Monday, August 13, 2012

Winning Combination Part 3

Today ends my series about placing plants in your garden that will attract wildlife.  The summer is still here and it's hot and humid.  These are perfect conditions for butterflies.  In fact, many of us desert lovers will notice an explosion of Queens and Swallowtails flying around our yards.  And there are more of course that require our attention like the Gulf Fritillary butterfly.  Before I continue onwards, I just wanted to let you know that I'll be back again today.  I went on a weekend hunt which turned up some incredible finds. In fact, there are some exciting things coming up BUT it took away from my reading time on blogger.  I'll be back tomorrow morning(U.S. AZ time) catching up reading and commenting.  Time is ticking here in the desert with my hummingbird finds and I needed to get on the road ASAP to locate more for the Chuparosa challenge. And I've found more:) So onwards with today's write.....
For gardeners, I have written a post that you may find helpful on the Passion vine.  Many of Tucsonan gardeners get irritated by a caterpillar that eats the vine.  Well it's this butterfly that absolutely loves this plant! In fact, while doing the photography, it was laying eggs all over the leaves:)  Why do Tucsonans go stark ravin' mad?  Well this vine does very very well here with water.  It will take scorching sun and grow.  Very few tropical plants can handle our kind of brutal sun here.  It also grows very fast and has the most gorgeous purple, white or red flowers.  The problem?  This butterfly gets busy with the vine before it can take off:) The caterpillar eats the leaf down to a stub and while it doesn't kill the vine, the plant looks pretty shabby:)
But look at this butterfly!!!  The only reason you place a passion vine in your garden is just so you can attract these lovely orange insects. And if you love plants more than the wildlife, you can always pic the larva off the vine:)  But I like to see the butterflies fly around the gardens.  
During our monsoon season, our butterflies are really active.  I volunteer at the Tucson Botanical Gardens in the butterfly pavillion with Elizabeth during the fall.  The temps outside are similiar to what you'll feel inside the greenhouse during the winter months.  And it can be uncomfortable:)
But it's the perfect environment for butterflies.  If you'd like butterflies in your garden, but don't want the leaf damage, there are other options out there but it will attract different butterflies.  Check out this Tucson Garden from 2010.  It's a perfect example on how you can attract lots and lots of Queens into your area.  And when I write "Queens", I mean the butterflies people:) I believe there is video with that post as well(again with only Queen butterflies). 
Finally, last year during my Garden Journal series, I had a post that gives you some great plant choices for your desert garden in Tucson. It's quite extensive.  Click here.  On a side note, I love how everything on this blog is beginning to connect together.  The base/beginning work was tedious, but it's all coming together nicely.   Hope you've enjoyed this mini series of writes or at least the pics:) More tomorrow...

25 comments:

  1. Superb images as always. There must be a downside to living where you do but I can't see it.

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  2. Hola!!!.. muy bellas imágenes de mariposas.. Felicidades y un saludillo

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  3. Gorgeous butterflies! I do not see the Queen butterfly here in Maryland. Lovely post and beautiful photos. Have a great day!

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  4. Beautiful photos Chris - the butterflies are gorgeous. How I wish I could attract something like these to my garden :) Over here would only see these species in a Butterfly House. Great series of mini posts and glad you had a fruitful weekend :)

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  5. beautiful!! LOVE the view of the FLUTTER-BY on the little purple flowers!
    we have lots of Gulf Frit's here too...and they just love the yellow lantana and the Ironweed! when i take their pictures, i just HAVE TO get the wing underside...the silver spots!!

    have a nice week and try to stay cool!

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  6. Great shots of the beautiful butterflies.
    I'm still waiting to see some in my garden.

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  7. Interesting. Our butterflies are becoming fewer and fewer as the summer drags on. I suppose because there are fewer blooming plants. We had gorgeous ones back in the spring. Love your hummer and flutterby pics!

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  8. What a lovely set of pics of a stunning butterfly, sorry I've missed some of your recent posts, I always enjoy visiting your site.

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  9. Being I don't have a green thumb at all, I'd rather enjoy the butterflies whatever they eat. Nice shots.

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  10. I love the butterfly photos. They are beautiful. Very nice shots.

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  11. they sure are beautiful, even if they are destructive in their youth. :)

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  12. Fantastic shots, Chris! The vine looks so pretty but I would easily give it up for those lovely butterflies.

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  13. Wolałabym mieć motyle, niż liście na winorośli. Pozdrawiam.
    I'd rather have the butterflies, than the leaves on the vine. Yours.

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  14. I love butterflies, but they can be fast. You have some wonderful shots here. The one with the purple flower is especially beautiful.

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  15. Just beautiful! Have you noticed that the leaves of this vine look like a green dragonfly? Or maybe I just have dragonflies on my mind too much :) I love the 2nd to last shot where the flowers send a blueish hue onto the butterfly's white spots.

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  16. You know, Chris, this photos are TRULY lovely!

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  17. Hi Chris, You obviously have done a great job of attracting wildlife to your garden. That is awesome. Loved the hummingbirds --but I also love the butterflies... Great job!!!!
    Betsy

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  18. These are really beautiful! Most people think of your area as dry and unhospitable to plants. How wrong. You've created a special oasis.

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  19. Every one of these beautiful butterflies is special gift to see and photography.
    Nicely done, Chris.

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  20. So few people associate caterpillars with butterflies and moths. Can't have one without the other! :)) Beautiful butterflies.

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  21. I would gladly welcome those butterflies. So nice. Plants for the butterflies to eat is worth it to get the "flying flowers."

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  22. Love the orange butterflies...here we have the Monarch. GORGEOUS! Your blog is a wondrous work of art on so many levels!

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  23. So these orange butterflies are Queens are they Chris, what marvelous markings they have on their wings. I've so enjoyed this series, love all of your birds and butterflies. We think alike, many of my plants are natives that attract the birds, bees and butterflies and I don't believe in using chemicals in my garden, so if the odd plant or two gets eaten, it's no problem.
    I checked, there is a Vesna here in Perth, she is a spiritual reader.

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  24. Nice butterfly shots, Chris. Will these same plants do well in Phoenix? Looking forward to your exciting upcoming posts you're such a tease. :-)

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    1. Hey I can't wait to share the pics!!!!:) I'm on the greatest hunt this weekend. Anyhoo, I'm going to keep my surprises for now:) Turk's cap might do well in complete shade. But the Passion Vine should do amazing as long you keep it watered. And the first Jubilee vine is a Phoenix staple:) That particular vine LOVES sun.

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