Our December weather has been unusual this year. It took a long time before our first freeze and then we've had a couple of days here and there that were in the 70's. But, as always, after warm winter weather, a bad storm follows. Because of the bouts of warmer temperatures, I've had some fun visitors to my garden that we wouldn't normally see in late fall and early winter. This guy greeted me at my door last night. I left the light above … [Read more...]
Making a Home for Gulf Fritillary Butterflies in My Garden
These orange, black, and silver-spotted beauties have been in my garden a lot this summer. I've seen Gulf fritillary butterflies (Agraulis vanillae) feeding at the black and blue salvia, the pineapple sage, and some of the other flowers in my garden. Caterpillar Host Plants The hatching of their eggs was announced by the complete de-leafing of my two purple passionflower vines. Now I love the unique flowers purple passionflower vine, but … [Read more...]
The Dangers of Halloween Spider Web Decorations
I love Halloween! Half the fun is decorating outdoors and the other half is scaring the trick-or-treaters. One of my favorite outside decorations is a scary face on the door that is motion-activated. Once or twice it has caused a trick-or-treater to turn around and run. Too funny! My outside decorations include happy ghost lights, orange string lights, floating ghosts, a scary skeleton, and caution tape. Indoors there are some bloody hands … [Read more...]
Red Buckeye Flowers For Butterflies, Bees, and Hummingbirds
Red buckeye (Aesculus pavia) The bright red flowers of this native shrub are a favorite of hummingbirds and butterflies in early spring. In the southeast, it blooms in late March and early April and you can hear the hummingbirds buzzing around the blooms. The red buckeye always catches my eye when it is blooming. These tall shrubs are usually covered in red blooms. This weekend there was a good hatching of eastern black swallowtails in my … [Read more...]
Bear’s Foot or Hairy Leafcup
Native to the eastern United States, up to Michigan, and across to Texas and Kansas, this perennial plant can be found in forest gaps, along the edges of fields and forests, in thickets, bottomlands, and grasslands. It can grow in full sun or part shade and in a wide range of soil moisture conditions. Plant Description Bear’s foot (Smallanthus uvedalius (L.) Mack. Ex Small (synonym: Polymnia uvedalia)) can grow to be eight to ten feet tall. It … [Read more...]
Purple Passionflower: Passiflora incarnata
Purple passionflower, also known as maypop, is a relatively quick-growing, perennial, herbaceous vine in the Passifloraceae family. You can find this vine growing throughout the Southeast from Texas to Kansas up to Pennsylvania and down to Florida. In Mississippi, I’ve often seen it in pastures or open fields. It’s a great addition to an arbor or trellis and provides necessary food for the larvae of several butterfly species. The flower is … [Read more...]
Plant American Holly for Winter Color and Wildlife Food
If you want to add some color to your winter garden and provide food and shelter for songbirds and other wildlife at the same time, American Holly (Ilex opaca) is a good choice. The berries form in October and persist throughout the winter when many other food sources are gone. Its leaves are evergreen and form a dense canopy. The bright red berries are a nice colorful addition to the winter landscape and they make wonderful holiday … [Read more...]