weeping cherry

Last one. Well there were more.

Iris, getting back to our plant conversation, do yrou know if your frogfruit plant is Phyla nodiflora? It's the one they usually sell at garden centers in the south. I read that the tropical Buckeye uses it as a hostplant, not sure if the northern species would, but it's a pretty plant, and I want to try growing it. I want to grow it's close relative too. That one is Phyla dulcis, Aztec Sweet Herb. It's like Stevia and can be used as a natural sweetener. They both look like good nectar plants for butterflies too.

You sure sound busy with your Monarchs! Here is the description of the Frog Fruit from the place I ordered it from.

Sounds, like you're busy as can be, Jay, with all those monarchs! Good luck!

Iris, you have some great cats, the giant swallowtail, the red-spotted purple, and the tiger swallowtail! Congrats, congrats!

I don't have a great variety here, just the gulf frits I've posted a lot of pictures of (I'm finding more hatchlings on the vines) and the little yellows that I also posted about, but here's a picture of a LY cat, which has since made its chrysalis -

I have some pipevine swallowtails. I dug up two pipevine sprouts at my old house, potted them up, and brought them here, where I put them in a shady place. One is looking real good, the other has gotten some brown spots on the few leaves. I'll probably order more A. tomentosa to plant next year. Here's a picture of a PVS chrysalidvand a PVS pupating, and another of a few PVS cats -

Sherry

That's the same plant I mentioned Iris. That one cat was a Viceroy/ Red Spotted Purple on the cherry wasn't it? I need to bring over some pipevine to the new place. I have a bunch of wild ginger, but never saw cats on those. I think there would be more PVS's, SBS's, GS's and Zebras around here, but their host plants don't grow around here, and nobody grows them. I'm hoping to grow Virginia snakeroot, Spicebush, and maybe sassafras next year, and a couple new Carex sedges for the Skippers and Browns. I just saw yet another female laying. It's all your fault javi! LOL.

MissSherry, the Pipevine caterpillars are really cool looking. I have plenty of pipevine. I am not even sure I have even seen an adult yet this year. I am still mixing them up, especially if they are going by so fast. There are some of these little “pockets” on one of my Sassafras trees. Here is hoping. Maybe it is just more of a moth year for me. I had a grape leaf skeletonizer (what a name!) on my porch today. Had to look that up.

If you've got pockets on your sassafras, a spicebush swallowtail caterpillar is or was in there, or maybe some other critter that took their pocket over.

The grape leaf skeletonizers are very attactive!

Sherry

I get the wild grapes and virginia creepers from the birds. I've decided to leave some around for the Sphinx moths. I remember seeing a cat on a wild grape once. I planted clearweed, Pilea pumila for the Red Admirals, but they never grew because of the drought. They are attractive members of the nettle family, and very soft and succulant, unlike stinging nettles. There is another nettle family member, the gunpowder plant, Pilea microphylla. I can't find any mention of that one being a host plant. I've seen a lot of the big moths, but I've never seen a Promethea. Maybe that will change after I start growing the Spicebush and Sassafras.

Jay, do you have Monarda Punctata? I know you mentioned some kinds. I planted one this Spring, it’s just starting to flower. Very interesting looking.

MissSherry, I was just looking at some pictures I took today. This is Pipevine Swallowtail, isn’t it? I know there was something with the one row of orange spots.

Nice pictures! I tried growing M. punctata from seeds some years back. They never germinated, and I nevet got around to trying them again. I do like it. It handles heat and drought better than the other Monardas. It's also a host plant to 3 kinds of moths.

It was mentioned in a book I have been reading (pollinators of native plants). I am pretty terrible with seeds, so I ordered a plant. Still have seeds for boneset in the fridge for winter sowing.

I have a lot of seeds in the fridge, and a big list of seeds I want to order, in a couple months, when fresh ones are available. There are a few very rare milkweeds I want to grow, that I can't get seeds for right now. I'm going to winter sow for the first time this year. I have a powerful lighting system, so I'm going to start all the tropical milkweeds and other tropicals like porterweed and frogfruit under those. If I do succeed in growing the tropical giant milkweed, Calotropis gigantea, I'll be able to put all the Monarch cats on one giant plant, and not have to worry about them having something to eat. Of course things don't always go according to plan. I was hoping my swan milkweed would grow nice, and bloom. It still might, but right now it's still a chewed up stick. Things like Zinnias,Tithonias,Petunia exserta,Salvias, and Gomphrenas I'm starting in gallon jugs, but I won't put those outside until Feb. or March. I want to try winter sowing the Monarda punctata and citriodora. I need to go check out the one lemony Monarda at the old place. It was growing near some Monarda fistulosa volunteers, so I need to see what's really what. I've managed to keep a Monarda didyma alive for 3 years. I like those deep red flowers a lot. I want a lot more of it.

Yes, Iris, that's a male pipevine swallowtail. Maybe he'll bring a female along next time, and she'll lay some eggs on your vines!

Sherry