Mexican Sunflower – Wandering Dawgs

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #169 – The Ordinary

October 16, 2021Posted in Butterflies, PhotographyTagged autumn, Blood or burnt orange, Lens-Artists, Mexican Sunflower, Photo Challenge, Sunday Stills, The Ordinary24 Comments

Our challenge from guest host I.J. Khanewala of Don’t Hold your Breath is to show ordinary objects. I chose a few images from my back yard that show ordinary sights around my October garden.

In the image above, the pink plumes of the Muhly Grass is an ordinary sign of fall where I live.

Every October, when most of the flowers in my butterfly garden are gone, the bright orange Mexican Sunflowers are still attracting butterflies. Gulf Fritillaries, Skippers, and Monarch butterflies are ordinary visitors feasting on the last of the nectar.

Many thanks to our guest host I.J. Khanewala for challenging us with Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #169: The Ordinary

Thanks also to Terri’s Sunday Stills Challenge: Burnt or Blood Orange

Lens-Artists #113: Labor of Love

September 10, 2020Posted in Butterflies, Flowers, Nature, PhotographyTagged Butterfly Garden, Gulf Fritillary, Labor of Love, Lens-Artists, Mexican Sunflower, Monarch Butterfly, Photo Challenge, Skipper Butterfly, weekly smile, zinnias17 Comments

This week’s photo challenge comes from guest host Rusha Sams of Oh, The Places we See… We are asked to show images that represent a Labor of Love.

Planting my butterfly garden and maintaining it is a labor of love for me. By planting seeds and plants that attract pollinators such as butterflies and bees I am providing a place for them to feast on the nectar. At the same time I have a space in my backyard to relax and enjoy nature.

Here’s a few of the late summer critters that visited the garden recently. You can click on a picture to enlarge it.

Monarchs, Gulf Fritillaries, and Skipper butterflies have been all over the zinnias and Mexican Sunflower drinking up the nectar. Wasps, bees, and even a tiny grasshopper enjoyed the flowers, too.

It’s been a long, hot, dry summer and hopefully the flowers will continue to attract the butterflies and other critters for a little while longer.

I smile whenever I see these beautiful visitors to the garden. What made you smile this week?

Thanks to guest host Rusha Sams for this week’s Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #113 – A Labor of Love.

Also shared with Trent’s Weekly Smile.

Lens-Artists #110: Creativity in the time of Covid-19

August 21, 2020Posted in Birds, Flowers, PhotographyTagged creativity in the time of COVID-19, Lens-Artists, Mexican Sunflower, Photo Challenge, ruby throated hummingbird40 Comments

This week, Tina has asked us to show creativity in the time of Covid-19.

I’ve tried my best to stay creative with my photography during this time. I’ve been experimenting with different photo techniques and some different editing effects.

One day in early spring I went out after a rain shower to take some photos. I wasn’t happy with them until I started playing around with different editing effects. This Mexican Sunflower photo was boring until I added a water color effect.

I am usually on the ground looking up when I take pictures of hummingbirds. One day I sat on our deck looking down at the flowers and captured this Ruby Throated Hummingbird going from flower to flower. By shooting from above I was able to get the shots I wanted.

I’d like to thank the amazing Lens-Artists team of Tina, Amy, Anne-Christine, and Patti for giving me inspiration and keeping me motivated during this time.

Tina, thank you for this weeks Lens-Artists Photo Challenge – Creativity in the Time of Covid-19

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.