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Cottage Gardens

Bees, Butterflies and some of the flowers they love

14 years ago

Here is a new batch of pictures to view.

Here is a link that might be useful: Bees Butterflies and some of the flowers they love

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Comments (8)

gldno1
14 years ago
Thanks for some wonderful pictures to go with my morning coffee!

I have very few butterflies this year; maybe they are waiting for the phlox to open.

I loved the pink larkspurs; never had those. I finally got a few purples/blues this year and pray they will reseed heavily.

Your garden is looking amazingly good in spite of all the heat and lack of rain.

glenda
FlowerLady6
14 years ago
I also enjoyed seeing your pictures with my coffee. A nice way to start the morning. Love your Betty Prior. It's always wonderful seeing what is growing in your gardens.

FlowerLady
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Some butterflies and a bee. . .
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Thanks, all. Jean, my Paper Butterfly occasionally pinches its petals but less so as it gets older. I got Bumblebee Beautiful two years ago as a clump from Jack Carpenter himself, and this is the first time it's bloomed for me. It's in morning shade here, and I think it wants more sun. It's sure a happy-looking little fellow, isn't it?
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Great List of plants Debra. Our hummers, butterflies & bees here love my Mexican Sunflower Plants(Tithonia Fiesta Del Sol). I found one that only grows 28-30 inches high) as my husband does not like the Tall Variety that is topping about 6-7 Feet now. I just cut in back about 2 feet on the top. You have to dehead them(so they will keep blooming and watch out for the seed pods as they can really stick your fingers. Leave seed pods along with Coneflower seed pods & chickadee's will devour them in the fall. But they are full sun. We already had this Sage bushes that a lot of people grow here(Denton, Texas). I wish it bloomed all the time(only blooms when it is about to rain). Next year planting Turk's Cap, Gabor Trumpet Vine(Campis radicans "Gabor'), Honeysuckle Vine you already have and planting a Chaste Tree. They seem to really enjoy my Phlox Phlopaniculata "Bright Eyes". We moved here from N.C. about 1 and half years ago. I am finding out that my Full sun plants are not really fun sun here in the Texas heat. Going to also try a Hardy Fuchsia just to see what it does here(it likes part shade to shade.) We are having a time with either mites or white flies taking the plants down in the drought and heat. Can't spray them as I will kill what I am trying to attract. Butterfly Bush (Buddleia davidii) did not make it first year here so we planted the "Low and Behold' Variety in a Large Planter. Had to put it on roller & keep moving it in & out of the sun. Going to try and over-winter it in Garage. Just found out today that I am not suppose to plant any plants in a plastic container as that keeps the roots hot so I am repotting it in a Ceramic Container- suppose to keep roots cool or I can try some type of Double-potting method. Our Hosta's did not do that well here like N.C. even after adding peat moss to the garden. We also ran out of areas to plant sun loving plants. In N.C. (S. coccinea) was a big hit along with Foxglove(likes shade) and Spider Flowers(Cleome hassleriana) but it too is sun loving plant .Your Cypress Vine should be a big hit. The hummers are really fueling up for their trip and they will get fat. I did not know that my Pineapple Sage plant would not bloom until October. It was blooming when I bought it & I pinched the top out so it would bush out but the mites attack it. They are looking good now but still no blooms yet. The young hummers are checking us out when we are outside which is always fun. Hummingbirds fly a certain route around houses etc. So be careful when changing parking spots in your driveway/road. I just found out that many kill themselves while running into parked vehicles and storms throw them down or into trees so big canopy of trees are great shelter & shade. We are having to put up window bird decals up. Woodpeckers and baby chickadees pecked our feeders apart this spring when they fledged. It bother me a little but it was kind of funny. I am having to change the feeders twice a day as the solution is getting cloudy when temps. hit 100 degrees or more and I boil it 2 minutes. Thanks again for your great list. Bonnie
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Comments (11)
Your garden is blooming beautifully and the butterflies are also pretty!....I've been out there a lot, too...Now I basically walk through and think "How does your garden grow?" I got a delayed start on getting the annuals out this year...Well I guess I can always pull weeds until it fills in...LOL
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Favorite bee/bird/butterfly and fruit plants?
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Comments (10)
Oh, rabbits, they have been "tuber pruning" my potatoes this year, wretched things. If it were November or December I'd be eating hasenpfefer and getting a return on my investment, but, chances are they will hole up and hide once they are safe to eat, much to my chagrin. One rule I have heard about for bees is they prefer blue/purple flowers, followed by yellow. I guess they can't really "see" the red spectrum very well or something like that. They also adore mint and basil flowers, and borage is a good one as well (although, except for the flowers, the plant itself is hideous and a huge reseeder. It's also an annual, not sure if your into that). If you want to attract a cool native pollinator, grow lots and lots of squash! Squash bees ONLY visit squash flowers and they are so neat! They will even sleep inside the flower once it closes in the late morning, lol. I have never had to hand pollinate a zucchini, though, I had to disappoint them this year because powder mildew was so awful last year I took a break from growing even cucumbers. Anyways,,, I looked up the Mt. Royal plum and I THINK we had one of those at our house as a kid. It survived for several years, though, I did not grow up in a gardening household and it slowly declined until it eventually quit giving fruit, and then it died. The stump where it grew is still there. We did get lots of fruit from it the first few years we lived here, much more than we could ever use fresh (and we would GORGE ourselves on them) and I think the one year dad tried his hand at canning them there was still bushel baskets left over on that tree. Squirrels were a major pest of them, but, I think that's true of ANY fruit tree. Another "pest" you will encounter growing fruit is bears if you happen to live near them. But, if you live in the major suburban area, probably not a problem lol. Once again, I get off on a tangent, geez louise! Back on topic.... To be honest, I think I personally prefer the American plum flavor, its more tart/acidic, which I enjoy. But, I think either kind will work good for you, especially if it was recommended to you by an actual nurseryman and not a lay person who only has slight, anecdotal knowledge of growing fruit trees haha.
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PRO
Nell Jean
14 years ago
Annie is hosting Coffee and Photos this morning! I had to go back for a refill.

