Garden Experiments
For the love of gardening and wildlife habitat
Insect life in your garden is plentiful - butterflies, bees, wasps, caterpillars, and more. Some of these insects are beneficial and some are harmful to your garden, but we have to learn to live with them all. Learn about some of the insects in your garden!
This is the frangipani hornworm moth also known as the giant gray sphinx moth (Pseudosphinx tetrio). It is the biggest caterpillar I have ever seen. We were walking along the streets of old San Juan in Puerto Rico when we came across a small park. I noticed the Plumeria were looking rather ragged, so I took a closer look only to find not …
Continue Reading about You Won’t Believe Your Eyes When You See This Giant Caterpillar
On our vacation to Puerto Rico this past February, we had the pleasure of hiking up to the cloud forest in the El Yunque National Forest. We came across this cute little guy about halfway through our climb. I love seeing new critters and looking them up when I get home. Especially when they are as cool as this one. While it isn't found in the …
This early spring sky is filled with butterflies! I am seeing so many eastern tiger swallowtail butterflies (Papilio glaucus) feeding on colorful spring flowers that it has really brightened my days. Eastern tiger swallowtails are quite large - with a wingspan of 3 to 5.5 inches and with their bright yellow wings with blue spots, they put on …
Continue Reading about Early Spring Flowers for Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Butterflies
The orange and black colors of monarch butterflies are well-known and we keep an eye out for them each year. It is common knowledge that these butterflies migrate from their nesting grounds in Mexico into the northern United States and back each year. Did you know other butterflies migrate as well? The most prominent display of migratory …
Continue Reading about Are Monarchs the only Butterflies That Migrate (in North America)?
With a flash of color and blur of movement, dragonflies zip through the air, often catching another insect in mid-flight. Their amazing flying abilities, those large eyes, and fragile wings have always fascinated me. These amazing insects are often brightly colored, though some are more colored to blend in with their surroundings. This …
Continue Reading about All About Dragonflies: Nature’s Beautiful but Deadly Insect Predators
With our purple passionflower vine planted on the trellis at the front of our house, we get to see many hungry caterpillars first fill their bellies and then find a comfy place to create their chrysalises. What Does a Gulf Fritillary Chrysalis Look Like? These chrysalises are strange-looking. They are twisty, kind of bumpy, and …
