Flower Hill Farm Butterflies of 2012 ~ Fritillaries

Todays segment of 'Flower Hill Farm Butterflies of 2012' features the boldly flecked Fritillaries. It seems the only Fritillary that flies about our gardens these days is the Greater Spangled Fritillary Speyeria cybele. Early on, I mistakenly identified these butterflies as Aphrodite Fritillary, but the eminent Lepidopterist Randy Emmitt pointed out that the large beige band near the edge of the outer hindwing indicates that these are in fact Greater Spangled Fritillaries. 

I do so enjoy these butterflies whatever we humans tend to call them. There is but one single flight period for the fritillaries beginning in June and stretching into early September.

Giant Ironweed Vernonia gigantea is a native butterfly magnet with nourishing nectar for many butterflies and bees. I would never call it a weed, for it is very showy and stands beautifully with other late summer plants. The flowers are lovely especially when wearing strikingly, speckled wings.

Monarch butterflies frequent this valued native too. 

Fritillaries also love our non native butterfly bush. We only have the one plant which dies back each year. I have never seen a seedling. If you live in a more temperate climate, Buddleia can and does become invasive through seeding, I believe . . . so you might be sure to deadhead or consider alternatives. I confess to loving my sole bush, as long as it behaves, that offers long plump, purple, panicles of blooms for all sorts of butterflies and bees to land upon. A little Skipper sips near the Greater Spangled Fritillary. Hummingbirds also love this native of China. Climate change may well make this species an unwelcome visitor, but for now it is a showy and giving member of our garden just outside the farmhouse and studio.

A Painted Lady nectars along side two Fritillary butterflies.

Joe Pye weed Eutrochium purpureum, is another great native that Fritillaries, along with other butterflies, moths and bees are attracted to for its bounty of nectar. This tall member of the Asteraceae family is a comely, compatible companion to the impressive Giant Ironweed.

The wide beige band between the two rows of white markings is clearly illustrated in the image above. Again, this is a telltale sign that the butterfly is a Greater Spangled Fritillary and not an Aphrodite. I imagine the name greater spangled is for the glint of the white, silvery-spotted wings.

The first instar Fritillary caterpillar overwinters here beneath or near a violet plant its mother Fritillary would have fastened its egg to towards the end of August or early September. Once out of the egg the tiny caterpillar eats only the egg casing before dropping or crawling down to find a leaf or other detritus to serve as protective cover throughout the winter. Remember not to be such a fastidious gardener and instead leave safe houses for lots of overwintering caterpillars, chrysalises and butterflies.

The Fritillary caterpillars, that survive the birds and rabbits, will awake in May when the violets begin to leaf out and munch their way into June, until they feel an urge for change and seek a safe rock or log where they can privately morph into a brown chrysalis. With the passing of two weeks or so a butterfly will emerge . . . the males usually emerge first flitting about seeking a suitable female who pushes her way out of the chrysalis a bit later than the males.

Speaking of males, I was drawn away from my writing this morning by these toms way down by the forest edge.  I could not lift the lens that would make these more vivid images. Wild Turkeys are busy stepping around lifting up leaves and debris in search of some of those overwintering delectables I have been writing about in this series of butterfly posts.

Shooting into the sun does not make for very vivid photos either but I love the way the tom's wattles are lit up by the bright early morning light. I am afraid the Wild Turkeys notice my presence, when I step out to get a better look, and quickly take off to the lower lands and into the cover of the forest.

I usually hear Wild Turkeys before I see them . . .  for there is some impressive courtship and alpha male vocalizing going on right now. I note a few hens in a lower field, while the toms are still stepping out together. There will be a split up soon and a group of toms will go off on their own leaving the dominant gobbler to care for the hens. I hope they have not found too many of the overwintering caterpillars and chrysalises and yet I want these beasts to be healthy and happy too.

My first 2013 sighting, just this morning, of a Palm Warbler  Dendroica palmarum. I notice at once that this little guy is busy scurrying along the ground looking for those tiny morsels of caterpillar and chrysalis like the robins, turkeys and bluebirds. I am so amazed any butterflies ever make it to fly in our gardens and fields.

This sweet songbird may have made it back here from Florida or as far as the Caribbean.  

Next up on the Butterflies of 2012 I will share some of our resident Skippers and then a post on the Monarchs before the grand finale. 

