Pages

August 23, 2017

Central Florida...Butterflies & Blooms


Butterflies reign over my gardens this summer!  We watch spellbound, as though our watchfulness will deter them from abandoning our offerings.  Now, you can rightly surmise that we are oldsters, easily entertained.  Salvias, firebush, pentas, Mexican sunflowers, and pagoda plants surround our front porch where we enjoy our morning coffee, awaiting their arrival.  They have varied tastes, but the pagodas and sunflowers seem to be favored.

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail...pagoda plant



Giant Swallowtail...pagoda plant



Giant Swallowtail and Eastern Tiger Swallowtail



And now, matching bookends.



Pagoda plants also entice our hummingbirds.



Our Passionflower Vines and Milkweed have hosted lots of Gulf Fritillary and Zebra Longwing caterpillars.  This one was just drying its wings one morning, after emerging from its chrysalis.



Mexican Tithonias are always decorated with Zebra Longwing and Gulf Fritillaries.







Coneflowers are another attraction...



Last butterfly picture, I promise.  There were six Gulf Fritillaries on this Penta, but I could only get four to sit still.



I haven't posted since the middle of June so the following photos will give you an idea of what's been blooming the last two months.  Gingers have done really well since drought conditions are over...

Disney Ginger



A variety of Curcuma Gingers







Angel's Trumpet



Clematis



Gloriosa Lilies





Shade gardens, always colorful.













Blue Ginger, blooming soon...my favorite ginger!



Thanks for visiting.  See you in Fall.






12 comments:

  1. OH my goodness! I miss my butterflies so much, especially after seeing your lovely offerings. Your garden is just a paradise for them, no doubt.
    I'm planning on working on establishing a butterfly garden in the spring. We've only seen a few since we've been up here. That just won't do. ;0).
    So happy to see your post. It made my day.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Daisy! I've been following you, even though I've not commented much. It seems like our Florida bloggers are falling by the wayside and I've also been sporadic at posting. Readers are infrequent too...do you ever get the feeling that gardening is becoming a lost art? Anyway, good to hear NC is agreeing with you, and all is going well. _ Janice

      Delete
    2. I sure do miss reading your posts. Hope all is well with you.

      Delete
  2. Oh, Janice - everything is glorious! It's just beautiful! I love your cover photo! I love all of your photos! I can't stop saying how wonderful your garden is :) I'm so glad you've posted again. I just got some Tithonia seeds in the mail the other day. I hope I can get them to be happy in my wet swampland, haha! After rainy season I guess.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Lynn! Thanks for your kind comments. I've been harvesting my Tithonia seeds for next year and they're still reseeding every where. Once you get them going, there's no stopping them. Good to hear from you! _ Janice

      Delete
  3. I want to sit on that front porch and drink coffee too . . . .! And I am sooo jealous of that clematis vine ~ absolutely beautiful. I've been waiting for a post from you ~ and you did not disappoint!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
  4. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Janice, Your garden looks as beautiful as always. It looks like the summer rains have been generous to you. You've got a nice variety of butterflies in your garden. I love seeing the large swallowtails floating around. They're all so beautiful. Your Disney ginger is stunning. I've never seen that one before. Good to see a post from you!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Janice - come back to us!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Eli! Oh, I don't know if I have the energy for it. I am enjoying this great weather though, and preparing my gardens for spring. I just know you're anticipating spring as much as I am...enjoy!

      Delete
  7. I really miss your blog posts about your garden!

    ReplyDelete