Butterfly Garden – Page 2 – Wandering Dawgs

Meanwhile, Back Home in Georgia

July 11, 2019Posted in Birds, Flowers, GeorgiaTagged boating, Butterfly Garden, Coastal Georgia, Great Egret, salt marsh, summer, summer blooms, zinnias16 Comments

It seems like we’ve been going non stop since we returned from our trip to Ireland and Scotland on May 23. Once I got caught up on laundry and got over the jet lag, I’ve been able to enjoy the summer.

With very little rain while we were on our trip, my garden was suffering when we got home. After a few days of digging in the dirt and a little watering, it is now thriving.

Zinnia

Daylily

Fiddler Crab on milkweed

Zinnias in the butterfly garden

Zinnia

Some days are perfect for a boat ride.

20190707-Sandbar-with-Bela-(32) — Driftwood on a Georgia sandbar

The hummingbirds come by each day and a painted bunting bunting pair and other small birds come by the feeder regularly. Wading birds are frequent visitors in the neighborhood.

20190704-Egret-Catalina-(21)-wide — Great Egret

Have a great summer!

Winter in the Butterfly Garden

January 14, 2019Posted in Butterflies, Georgia, NatureTagged Butterfly Garden, hibiscus, Mexican Sunflower, milkweed, monarch caterpillar, monarch chrysalis, winter garden15 Comments

Although most of the plants in my butterfly garden are finished blooming for the winter, some of flowering plants continued to bloom in late December and early January.

Mexican Sunflower in December

Hibiscus in December

Sunflower under bird feeder in January

The milkweed is blooming and attracting Monarch butterflies. Because Hurricane Irma destroyed my butterfly garden in 2017 there were no butterflies or caterpillars last winter. I replanted the garden in the spring of 2018 and in December, 2018 I was thrilled to find monarchs and caterpillars on the milkweed once again.

20190101-Welcome-New-Year-(10) — Monarch on milkweed in January

20181224-Caterpillars-(4) — Monarch Caterpillar

Two days later, this caterpillar had changed into a chrysalis.

20181226-Chrysalis-(12) — Monarch Chrysalis December 24, 2018

I checked on the chrysalis every day. A week later, on New Year’s Eve, it was starting to change.

20181231-Garden-(1) — Week old monarch chrysalis after rain December 31, 2018

I continued checking on it daily and I could see subtle changes each day. Just when I knew it wouldn’t be long before a butterfly emerged, I found it lying on the ground the morning of January 5. We did some research on the internet to find out if there was anything we could do to save it. We tied it to a branch with piece of thread and let it hang in a jar. It’s been over a week since then and still there is no change.

20190105-chrysallis-(6) — We rescued the Chrysalis after it fell on the ground on January 5, 2019

I wish there had been a happier ending to this post. I’m sad to say that our butterfly didn’t make it.

Late Summer in the Garden

August 8, 2018August 9, 2018Posted in Butterflies, Flowers, Nature, PhotographyTagged Butterfly Garden, garden, Gulf Fritillary, Photo Challenge, Swallowtail, Wandering Wednesday16 Comments

Most of the flower beds around our house are planted with drought tolerant plants that can survive the summer heat here in coastal Georgia. On the summers we take off on an RV trip I don’t have to worry too much about these established plants back home.

When we are home for the summer, I like to plant a butterfly garden. This year I added new milkweed, a butterfly bush, zinnias, black eyed susans, purple coneflower, and Mexican Sunflower to attract the hummingbirds and butterflies. With all these blooms I enjoy having cut flowers from the garden.

20180714Tomatoes-(8) — Cut Flowers from the garden

In addition to my flowers I had a small crop of basil, jalapeño peppers and cherry tomatoes. The peppers are still producing but the tomatoes and basil are gone.

20180714Tomatoes-(4) — Bounty from my little garden

Earlier in the summer we weren’t getting very many butterflies but lately the Gulf Fritillarys and Swallowtails have been visiting the garden regularly.

20180727Fritillary-(1) — Gulf Fritillary on Mexican Sunflower

Inspired by Ingrid’s Wandering Wednesday photo prompt – garden

June in the Butterfly Garden

June 27, 2018Posted in Birds, Butterflies, Flowers, Georgia, Nature, PhotographyTagged backyard, Butterfly Garden, garden, Georgia birding, Wandering Wednesday18 Comments

My butterfly garden is full of colorful blooms and the butterflies are starting to take notice.

20180620Butterfly-(11) — Butterfly on Mexican Sunflower

20180605Garden-(3) — Monarch on Milkweed

20180620Butterfly-(16) — Mexican Sunflower

The birds continue to come by daily.

20180604Bunting-in-rocks-(9) — Male Painted Bunting

20180603Garden-(17)-Tufted-Titmouse — Tufted Titmouse

20180613Garden-(3) — Ruby Throated Hummingbird

20180612Cardinal-(7) — The cardinals search for dropped seeds on the ground beneath the bird feeder

Happy Summer!

Linked to Ingrid’s Wandering Wednesday – Flowers

This week in my Butterfly Garden

May 19, 2018Posted in Birds, Butterflies, Flowers, NatureTagged Butterfly Garden, garden, Monarch Butterfly, Painted Bunting, Spring, zinnias23 Comments

I’ve been digging in the dirt a lot lately trying to get my butterfly garden in shape after flooding from Hurricane Irma killed most of the plants last fall.

A few of the new plants are starting to bloom. The zinnias I planted from seed this winter are bursting with color.