Well .. long story short ... a few days ago I missed watering my big dill pot (yes the wrapped one with all my butterfly cats) .. Garden PA noticed it one evening as it had been tipped by the wind .. he put it right again .. watered .. but wasn't too sure about the cats .
Next day I went through a huge guilt trip .. unwrapped it .. cats were gone .. but I am sure they wiggled away to make their cocoons .. however this one stayed and we have a chrysalis !!
Sadly I read that Black Swallowtail butterflies have such a small life span .. 12 to 14 days .. there have been some recorded longer but how sad is that ?
Unwrapped again .. I hope to draw in more butterflies and go through the process again .. this time I swear I will be more vigilant about the watering !
Other garden scenes
I am having a terrible year with lily beetles .. it makes you think why bother with lilies.
However the Eyeliner lilies are trying so hard .. a few others are too ... so I also try to hang on ?
Shade garden
At first I wasn't sure about Banana Boat "grass" but it has been a few years and it does look beautiful in the shade next to the Dogwood
Speaking of grass .. this smaller striped one (name escapes me at the moment) looks great as a foil against one of the Sunsparkler sedums, maybe Dazzleberry ? in the Fall it is spectacular.
The pink and blue hot spot
The Giant Grass Miscanthus Gianganteus (easy to remember right ?) is looking good even with me constantly trimming it back so we don't get poked in the eyes when going in and out of the shed.
I under plant everything .. I love layers .. ferns, gooseneck loosestrife and there is actually a mini grass on the other side .. I have to relocate .. too much going on for it to shine amongst them.
The morning sun was too bright but you get the idea
This was one of my favorite photos of the day .. gives me a serene feeling some how.
We are so very dry here .. the sprinkler system SAVES my gardens and I am grateful for that !
15 comments:
Sorry about the butterflies. I have read that too. They only last a few days. It seems like they should live the whole Summer. Hope you get some more.
Everything looks so green and lush. So hot here hard to keep up.
Hope you are doing well.
I hope your swallowtails are okay. I’ve never raised one myself, I just let nature take its course. But monarchs, well, that’s a different story. I have four different instars of caterpillar in my kitchen at this very moment, plus two still in eggs.
WOW, your garden looks so lush Joy. I may need to start watering my garden too. Mine looks so sad. Your clematis are amazing. They obviously like their space in the garden. So many lovely plants. I so enjoy seeing each and every one.
Oh Joy, your garden is looking spectacular. I'm jealous of your success with 'Banana Boat' as I love it but it always just sort of sits there and then fizzles away in my garden. Yours is gorgeous!
It is sad that Black Swallotails have such brief lives. I have seen their caterpillars, but never a chrysalis. Also sorry about the lily beetles, knock on wood they have not yet made an appearance here. Your garden is looking good!
Hello Cindee girl ! .. It is HOT and DRY here now too .. we are in that terrible intense summer cycle now .. I dream of Autumn ! LOL .. Yes .. you would think they would at least get a whole summer to live and breed .. such a beautiful little creature.
Hi Robin .. I am thinking I should have brought all the cats in too .. next time this happens I think that is what I am going to do, just to safeguard them .. I have never had the opportunity to have Monarchs .. that would be wonderful as well !
Lisa girl hello there : ) Thank you so much ... but now we are in that "tatty" cycle .. plants are becoming heat exhausted .. I should supplement the sprinkler system watering but in this heat .. well it is dicey for me .. I am so looking forward to Fall already of course ..LOL
Thank you so much Peter .. funny how some plants seem to tell you what space they need to be happy .. I transplanted this one a couple of times .. didn't think it would go that well where it is .. and BOOM ! it thrived .. so I do understand what you mean .. it is a matter of luck to find just the right place for them at times.
Hello Jason, thank you ! .. yes .. when I read that it really struck me .. such a short life span for such a beautiful little miracle .. I am disgusted by the lily beetles .. they are one of the most gross destroying insects .. I hope to scoop up as much as possible to get rid of them but in this heat I haven't been able to be out there doing that .. ugh!
It's amazing that swallowtails even make it to adulthood! My sharp-eyed little grandson noticed one day that there were 4 caterpillars on a parsley plant. I ran to the local nursery to buy more parsley, since they had completely stripped that plant, and got a bonus two caterpillars on the plants I bought:) Unfortunately, after a few days I found only one caterpillar, and last night I noticed even he was gone. I'm afraid the birds have been picking them off for their dinner:( I did notice one new baby, though, and I have finally put some screen around him for protection from the birds. On a happier note, your garden looks gorgeous, Joy!
Beautiful pictures and wonderful Flowers. Have a Happy Day. Greetings.
Hi Rose girl !
YES !It is such a short life span EVEN IF they get to adulthood .. it makes me sad to think about it .. I think next time if I have a gathering of cats I will take them in the house to get them as close to "becoming" what they should be. I have a large parsley pot too but they seem to really go for the dill over the parsley .. Yes birds can't help themselves of course but we can employ little tricks to help the cats .. I bought more cheesecloth ! LOL
Good luck with any more that you have Rose : )
Thank you so much Sandra : ) Loved seeing the beach theme !
Hello Sarah .. Thank you .. your foodie site looks DELICIOUS !!
Simply the best gardener out there - your mix of textures and colours as superb! Hugs
Carrie you are such a sweet friend .. I appreciate your encouragement so much .. you are my inspiration to get myself out there and do my best when I can : ) thank you !
Yes, our books are so important. I can't imagine a world without them for sure! 'Handmaid's Tale' was terrifying. Especially considering everything going on in the U.S. right now. I remember one point where the main character (I forget her name at the moment) wondered what the tipping point was. Where was the place everyone could have turned it around? Makes me think everytime something else crazy happens (which is every. single. day!) I'll be exploring that website for sure. If you liked 'Practical Magic' you would like 'The Rules of Magic.' I like that author anyway tho so maybe I'm biased?!! Thanks again for sharing!!!
Your garden is looking lovely! The droughty conditions this year are crazy - good for minimizing disease on the tomatoes but not much else! It's wonderful to finally have some rain today. And I see you have been to Costco - the bee hotels were so inexpensive, I couldn't resist and bought two of them :)
What a beautiful garden you have! I love how you care for those caterpillars, they need all the help they can get. Oh....the dreaded lily beetle, they decimate plants here too I am considering stopping growing them. I find moving them around each year helps so I try to grow them in pots.xxx
Hi Margaret ! Thanks, and for stopping by .. yes the bee hotel was just too good a buy to pass up (now we have to actually get it UP!) haha .. this droughty weather is a PAIN for sure .. fingers crossed for RAIN !! Blossom looks so sweet in your post : )
Hello Snowbird, thank you ! and thank you for stopping by : ) Yes I think you are right about moving the lilies around ... this has been one of the worst years for them .. and I too wonder about continuing to grow lilies .. but I won't give up yet ! we are a stubborn lot , we gardeners ? LOL
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