July's Ending Rainbow Rosy Light Magical Monarch Metamorphosis

So Long July. 

Thanks for the rain and rainbows at sunset . . . many hours of luminous light . . . Hemeracallis, hydrangea and hummingbirds aplenty . . . copious caterpillars becoming complete within their magical Monarch chrysalises . . . joyful viewings shared of their virgin flights into butterflies . . . first ever sighting of a Giant in the garden . . .  exceptional dusk encountering . . .  a family of flying squirrels soaring from house to Rock Maple trees . . . eighteen furry elusive mammals exiting the eaves one-by-one and two-by-two . . . using the furnace chimney as their runway . . . scurrying up then fast as a flash gliding over to the large tree . . . disappearing up into its full canopy . . . for our garden bats . . . fabulous human family news . . . high art experienced with a dear generous soul and heaps more.

Millions of dripping prisms painting spectrums arching across the sky . . . somewhere perhaps a pilot  flies through a complete circular rainbow.

July ends with Lilium 'Journey's End'

Daylight softly fading away makes for soft focus images.

Miraculous Monarch Butterfly Metamorphosis . . . a sneak peek. More to emerge . . . 

Flower Hill Farm raised and released . . . 

I am certain to have raised over a thousand Monarch Butterflies during the last twenty five or more years but each time the metamorphosis astounds and amazes me. I especially feel joy at seeing them lifting off and taking their first flight. 

It is an honor and privilege to witness the miracle of this courageous creatures fleeting life.

It is also an honor to share it with you. 

Thank you.

Hello August.

Flower Hill Farm BUTTERFLIES OF 2011 ~ Favorite Fritillaries Part Two ~ Surprise Ending!

Flower Hill Farm's Fritillary parade ends with Great Spangled Fritillaries dipping into purple petals. Buddleia Black Knight, considered a noxious weed by many, barely survives in my northern garden. It is a magnet for butterflies, thus its common name of Butterfly bush. The complimentary colors are very striking enhancing the longwing butterflies beauty. 

There are many old-fashioned ideas and ways of being that I aspire to. I do not, however, care for the old-fashion nets that people take out into nature to capture butterflies. I rather like the way we capture butterflies in our photos and let them live out their lives in the gardens. Studying a creature while it is animated and alive is a far better way to observe and understand its life. Collections of dry, brittle and lifeless butterflies with pins stuck through them is one old-fashioned collection I can do without.

Ironweed is another favorite for butterflies and this Great Spangled Fritillary takes advantage of the nectar hidden within the last tiny florets.
Do you ever wonder what became of the fifth and sixth legs of some butterflies? If you look closely you can see one of those tiny legs next to the spotted eye of this fritillary. I am not as familiar with these as I am with monarchs, who use those tiny legs to prick and taste milkweed for freshness. Some scientist believe butterflies are evolving to have only four legs. I think those tiny legs come in pretty handy to aid in balance and . . . well we will see what time tells.

Back in a mostly drab color time . . . 

Purple sunrise skies are still a treat many a chilly morning. 

Yesterday, winter gave me a particular surprise! 

White . . .  like the snow falling outside right now . . .  and orange tones similar to the Fritillary butterflies appears on a familiar bird. But something is off? 

A sneak peek at a bird post coming up soon. 

Can you identify this bird? 

Meanwhile it is Friday and time again to fly away to Sweden to visit Katarina and join in on the old-fashion prompt. 

Late Bloomers Feeding the Soul and Lingering Wildlife

Late blooming plants grace our gardens and are very beneficial to wildlife. I am sharing a few of my favorites with their wild companions. Many of these photos are from one or two weeks ago. 

Hibiscus syriacus 'Rose of Sharon' is almost faded now, but a week ago many blooms were still enticing the Ruby-throated hummingbirds. The hummers left last Friday . . .  perhaps as I was writing my last post mentioning they would be leaving soon. Now I see migrating birds stopping by for a quick feed, before continuing on their way. This double Hibiscus is a great feeder for hummingbirds through most of August and into September. 

Thalictrum rochebruneanum 'Lavender Mist' is an airy plant also known as meadow-rue. Seven feet is about the height of this beauty in my north garden just across from the Rose of Sharon. The hummingbirds are often seen here perching. They will not find any food within the remaining blooms, for this member of the Ranunculaceae family is built without nectaries. The delicate flowers are caressed and pollinated by the wind.

