monach butterfly

temperatures may have dropped, but autumn hasn't set in yet and everything hasn't migrated south. not only did i see all kinds of bees today, but the dragonflies were on the move and this lovely monarch was on one of my buddleia...such a relief after four weeks of overcast skies!

what is eating my parsley?

what is eating my parsley? the same thing that's eating my fennel: swallow tail butterfly caterpillars! just as the fennel was coming back after the last round of butterfly babies, an unexpected second batch appeared...i counted 32 caterpillars and am not sure if they will have enough to eat considering the most i have seen previously was six! i put up a little protection from my little wrens because i would love to have a flock of butterflies!

butterflies are not free

let butterflies migrate to your living room on this papillon chaise by d.sign21. the designer envisioned hundreds of butterflies chasing each other: i am not sure if it comes in custom colors, but i like the concept!

via contemporist.

the fennel is back!

after my baby black swallowtail butterflies stripped every bit of green from my fennel, i thought it was a goner for sure, but just as miraculously as metamorphosis, it has come back: yes!

butterflies galore!

i forgot to post an update on my black swallowtail butterfly babies: they hatched! after a driving rain for much of the week, only two chrysalis remained, but on labor day, they miraculously opened ! it was really cool and i feel so privileged to have witnessed something of such exquisite beauty and grace!

great spangled fritillary

i think forcing the mister to NOT mow the lawn for several weeks earlier in the season has helped produce some amazing butterflies i have never seen before... or maybe i didnt notice them: no, that is not possible! this is a lovely great spangled fritillary on my pink buddleia. i love the fact that my field guide says they feed mostly on violets.

chrysalis

woke up this morning and the first thing i did was check on my butterfly babies. the eleven caterpillars ate every bit of green from my fennel plant, stripping it down to a white carcass. today, the beasts were gone, but in the place of four of them were these awesome chrysalis! wow! metamorphosis rocks!

butterfly babies?

in one of my large containers i am growing fennel: its modern; its sculptural; its delicious! this week i noticed some lumps on it that were moving: black swallow-tail butterfly caterpillars!