Monday, August 1, 2011

"Flying" and Still Flowers and a Surprise

I had some training at work today, and will tomorrow, then will have 8 more days until I'm back full time.  I hope we have some cooler days to get lots of gardening done.  Today, we tied for a record high for the whole summer.  I think it was 104 or something like that.  I decided to show some photos I have taken the last few days so I could join in on Jean's Bloomin' Tuesday.

I was tickled when I saw this butterfly, which is different from what I normally see.  It flew around, landing on a few different blooms, but spent the most time on the hibiscus blooms.  I don't know if it was drinking from the side of the blooms or what.  I haven't had a chance to look it up to see if I can figure out what it is.  Do you know what it is?


Here it is on some coneflowers.


I'm not sure what kind of swallowtail this is, but I like its pose on the butterfly bush.


I've seen several Eastern Tiger Swallowtails on the butterfly bush at one time, but didn't get out to photograph them.  I'm actually seeing more butterflies the few times I'm out, and enjoying them without going back in for my camera.  I love the way they fly over to check me out, then flit from bloom to bloom.  Sometimes, they fly in pairs, too.


I am seeing more than one monarch every time I go out during the day. 


This photo was actually taken a few days before the previous ones.  I frequently walk out early in the morning, when I first get up and am not fully awake.  I did go back in the house for my camera when I saw this bee sleeping on a Joe Pye weed bloom.  I've seen bees sleeping on flowers before, but they were on top of them, and not hanging from them.  Recently, someone said that when bees sleep on flowers, it's because they are kicked out of the hive.  Larry didn't think bumble bees live in hives, but I'm not sure.


I went out after supper to see if I had anything blooming that I hadn't shown yet, and found this perennial statice that I bought from the farmer's market without a label.  It's different from any I've grown.


I've been spraying a couple different rabbit repellants, but there are new hungry bunnies, and I have been chasing them out of the yard, using a bar of rebar to poke into the areas of the flower beds they try to hide in.  Since I had my camera in my hand, I took this one's photo before chasing it.


I chased it to this end of the flower bed, and look what I found in my yard! Our next door neighbor had told me a few weeks ago, that she nominated our yard for our neighborhood association's yard of the month.  I told her she should have waited until next year, when the plants in the new area will be bigger.  Since I hadn't heard anything, I assumed they didn't like my milkweed or busyness of all the different plants, and had chosen a more landscaped yard, like they have in the past.  They put the sign where a sidewalk would go, but I guess that's OK.


When I first went out, there were a couple boys on bikes, and I heard one that looked to be around 10 or 11 say to another that "That lady must work hard to get her yard to look like that."  I had looked up and told him thank you, but hadn't seen the sign yet.  He smiled and told me I was welcome.  That was so sweet.  I think he was impressed that the sign was there.




23 comments:

  1. Rigtig gode billeder.
    Tak for kigget.

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  2. You must be quick with that camera! I have had such a hard time capturing our butterflies! They all look wonderful. Congrats on your Yard of the Month award!

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  3. Congratulations! What a well deserved honor. You do work hard on your yard!

    I think your butterfly may be a Meadow Fritillary .

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  4. Congrats on teh award! I'm sure seeing more bflies now, and plenty of tiger swallwtails this year. I see monarchs almost every minute, too, finally! Sometimes two at a time.

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  5. Hi Sue, Congratulations! A well-deserved honor! I really love your front yard. It is just stunning. That header photo shows it off beautifully. I think your mystery butterfly is a painted lady, but not sure. At any rate it's nice to see the butterflies in the garden. Mine especially love the verbena bonariensis.
    Blessings, Beth

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  6. Congratulations,Sue! So awesome to be rewarded for all your hard work. It must be a wonderful moment to hear little boys acknowledging your work.
    I am always amazed to see how many butterflies you spot in your garden! They appreciate all your hard work, as well...! I do hope you cool down, soon. The heat is hard on a body!

