I planted certain flowers this year with the hopes of attracting more butterflies and hummingbirds to my yard. Even though I don't have a vegetable or herb garden, I planted parsley in the midst of the flowers to attract the black swallowtail. Imagine my delight this morning when I spotted this black swallowtail on the parsley. I observed for several minutes and I believe she was laying eggs on the parsley and the small cottoneaster.
I love swallowtails! I'm considering putting a "butterfly attracting" bush at my mailbox... I figured that a bush of some sort would be more likely to survive than a grouping of smaller plants :-). My elderly neighbor across the street had planted several plants at her mailbox and they haven't made it... and she spends a good bit of time in her yard. Have any suggestions?
ReplyDeleteAnother thought: Have you ever considered making note cards of some of your floral close-ups? I'm not sure what all would be involved but I know several HSers who have done it. Your pictures are so gorgeous that I think they would be very popular. Just a thought.
Talk to you soon. Have a great day!
Cyndi, if you just want a bush that will attract the butterflies, lantana is a good choice. It should do well even with the drought you guys are having. I grew it there and had great success with it. It is supposed to be an annual but mine came back every year. I gave one to Michele B. and hers did very well too. The butterflies and birds love it.
ReplyDeleteI have practiced making a few cards with my pictures, but haven't been real pleased with the results. I've done a few searches on the net to find others who are making cards from pictures and I like the idea of using them for that. I just need to learn some better techniques.
Glad you guys are home safely. Hope you all had fun at family camp.
Hi Robin,
ReplyDeleteThose photos of the swallowtails are beautiful.
You are invited to join in Garden Bloggers Muse Day tomorrow , July 1. Post any poem or prose of your choosing and then let me know so I can list you as a participant.
Thanks !
Thanks for the suggestion! When I looked up a picture of lantana, I discovered that I had just seen some Sonset Lantana in Jackson, MS and had asked my mom what it was. Now I know :-). It's beautiful and sounds exactly like what I need.
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing how you catch all the activity in your yard, when I am home I'm always running for the camera and then they leave. Great photos!
ReplyDeleteGreat pictures. I didn't plant parsley this year and now I wish I had.
ReplyDeleteHi Robin!
ReplyDeleteI am just finding your website tonight after finding 8 caterpillars in my herb pot on my deck...had no idea what kind they were...but know I have identified them as black swallowtail, and they were in my parsley. Really cool!