Butterflies are slow to show up here, too. Yesterday when I was watching two Spicebush swallowtails and thinking butterflies seemed fewer in numbers and kinds this year, I turned around and there was the first Zebra swallowtail of the year.

Thanks, Annie. Neat how the grey hairstreak finds a plant with which to blend.

Nell
newyorkrita
14 years ago
Lovely and interesting shots. There have not been many butterflies here yet either this year but its early. I found that as soon as the butterfly bushes (I have six of them) start blooming the butterflies come. Also the zinnias are great for attracting them.

If you want to try some easy to grow from seed annuals that are both stunning flowers and sure fire butterfly and hummingbird magnets try Mexican Sunflowers. Those orange flowers are stunners. Butterflies flock to them in goodly numbers. Hummers love them.

As to bees, this year my lawn, or what small amount of lawn I have left, is filled with white clover blooming and filled with honeybees. The bumblebees are here as usual also. This has ben a great spring here.
dawiff
14 years ago
Great pictures! They do love those coneflowers, don't they? You have a wonderful variety of butterflies.
Annie
Original Author
14 years ago
I drag the hose all day, every day Glenda. My feet, legs and knees are killing me, but I am keeping it going and praying to the Great Spirit for much rain. I watch those thunderheads build every day and my heart flutters with hope and anticipation, and then they fly off to some other where and rain and by sunset the sky is clear again. Darn!

The bees and butterflies are wonderful. I saw one of those huge black and cobalt blue swallowtails yesterday, but he was just too elusive. They are so huge! Haven't seen any of the white Tigers yet. I keep my camera ready with fresh batteries.

OT - but...my tiny Carolina Spicebush I ordered on eBay kicked the bucket. I am so disappointed and upset. I was looking forward to having one of those bushes. This damned heat didn't help any either. It really makes me mad.

That Spicebush Swallowtail I saw the other day was huge. It was just beautiful. No sign of it today so far. - Wish I had a Spicebush for it. :)

Looking at my photos again, I decided to go to the "Simply Butterflies" website in my favorites and recheck some of them. I may have a few mislabeled. Oh my! For shame!

Glad you enjoyed.

My poor garden is suffering so. What the heat isn't burning, ruining the blooms, frying their edges and the buds, the insects are devouring. I keep putting Sevin Dust on everything, but it doesn't seem to phase the JBs. Insects like JBS and grasshoppers are always bad when there is a drought. IF I still had guineas, the Japanese beetles would be history. They loved those things and I didn't have much of a problem. No sir. The chickens ate certain kinds of bugs and insects and small snakes, and Guineas ate what the chickens wouldn't.

Anyway, I am working to keep what I have alive. Glad you don't think it looks awful, or are too kind to say if you do. I just couldn't take it - Waaaah! (JK)
Apparently the wildlife thinks it is heaven on earth right now. DINNER TIME!
Sheesh!

Time for coffee!
and go move the water...
Cheers!

~Annie
Annie
Original Author
14 years ago
Thanks Rita,

I planted the bright orange Tithonia (Mexican Sunflower) this year, but the seeds must not have been viable. Not a single one grew. Darn it!

The voles got my zinnias.
I would plant more if this drought and heat would pass. If not, there is no use wasting the time and money. The tiny seedlings would just burn up. It is GLARING hot out there from mid-morning til dusk and even at night, it is still 80 degrees. It feels cool compared to the daytime triple digit temps, but Jeez! That is not a cool nighttime temp by any measure.

It has been a hell of a year AGAIN for us in the lower Midwest and Southwest, let me tell you!
We haven't had a normal year here in Oklahoma in more than ten years. Hotter, drier, grassfires, forest fires, droughts, no significant snowfall in winter and abnormally warm winters; lakes & rivers dried up and all the cattle ponds. No wheat or corn. No hay for livestock. This year is the same thing again. Severe heat and severe drought and no end in sight.

Oklahoma used to be called Green Country.
It is now drab green like army fatigue green.
Oh, no. There is no such thing as Global Warming.
Bah!

Time to go move the water...again.

~Annie
PRO
Nell Jean
14 years ago
Annie, when I googled to make sure that what I call Sweet Shrub is what you call Carolina Spicebush, I found a thread in another forum in which someone told a member in California the following:

"Geech, you should plant the Western Spicebush (Calycanthus occidentalis) as opposed to the Carolina Spicebush (Calyanthus Floridus). The Western Spicebush is native to the foothills of the Sierra Nevada so it is exposed to heat in the summer and winter freezes up in the mountains. Also, it is native to an arid environment so it will tolerate Socal conditions better than the Carolina Spicebush which is native to a humid environment. "

Which Spicebush is better for your conditions?

Nell

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