These were taken before and after the rains over the last few weeks. It's been wonderful to spot butterflies everywhere I look. I was happy to spot a yellow swallowtail and a Monarch visiting my Peter's purple monarda this morning, but they floated away before I could get a picture. Down at the coast during Memorial Day the plants were swarming with swallowtails, sulfurs and fritillaries, taking their opportunities to get nectar between rainstorms.
Gulf Fritillaries playing tag at the Natural Gardener
Black swallowtail in their butterfly garden
A Red Admiral
I think this is a Silver Spotted Skipper
At home the bugs have been peskier..
This milkweed leaf beetle laid eggs that decimated the plant despite my daily picking and squashing...
I think this katydid was pretty harmless
This Hentz jumping spider dropped onto me and acted ferocious despite being tiny. I brushed him into the grass..
I fed this common looper moth caterpillar on my basil to the chickens..
And this garden spider has happily taken residence in my gaura- I hope it catches some mosquitoes!
Thanks to Tina at http://mygardenersays.com for hosting!
Great photos all around! Happy to hear butterflies along the coast are making it through the rough times.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry to read about your milkweed beetle woes. I spotted two of them in my garden before discovering what they were at which point I went back out and hunted them both down and dispatched them to their Great Reward. To little avail - the grasshopper babies are appearing in Old Testament numbers and they are eating holes in everything, everywhere. So frustrating. Grrrr.
Here's to a kinder, gentler June!
Between the bugs and the sudden dryness my plants are looking a bit less lush than last week- oh Texas!
DeleteIt's been a busy year for bugs in the garden. Nice group of butterflies enjoying your garden. My milkweed is just getting to bloom with all the cool and rainy weather so I'd be very disappointed if that beetle showed up ahead of the butterflies!
ReplyDeleteIt's been a busy year for bugs in the garden. Nice group of butterflies enjoying your garden. My milkweed is just getting to bloom with all the cool and rainy weather so I'd be very disappointed if that beetle showed up ahead of the butterflies!
ReplyDeleteI hope your milkweed thrives! I have a few in a different spot and they've been spared so I hope they can foster more butterflies!
DeleteSuch a good variety of critters in your gardens. I was also at the coast, though the weekend following Memorial Day, and there were tons of butterflies and bees--glad the heavy rains there didn't have too bad an effect on them. I don't think I've had the milkweed beetle, but I'd better check...!
ReplyDeleteI would have thought the bees and butterflies would have stayed away but they seemed to love the moisture!
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