The garden is looking pretty ratty. It has been so hot that the only job that is getting done every day is watering. The dill and parsley are going...going...gone to seed. They need to be pulled up and composted. The passion vine has taken over the back fence, several trees and a swing set. It needs to be cut back. A few days ago, I pulled up a dill only to find a little swallowtail caterpillar on it. I put the baby back on another dill and left them all alone. Tonight, I went out to hack back the passion vine only to find it covered up in Gulf Fritillery caterpillars. When I checked on the parsley, looking for more black swallowtails. I found a Gulf Fritillery butterfly drying its wings and getting ready to fly. I hope all of these caterpillars chew the passion vine back significantly. That would make my gardening job a lot easier.
The flowers in the collage are passion flowers and Turk's cap.
Can you see the eggs in one of the pictures in the collage?
Wow! I am impressed. I planted dill, parsely and butterfly weed in the hopes of attracting more butterflies to lay their eggs. If mine do half as well as yours are, I will be a happy camper. With the nursery/factory out there, you have an excellent reason to let things be for quite a while.
ReplyDeleteThanks for showing us how it's supposed to be done. :)
I also have just planted some dill in the hope of attracting some butterflies to the garden.
ReplyDeleteYes, I see the little eggs when I click on your photo to enlarge. How cool! I've planted dill, parsley and other supposedly 'caterpillar friendly' plants but no caterpillars nor eggs as of yet:-( In fact, I haven't even seen any butterflies yet, and that's sad! Last year I had a bunch. I hope to get at least a few because I planted a bunch of butterfly-friendly plants, as well. Maybe your garden is giving them all they need and they don't feel like they have to fly all the way to VA to visit my garden:-) Your collage is very nice, by the way...such a variety!
ReplyDelete"Ratty" sounds like our garden in late August, early September.
ReplyDeleteLucky you with all the butterflies, though.
Wow, you've got the market cornered on butterflies! Good thing you've got so much passionvine! Yours are blooming beautifully; mine's getting tall, but no blooms yet!
ReplyDeleteI just don't know how you have all these things in your garden! Let alone how you see them! My husband always spots things I don't- of course, I suppose it helps to know what you're looking for or at :). You truly amaze me!
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