Native Gardening

[JBtheExplorer]

Another ambush bug and swallowtail today... and a close-up of a gray-headed coneflower.

 

[CountryEscape]

I’m enjoying butterflies on my flowers in Ohio, too! My native corner just got seedlings planted this spring, from seeds/plants collected along the roads in IL before we moved.
More captions on individual photos.

This is the top side of a Black Morph Tiger Swallowtail on one of 3 Proven Winner Pugster series butterfly bushes. Since this is a hybrid, only has 2% chance of seeds germinating, which is important to me since the old fashioned butterfly bushes are so aggressive with reseeding

This is a side view of the black morph tiger. See the black stripes?

Two Tiger Swallowtails … Black Morph above, typical Tiger below.

Skipper on hibiscus flower

This plant was called a yellow coneflower, but the scientific name indicated a rudebekia (black eyed Susan), so …

Cardinal lobelia in my pond bog

Nodding onion. My first year with this native. Hoping it increases next year so I can distribute it among the coneflowers and black eyed Susan’s for some white flowers.

And only second time ever seeing a Zebra Swallowtail, both times on the Pugster butterfly bushes. First sighting was last year, and this one this year, about a week ago.

Zebra Swallowtail. The “tails” are at least 2” long! And yes it’s green with black stripes, and a red stripe.

Was super excited these red monarda seeds germinated. I grabbed them along a mountain road in the Smokie Mountains last fall, and then winter sowed them! They are laying on the ground, got too tall, so hoping they are stronger next year, or I’ll move them to be among other stronger tall plants to help hold them up.

 

[j.w]

Love seeing all your beautiful photos @CountryEscape and come around more often, I miss seeing you!

 

[CountryEscape]

Love seeing all your beautiful photos @CountryEscape and come around more often, I miss seeing you!

It’s a super busy time, culminating with out of state friends/family coming into town, and our wedding tomorrow! Hope to get back into being in this thread more often once things settle down.

 

[j.w]

Oh wow you are getting married tomorrow?

 

[addy1]

and our wedding tomorrow!

Have a fantastic one! Congratulations!

 

[JBtheExplorer]

Some shots this morning.

 

[Marck]

Some shots this morning.

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Great shot of that soldier beetle. Do you get lightning beetles/fireflies too?

Your native plant gardens looks amazing. I grow a wide variety of California native plants... and I also grow some Midwest prairie plants too. I have a patch of three different species of Silphium that blooms nicely every Summer.

 

[JBtheExplorer]

Great shot of that soldier beetle. Do you get lightning beetles/fireflies too?

Your native plant gardens looks amazing. I grow a wide variety of California native plants... and I also grow some Midwest prairie plants too. I have a patch of three different species of Silphium that blooms nicely every Summer.

Thanks! Yes, we have lightning bugs here. I didn't see as many this year as I did the year before, but they were definitely around.

 

[JBtheExplorer]

A first for my native garden! Milkweed tussock moth caterpillars! I've seen so few monarch caterpillars this year, so I'm glad another is taking advantage of the milkweed.

 

[mrsclem]

I had milkweed beetles this year, look like oversized ladybugs. They wiped out my swamp milkweed. Then the tussocks came and stripped the regular milkweed. Now the monarchs are here and not a lot of places to lay eggs. They don't seem to like the butterfly weed plants this year. Have 45 large cats in a cage, over half in chrysalis stage, a big tray of tiny cats and a tray of eggs on leaves. With all the bird feeders, the caterpillars don't stand a chance here. The tussock cats are neat looking but they can strip a big milkweed plant in a couple of hours.

 

[Marck]

I had milkweed beetles this year, look like oversized ladybugs. They wiped out my swamp milkweed. Then the tussocks came and stripped the regular milkweed. Now the monarchs are here and not a lot of places to lay eggs. They don't seem to like the butterfly weed plants this year. Have 45 large cats in a cage, over half in chrysalis stage, a big tray of tiny cats and a tray of eggs on leaves. With all the bird feeders, the caterpillars don't stand a chance here. The tussock cats are neat looking but they can strip a big milkweed plant in a couple of hours.

That is a shame about your milkweed, but wonderful that you are still seeing Monarchs at all. I might have seen one in my garden this year... or it might have been a Gulf Fritillary, they are doing well on my Passionflowers.

Growing milkweeds and avoiding pesticides is important. I've managed to keep a few different milkweed plants alive, including one small patch of a local native species (Asclepias fascicularis), but still no caterpillars.

 

[mrsclem]

The monarchs are really into egg laying. I go out twice a day to bring in more cuttings and I've had the females land on the cuttings in my hand and lay eggs!

 

[JBtheExplorer]

I had milkweed beetles this year, look like oversized ladybugs. They wiped out my swamp milkweed. Then the tussocks came and stripped the regular milkweed. Now the monarchs are here and not a lot of places to lay eggs.

It's important to remember that swamp milkweed leaf beetles and tussock moth caterpillars are just like monarchs - they need milkweed to survive. Don't feel too bad about them getting to the milkweed before the monarchs did. The milkweed is still doing its job!

 

[addy1]

The monarchs are really into egg laying. I go out twice a day to bring in more cuttings and I've had the females land on the cuttings in my hand and lay eggs!

I bought some plants from this group, almost 2 feet tall, great shape.

They will ship milkweed to you if you have cats that need it. They ship in one day if feeding cats.

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