Sweet scented Joe-Pye Weed stands proudly native and tall. This stately fellow reaches nearly seven feet and is named after a Native American called Jopi or Joe-pye, who knew of its medicinal qualities.  Eupatorium purpureum is a member of the Asteraceae family and can also be listed under Genus: Eutrochium . . .  just to confuse. This lovely plant is a division . . .  a gift from my neighbor and a welcome sight for insects and people alike.

Monarchs are happy for their late flowers.

On a windy day a butterfly can lose balance high up in the flower bracts. 

A bit lower to the ground . . . standing about three feet, when not flopping over . . .  Sedum 'Autumn Joy' is just that to butterflies and bees. Fresh Monarchs and wild honeybees fine them irresistible. 

Honeybees do get lost in their sipping frenzy in this landscape of florets . . . losing all sense of propriety.

Hosta Honey Bells or Royal Standard is still ringing her last bells and the hummers . . . 

go in for her chimes.

'Miss Canada' is truly not a late bloomer . . . more an early bloomer out of season, that will be a nectar treat to migrating hummingbirds. Newly emerging butterflies will get a late spring sweet sip they will not normally have in near early fall. It is the oddest thing . . . how a plant or shrub decides to send out one last bloom . . . a beacon for wildlife. 

Whatever her reasons Lilac 'Miss Canada' is feeding my soul too. There will be a long wait through winter, for her other blooms to exhale into spring air. Just as I was writing this text, I noted a hummer in the hostas and knew it would find the lilac . . . so I to the window went and sure enough . . . I will have a photo to show you soon. 

Impatiens glandulifera Royal is a fave of the hummingbirds and blooms well into fall, making it a great source of nectar for migrating hummers.  Also called 'Policeman's helmet' it is considered 'detrimental' as each seed pod will let loose up to eight hundred seeds. It can reach up to six feet offering hundreds of orchid like flowers in varying rose pink tones. It does not do too well in drought conditions. I will be lucky to get many plants next year.

Hummingbirds love the nectar deep inside the dangling blooms. 

Ironweed . . .  Vernonia altissima grew secretly from tossed seeds collected from our food co-op. Her bright purple sang out to me one day and I was puzzled until remembering loosely planting the seeds between clumps of iris. She will look lovely along side Joe-pye and offer late nectar to migrating Monarchs and other butterflies. Another member of the Aster family and a lovely addition to the middle meadow garden, where she may tower up to ten feet with iron strong stems. A beautiful native plant with many medicinal properties. I would like to think that the nectar too offers different properties from plant to plant enriching the lives of the visitors. Diversity in diet is a plus.

Young seedlings did not last a full June day, for the rabbits decided Verbena bonariensis . . .  were great to chew . . . though some were able to make a comeback. Fifty of these lovelies were planted near Joe-pye Weed and Rudbeckia Herbstonne, for I knew butterflies were keen to sip and sit upon the 'purpletop'.  Rabbits!!  

What do they know or care of plans . . . of how the Verbena would complement the stature of these two late bloomers and feed countless Fritillaries and Aphrodites up until frost. 

Salvia was spared in the terrace garden . . . it seems rabbits do not find it so delectable as this hummer clearly does. This little fellow has departed . . . he will be missed. Flower Hill Farm was his world for his beginning life and I hope he will return next spring having had many adventures under his wings and iridescent green.

Weigela florida 'The Ghost' is contributing a few late flowers for the hummers. Her foliage turns a pale yellow green late summer making the red flowers more striking reaching out from the ghostly leaves. She loves full sun and will grow to about five feet tall. 

Buddleia never disappoints on her promise of continuos blooms.

A Great Spangled Fritillary enjoys dipping into the long purple tubes. 

Tall and lanky Rudbeckia Herbstonne is new to my garden this year . . . what the rabbits did not eat is still standing 9 feet tall and I believe she will make it! A welcome newcomer offering late summer feasts.  Asters and swaths of goldenrod are abloom in the fields surrounding the gardens.  All these plants and shrubs keep the gardens alive with activity from visiting butterflies, birds and bees. Their colors and forms raise the spirits, as the days grow darker and the chill of fall spreads about the land. These are my successes for now and I plan on continuing to add more plants and shrubs each year to extend the flowering season.