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You are here: Home / Archives for butterflies

June 8, 2021

Indian Pink – A Beautiful Wildflower for Shade Gardens

One of the prettiest wildflowers you can find in the woods is Indian Pink, Spigelia marilandica. This native plant has bright red tubular flowers with a yellow interior that ends in a 5-pointed star. The rich, red color really stands out making it a great flower for the shady areas of your garden. Where Does Indian Pink Grow? Indian pink is also known as woodland pinkroot or worm grass. This perennial flowering plant can be found in 16 … [Read more...]

/ Flowers & Plants / butterflies, deer resistant, hummingbirds, native plant, spring flowers, wildflowers

June 23, 2020

Celebrating Pollinators – Bees, Butterflies, Birds and More

Bumblebee feeding on nectar from a purple salvia

National Pollinator Week occurs in mid- to late-June each year. The goal of this Week is to celebrate the beneficial insects, birds, and mammals that pollinate the flowers of plants that produce much of our food, maintain our ecosystems, stabilize soils, and provide wildlife habitat. It also serves to educate people about what they can do to help pollinators. Why are pollinators important? According to the Pollinator Partnership, … [Read more...]

/ Wildlife / bees, birds, butterflies, insects, pollinators

May 21, 2019

My Favorite Plant-It-And-Forget-It Flower: Black-eyed Susan

Black-eyed Susan

If you're looking for a plant-it-and-forget-it type of plant that still produces lots of flowers AND attracts pollinators, then look no further than the black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta). This easy-to-grow wildflower is found throughout North America where you can find it alongside roads, in grassy openings and prairies, and even along the edge of forests. They bloom in mid to late summer through fall and vary in height from one foot to … [Read more...]

/ Flowers & Plants / backyard habitat, butterflies, flowers, native plants, plant identification, wildflowers

April 5, 2018

Early Spring Flowers for Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Butterflies

Eastern tiger swallowtail on creeping phlox

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 quite a show. If you want to bring them to your garden, there are some early spring flowering plants … [Read more...]

/ Butterflies, Shrubs / butterflies, ground cover, native plants, shrubs, spring, spring flowers, vines

November 12, 2017

Coral Honeysuckle – Native Vine for Hummingbirds

Coral honeysuckle

Have you ever plucked a honeysuckle flower, turned it around and gently sucked the nectar from the tube-shaped back of the flower? If you grew up in the southeastern U.S., I bet you did. That taste of super-sweet honey nectar always makes me think of summer nights spent chasing fireflies and summer days spent running wild and free. Imagine my surprise when taking a class on native plants and shrubs in college that I learned that the yellow … [Read more...]

/ Flowers & Plants / bees, birds, butterflies, deer resistant, flowers, full sun, hummingbirds, moist soil, native plants, spring, spring flowers, vines

November 8, 2017

Cypress Vine: Delicate, But Aggressive

Cypress Vine

Tiny, star-shaped, brilliantly red flowers cover my cypress vine (Ipomoea quamoclit) in spring. Although the flowers are tiny, they really stand out against the light green of the leaves and vine. My favorite part about the cypress vine is its dainty, feather-like leaves. The leaves look so fragile and fairy-like that, even when it isn’t blooming, this vine puts on a little show. The vine is pretty strong and it can be aggressive, in spite … [Read more...]

/ Flowers & Plants / butterflies, flowers, full sun, hummingbirds, vines

October 21, 2017

Are Monarchs the only Butterflies That Migrate (in North America)?

Recently emerged Gulf Fritillary butterfly

The orange and black colors of a monarch butterfly are so 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. But did you know there are other butterflies the migrate? The most prominent display of migratory butterflies in my garden each year are the Gulf fritillary (Agraulis vanilla) and the … [Read more...]

/ Butterflies / butterflies

September 26, 2017

Obedient Plant – Physostegia virginiana

Obedient Plant - Physostegia virginiana

Deer-resistant AND it can grow in clay soil - what's not to love about obedient plants? Native plants are favorites of mine because they are particularly suited for the local conditions (soil, heat, drought or rain, clay soil) of my area. When I find those native plants with particularly pretty flowers, I add them to my hodgepodge of a garden. This particular plant was a bonus because it is native to Mississippi, it has lots of lovely pale … [Read more...]

/ Flowers & Plants / bees, butterflies, deer resistant, full sun, hummingbirds, moist soil, native plants, part shade

September 12, 2017

A Weekend Surprise: Butterfly Hatching

Recently emerged Gulf Fritillary butterfly

The Friday night air had hints of fall weather to come and Saturday morning, I opened the windows to my house, letting the fresh breeze in. I love being able to open my windows and let the fresh air blow through the house. This weekend was full of cool breezes and sunny weather. It was a perfect glimpse of the fall weather to come and a great time to get outdoors. We Mississippians give up being outdoors for much of August. We just can't stand … [Read more...]

/ Butterflies / backyard habitat, butterflies, native plants

August 30, 2017

How to Attract and Feed Eastern Black Swallowtail Butterflies

Female black swallowtail butterfly feeding on zinnia

One of the greatest joys I get out of my garden is watching the insects and wildlife that is attracted to the flowers and plants. I know that some of my plants will be consumed by these critters, but I’m willing to share. This week, I stumbled across this little black swallowtail caterpillar (Papilio polyxenes) munching in my carrot patch. These little guys have such a bright green color and the yellow and black spots on them seem to hint at … [Read more...]

/ Butterflies / backyard habitat, butterflies

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About Me

Welcome! My name is Kathy and I live in Georgia Zone 7B. Gardening has always relaxed and rooted me (literally!). It's my happy place. With more than 25 years of gardening, I am far from an expert, but I learn from all my experiments. This blog talks about the plants, backyard critters, and more that have made my garden special. Read More

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