Wednesday, September 15, 2010

GBBD - September 2010 and monarch caterpillars


September has been good to my garden, bringing lots of new blooms. You'll actually notice many little tour guides in these September photos. The end of this post shows a couple of our new pets - visitors for the interim before their fall vaca in Mexico (thanks to my friend Grace for the inspiration and instruction)! But for now, stop and smell the roses! See that little refrigerator looking thing next to the side of the road? Big brother is watching you (and will ensure you at least SLOW your driving to take a peek). Seriously though, the roses in the first several photos aren't fragrant - but they ARE reliable summer-long sources of color. The fragrant roses are in hiding at this point in the summer.


Better slow your roll, happy blue car, or this little roadside furnace will send you a tsk tsk ticket in the mail!





Some oregano blooms left out for the pollinators.

DO YOU HAVE VERBENA? It's a MUST. Verbena growers know what I'm talking about.


With dwarf butterfly bushes available, everyone has a chance to grow these in his/her garden.


Asclepias and Russian sage.


A pretty but jacked-up buckeye. Good old moonbeam coreopsis in the background.


The gaura still going - all summer long. Its twin's stems are turning red. Lamb's ear still green and lush - and great foil for any perennial.


Sassy the cat on the prowl.


This bee must be new at the pollen-gathering thing.


This clematis is on its third rebloom.


My backyard downspout clematis - also currently covered in reblooms.


Morning glory - can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em. Am I right?!


Gomphrena 'strawberry fields' - the annual I coveted this year. Can you see why?

Check out May Dreams Gardens to see what else is blooming in the gardening world!
Now for some fun... *******************************

Fixing up a little home with a jar of water, a few milkweed cuttings, and some carefully searched for caterpillars.


Transferring the specimen to its new, safe, well-stocked home.


Yes, I've read The Very Hungry Caterpillar, but I didn't realize exactly how voracious these little guys are. Updates to come!



15 comments:

  1. The bee photo is very funny. Lovely butterfly photos. Don't have much left to harvest. Just one more batch of basil and time to freeze the parsley.

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  2. Me oh my...sweet caterpillar shots!

    I bet you are glad there is something there to slow down speeding cars. Don't you wish you could get some of that revenue?

    Your flowers are very abundant for mid September.
    I love that Gomphrena SF too. It is elegant!

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  3. Hi Wendy,

    Wow! Lots of beautiful flowers from your garden. I especially love to see the ones that you take with bees, moths and butterflies.

    The close-up shot of the caterpillar in the last photo is stunning!

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  4. Those catterpillars are very voracious ! They finished my milkweed leaves in just two days. They will grow back though, so I will just leave those cats alone. Your sept. garden looks really beautiful and blooming!

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  5. I had a verbena (potted) until I left town for a week and came home to a dead verbera. Didn't even get a chance to bloom this year, so I don't know what you talkin' 'bout Willis. But maybe next year I will.

    Some beautiful pics.

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  6. I'm still laughing at the bee photo/caption combination!

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  7. Those blooms are lovely! And so are the butterflies. Looking forward to seeing the monarch grow!

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  8. I'm drooling, drooling, drooling! Great captures of all those winged wonders! I grew a bed of 'strawberry fields' this year...they're a new favorite! Didn't take many pictures before the deer mowed them down...argh!!
    Darling daughter is too precious! Have a great FALL, Wendy!
    Lynn

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  9. Wendy,

    LOVE your "greenish thumb," and oh wow, that buckeye is a show stopper. One of my favorite butterflies (well, maybe they're all my favorites).

    Thanks for your visit, let's stay in touch,

    Sharon Lovejoy Writes from Sunflower House and a Little Green Island

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  10. What a lovely tour, Wendy. My morning just perked right up because of it. :)

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  11. Wendy!! Such dazzling photos..i am spellbound by aaaaall the beuaty you have shared!Awesome!! Gorgeous blooms...yay!
    Have a sparkling day!
    Kiki
    PS: thankyou for your super awesome comments ..so cool you found a leaf adorning the the yafrow..very magical!

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  12. Awesome shot of garden flowers, butterflies and caterpillars pictures! I like your Verbena.
    caterpillars are real voracious! I hate them!

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  13. Wow! Thanks for all these wonderful pictures. pretty blooms and attractive creatures!

    Yeah those red gomphrenas are attractive! I like those pink morning glory flowers also. The yellow butterfly on the red gomphrena in the first pic is really a good match. Love that pic very much :-D

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  14. Nice capture of the Buckeye butterfly. Most people like butterflies with all those brilliant colors, but I've always thought the Buckeye's patterns and contrasts were amongst the prettiest.

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  15. Sassy looks just like my Sammy, and she is ALWAYS on the prowl.

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