Glory of the Garden September 2023 |
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| My Nectar Garden is badly overgrown. | ||
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| But it is still a rich source of enjoyment. | ||
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| At its inception, I planted a "Passion Vine" in hopes of attracting a particularly "showy" butterfly: the Gulf Fritillary. |
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| But what I didn't realize is that the Passion Vine
will send out "runners" until it spreads throughout the garden. |
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| A better choice for attracting a variety of butterflies and hummingbirds is the Butterfly Bush, the Buddleia. |
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| Buddleia come in a variety of colors. But this purple variety is the most popular. |
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| Seeing this Monarch sky-dancing was quite a surprise. | ||
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| Normally, they are rare visitors to my garden. | ||
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| They seem to show up when my Showy Milkweed's in bloom | ||
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| Like the Passion Vine, the Showy Milkweed sends out runners multiplying their plant numbers 3-5 times. |
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| Exceptionally showy blossom clusters, but I've never seen Monarchs nectar sipping on them. |
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| And Monarchs do visit the garden often enough to lay their eggs. | ||
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| This tiny mantid predator is quite capable of gobbling up Monarch caterpillars. |
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| When full size adults, mantids also threaten hummingbirds. | ||
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| Which is why I catch-and-release them some distance from my garden. | ||
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| Here's to the Glory of the Garden may it never pass away! |
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