked around the growing babies. This plant is also larval host for Southern Dogface bf, but I haven't seen any of them ...yet.
Male Pipevine ST working over the Milkweed blooms..> (I have more eggs on one of the fimbriatas!!)
Giant ST likes it too..
Oh and Suzy,
You asked about the BF Daisies .. They have been blooming since March, and I am saving as many seeds as I can. They were 5" seedlings when I recieved them last October at a swap. I planted them in the beds, and when it turned cool I covered them with piles of leaves.When I uncovered them they had developed a super root system, and been blooming ever since.
Millie, I haven't ever seen ants do anything but attend caterpillars, unless it was dead. They seem to attend and collect frass and matter from around the cats. A cat died and fell off the parsley one time and a zillion ants came out of nowhere and devoured it. There are some tiny critters that look a lot like ants and they can fly. These are definatly preditors. I will let you guys know as soon as I can. exactly what they are.
:-Deb
Hi Deb!! I hope all your computer woes are behind you! It's good to see you back again! We missed you! Love all your beautiful butterfly visitors! And you KNOW I love the hummers! LOL! Your pink blooming milkweed is lovely. (Save me some seeds of it and also the butterfly daisies when you get some! I am looking forward to late summer/fall trading!!) I hope to have a nice variety of seeds by then, too!
Thanks Becky!
I think it is finally fixed. Glad to be back too! A couple days downtime, but still crippling because of how much I use the computer. Loosing the pics was the worst thing about it, and I will have new and better pics as I go on. I hope I have seeds of the MW in the pics, but there are quite a lot of aphids. The lady bugs haven't helped much so far, and I bought thousands. What do you do besides that (grrr!!) to get rid of the aphids?
:-Deb
I just found one lonely little monarch cat (2nd instar). I looked for more, and so far only the one. Several Pipevine ST eggs hatched and there are about 6 or more tiny cats on the A fimbriata.. The day is getting better and better. Still don't know what to do about all the aphids. What have been some of your experiences with these little buggers pray tell??
Deb
Deb - I take the hose and spray the aphids off the plants. That is the only thing besides Ladybugs that doesn't deal with pesticides.
I'd need the fire department hoses to spray the aphids off my milkweeds. Those buggers hang on the stem for dear life. Or else my water pressure isn't strong enough to knock'em off. I'm still without Monarchs around here.
LOL, Deborah! I literally blast them off the plants with a strong spray nozzle! I don't have as much of a problem with them as I do the MW bugs. And if I see even one ladybug on an infested plant .... within a day or two the aphids are all gone! Those ladybugs are efficient and hungry! Now if I could find some critter that would eat the mw bugs......
Soap water spray will kill the aphids, but it might not be good for the cats.
Sometimes just running your fingers along the plant stem and squashing them works, then you can rinse them off the plant and your hand. After you do a time or two, no problem.
I only found one Monarch cat today anyway, so I guess I could soap and water and scrape and rinse. I really rather see the cats devouring the MW rather than seeing these aphids take over. I also have ambush, assassians, and milkweed bugs... Eekk! Maybe I'll wear some latex gloves, and get the boys to help me... yeah, that's it.
Thanks y'all!
I made my DH squish the milkweed bugs today. I don't mine squishing the aphids, but those milkweed bugs look like they would sting or bite. lol : )
~Lucy
If I understand correctly, these plants are supposed to repell aphids: garlic, chives and other alliums, coriander, anise, nasturtium and petunia. Would it repell the buggers far enough away if these plants were planted among Milkweed plants?
Deborah
That is the theory, but I have never taken the time to check it out.
Hey Deb, that picture you posted above with the hummer in it. What is that flower? IT looks a lot like the one my neighbor gave me but it's orange.
dawn
Hi Dawn! It's a Crocosmia, "Emberglow".
:-Deb
Here is mine, i was told it was a type of lilly. I have no clue
close up of flower
BST
pdoyle, great pic, but it looks more like a Palamedes ST, what do you think?
You mean the butterfly? I have no clue. I thought it was a Black Swallow Tail. Or do they have the blue in there wings? I've GOT to get me a book.
Yes I think it is Palamedes;
http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species?l=1381
Josephine.
I was out putting stickers on my car and this Gulf Fritillary came to enjoy the plumbagos.
And here's a nice view of the underside. I love how different butterflies can be on their tops and bottoms.