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  7. Congratulations Sue!! The recognition of your flower gardens is well deserved!

    How sweet - the bee sleeping on your plants. I've been seeing a lot of butterflies lately also, in spite of the fact we removed 7 Tomato Horn Worms in one day from my Moon Flowers. They were eating the plants faster than we could find them.

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  8. Hi Sue, your garden is looking lovely inspite of those record high temps! Today we finally have a below 90's/100 day and it is so nice to be out. Keep gardening - it looks amazing

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  9. Congratulations! It's great that they pick a yard not done by a landscaper. Love all the butterfly shots! Jean

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  10. Congratulations on the award, you deserve it for all the hard work & love you put into your garden! Love all the butterfly photos, I've seen alot this summer too. It's too hot to got out there though, lol. :)

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  11. Sue-you certainly deserve that award! It's funny though, that some people don't like things like Milkweed or a large variety. I have a large patch of milkweed in my vegetable garden---and that's what gets most of the comments (and NOT good ones!) I try to do as much as possible for the pollinators. I love the stuff.
    You have taken some wonderful butterfly photos, but I agree-sometimes it's nice just to watch them flutter from flower to flower. Have a great week, Sue!

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  12. You really deserved this honor. The kids even new it was a winner.

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  13. Congrat's Sue...I am so happy for you. The 'natural' setting, especially when accompanied by loving, caring hands, is especially beautiful. Sometimes landscaping can look artificial, so having this award says a LOT for your hard work and talents at creating a gorgeous setting. I haven't been seeing as many butterflies as last year, but today when I went out, there were 4 flitting about. Most days I see none, although there have been maybe 4 days when I've seen 1 butterfly each day. This, in contrast to so many more last summer! I'm hoping that soon, the monarchs will show up and find my milkweed!!! I think the butterfly that you are looking for an ID on is a type of Fritillarie. I bet Randy (of Randy & Meg's Garden Paradise) will be able to give you a more specific ID;-)

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  14. Great honor! Congratulations, Sue! Love your pictures as always.

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  15. Hi, whoever subscribed to follow up comments! Thanks to all. I looked up meadow fritilary, as Zoey, and then, Jan suggested, and I think they are right. Thanks! They lay their eggs on violets for their caterpillars to eat. We have plenty of violets around, and some of the blooms the adults like to get nectar from, like ironweed and milkweeds.

    I hope we all continue to see more and more butterflies. I'm seeing skippers, monarchs, swallowtails, lots of cabbage whites, and have seen a few painted ladies, sulphurs, and saw a blue of some kind yesterday.

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  16. So many pretty flying flowers in your garden! The butterflies are slow to return to ours this year, not sure why.

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  17. Congratulations for a well deserved honor. It never fails. I just finished a post on butterflies and I come to visit your blog and you've got a post on butterflies. Great minds, and all that!

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  18. Many Congratulations on your achievement. You deserve that and your work depicts it all..

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  19. I am not seeing the butterflies this year that I have in past years, beautiful photos!
    You asked about my retiring on my blog, the company that I had worked for the past 25 years closed, I am 62, not too many jobs out there for 62 year old bookkeepers. I would have worked another couple of years for insurance purposes but I am enjoying being home!

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  20. WOOHOO Congratulations! That is awesome.

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  21. I believe it is a Western Aphrodite Fritillary. Looked it up on Kaufman File Guide. Con-crates on the Award, recognition is good for the soul..My garden is loaded with black swallowtail caterpillars, they're eating me out of house and home.

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  22. Congratulations Sue! A very well-deserved honor! I'm jealous of your Monarch... I have milkweed, but haven't seen any Monarchs :-(

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  23. Dear Sue, Your photography gets better and better -- great flying flower shots! Congrats on the recognition. You deserve it. My garden is a hodge-podge, too, and that's how I like it. Thank you so much for linking to my latest post. P. x

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