It was nice to see that Sylva took butterflies into consideration in their plans.
There was an official Monarch Waystation along the main drive through town.
The flowers were lovely. Plants were labeled.
There was even a display explaining the Monarch Life Cycle.
Sylva, North Carolina is my kind of town!
Flower
August second
Butterfly bush
‘Black Knight’
orange angel
FLOW
I spent money on an annual in July. Why would I?
Because it had variegated leaves and a promise.
‘Monarch Promise’ is its hybrid name. Asclepias curassavica is its scientific name.
I wait patiently for Monarch butterflies every summer.
I am lucky if I see one.
I have other types of milkweed, but this one is special. The bloom colors are also two-toned.
My big surprise was that the pods were also striped.
I will be saving these seeds BUT NOT bringing the plant’s pot inside over the winter.
Sometimes it is okay to buy an annual in July.
Now you know why.
FLOW
UPDATE: One of my knowledgeable readers,Eliza Waters, sent me this link about THIS lovely plant causing problems for our precious Monarchs.
https://xerces.org/blog/tropical-milkweed-a-no-grow
I am in ZONE 7, the plant can overwinter in Zone 10. I will be tossing the plant and saving the seeds instead.
THANKS ELIZA
I am a scientist, but I believe in signs. Mine come from nature.
Today was tough. I won’t share my troubles. I needed to be alone.
I went down to sit in my sad chair. It’s where I sit to sort out my crises.
I was pondering my problems when I was distracted by fluttering in the fig.
This is the “Miss Robbie” fig tree. It has a history.
That history did not include butterflies until today.
Now we can say these flutterbys were passing through and stopped for a snack.
This may be true, but this is the first time of my seeing them on a thirty-year-old fig tree.
Mama was on my mind and Miss Robbie was sending me a sign.
She is on the other side with my daddy you see.
They probably saw me crying in the sad chair and felt compelled to send those butterflies.
They may have been angels stopping by to put my troubled mind at ease.
Nature has a way of healing me when I am hurting.
All I have to do is be still.
Flow
This is my first year with Verbena bonariensis. It was a gift.
I love it for its tight purple clusters of blooms and its airy loose stems.
I did not know that it was a butterfly favorite.
On any warm day, I can count on a show at the verbena arena.
I cut the stems back when they went to seed, thinking the show was over.
I was mistaken. They have grown back and re-bloomed.
I will be cutting them back each June to encourage a second show in August.
Who knew? Probably you. Flower is always the last to know everything.
Slow Flow
I appreciate my gap-filling plants that keep the butterflies around all summer.
One of the butterfly favorites is garlic chives, Alium tuberosa.
These lovely white bloom clusters are full of fliers in August.
I can count on getting photographs of something on them any time of day.
This morning I had the good fortune of finding a Painted Lady.
These have four eyespots with a cobweb pattern on the underside of their hindwings.
The garlic chive plants keep them busy until the sedums bloom.
This plant is so hardy that a clump has survived out of the ground for over a year.
I cut the blooms as they mature because it will seed itself everywhere.
It is deer resistant and beautiful. The butterflies are an added bonus.
Flower
I brought home a pod of butterfly weed seeds over two decades ago.
I got it while on a trip with my sister and one of our college friends.
I planted the seeds along this bank.
It has taken years for the plants to mature.
My dream was to see them covered in Monarchs.
Maybe some have come before while I was not watching.
This year most of my butterfly weed has finished blooming, except for this one plant.
The Monarch(s) came two days ago.
As I pulled up my driveway yesterday.
I saw my dream.
A lone Monarch on the one plant that was a late bloomer.
I ran for my camera.
After taking many photos, I stood and reveled in my good fortune.
The timing of the Butterfly weed still blooming, the Monarch visiting, my arriving home while it was there and getting my camera in time to capture it all.
Everything is a miracle.
Flow
My butterfly bush was as busy as an airport yesterday.
This is a Black Knight Buddleia with deep purple blooms.
It was covered by dozens of butterflies yesterday evening.
Along with the various types of butterflies were several Hummingbird Clearwing moths.
and a lone MONARCH!
I was so glad to have my camera. This is the first Monarch butterfly I have seen this year.
I love watching all the fliers sharing the flowers.
Flow
I have been watching this one for days.
I have been wondering how it could possibly fly with that tattered wing.
It has been feeding on the butterfly bush along with all the perfect butterflies.
I watched it fly this morning.
No bobbing, swooping or gliding like the normal butterfly flight.
It was rapidly beating its wings, no meandering.
This one was all business about staying up and going somewhere.
Thank you sister. You are today’s inspiration.
FLOWER can fly again, too.
floweralley 