Tangled Branches: Cultivated
happenings in and around my zone 6b gardens in northern Virginia and in central Virginia
Thursday, August 24, 2006
OTOH
On the other hand, we've been having some very nice weather for late summer, even if a bit too dry. Good weather for carpenters, less good for plants. And there's a chance of thunderstorms this afternoon, although I'm doubtful as there is hardly a cloud in the sky at present.
I've had some nice butterflies flit through the yard in the last few weeks, including a Red Admiral and a Monarch. The Red Admiral was a first, or at least the first since I've been paying attention. Monarchs only visit here occasionally, despite my having planted Asclepias tuberosa many years ago. I suspect the caterpillars don't really feed on A. tuberosa, even though I've read they do (see this page for a couple of links). We have some Asclepias syriaca in open areas nearby, but maybe not close enough. There was a Black Swallowtail on the Verbena bonariensis a week or so ago, but my photographs turned out verrrrry out-of-focus. So bad that I won't even post them (here are some much better ones). This Red-spotted Purple is a bit unfocused, which is too bad because it was a nice fresh one.
And the hummingbirds are still hanging around, but seem much more interested in the feeder than in the flowers. Not having enough things to fret about, I worry that we're creating junk-food-addicted hummingbirds. This page reassures me.
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