Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Beautiful Birds, Bees, and Butterflies!

...(and Sphinx moth) Began this past Spring and continue!


 Click o the ABC Wednesday icon below to see the list of other contributers this week! And Have Fun!!
http://abcwednesday-mrsnesbitt.blogspot.com/


Giant Swallowtail


left of phlox - in front of pole... Sphinx moth ("Hummingbird Moth")


Bumble Bee on Dianthus


Eastern Tiger Swallowtail on dianthus


"Mrs." Baltimore Oriole

 "Mr." Baltimore Oriole



Robin in Barbie's tree


 "Mrs." Rose-Breasted Grosbeak" at left,  "Mr." R.B. Grosbeak in center, Downy Woodpecker at right

Summer Tanager

Red-Bellied Woodpecker

A few of the Be-winged Blessings!
SG

Friday, July 18, 2014

Ack! The Letter A as it Relates to My Morning!

     Joining ABC Wednesday - Round 15     

Click on "red words above to find posts by other participants! 
 "A"
Actually,  As I was outdoors this morning, removing the spent daylily blossoms and the "empty" stems, I found myself RUNNING back into the house to retrieve my camera!

There were Absolutely no two ways about it, I had to get a photo, Alright!  For I had spotted a most unusual moth... camouflaged, no less!

Anyhoo, back to the Sunny Corner Bed I hurried!  And, Ah-Ha(!), it was still there, hiding on and in the iris foliage, As if I hadn't noticed.  :-)


Alright.  Might you be Agreed that this is no less than Awesome?  Actually,  According to Bugguide.net, it is an Eumorpha pandorus - Pandoris Sphinx. 


Awww.  Aren't you glad you Arrived here today?  Again, before you go, I'll offer a few bits of information gleaned from Wickipedia today.

Female adults lay translucent eggs singly on leaves of the host plant, mainly Vitis (grapes), which we do not have, and Parthenocissus (Virginia creeper) which is found growing all around "chez Shady!"

The larval photo below was copied from the internet, but it was taken by Patrick Coin.  I hope it is Alright that I post it below.  It might be difficult to spot the larvae...


... but I'd love to see it in person!

"Larvae consume copious amounts of foliage (which I would encourage here, as there are COPIOUS amounts of Virginia Creeper "creeping" everywhere it's allowed!) and when they are ready they climb down their host plant and burrow underground, where they pupate. The pupa is dark brown in color, quite slender, and has a long cremaster. There the pupa will remain for either a couple of weeks or a couple of months, depending on the generation. When the pupa is ready, it wiggles to the surface just prior to eclosion. The newly emerged adults then climb on a plant or some other surface, and pump fluid into their wings to extend them. Females emit pheromones at night, and males fly into the wind to pick up and track the pheromone plume." (Wickipedia)

This process is one my son and I observed first-hand when we put a tomato horn worm in an aquarium when he was quite young.  We fed it "copious" numbers of tomato branches with leaves.  It then buried in the soil.  When it was ready, the hidden pupa gave way to a sphinx moth with different markings.  :-)

Alack!  Many types of hornworm larvae (caterpillars) eat garden plants... and can cause damage.

Alas.  The best way to control may be to find and "do away" with them.

As for Me?  Stand Aside while I run back into the house!  :-)

Arrivederci!!

Shady Gardener











Saturday, July 12, 2014

A Few More Daylilies! And perhaps a couple of other photos "thrown in!" :-)


'The best place to seek God is in a garden. You can dig for him there." 
~George Bernard Shaw, The Adventures of the Black Girl in Her Search for God

(from former garden blogger, Iowa Boy, of Iowa City)
'Total Look' 

 unnamed - from Joan Salts

'Little Missy'

unnamed day lily

 Siloam 'Dream Baby'

 'Pardon Me'

 'Starfighter' Oriental lily behind butterfly milkweed and Russian Sage

Balloon Flower in foreground with flowering annual vinca, spider plant (not hardy!) in birdcage, Stachys Hummelo, and a small coreopsis ('Nana'?) on the right.

Phlox blooming in front of a (Yipes!) blooming Wild Parsnip!  Until it stops blooming, I guess I leave that alone!!!  Otherwise, What Would YOU Do about this Wild Parsnip plant???

 unnamed (but isn't it great?)

Belamcanda Blackberry Lily - notice how the spent flower twists as it shrivels.  :-)

Close-up of Liatris

A little collage of liatris, phlox and daylily

 surprise phlox

large blossom - unnamed red

 Two 'Pinky Winky' Hydrangeas (one at left and one behind hanging begonia).  Phlox 'David' in foreground has yet to blossom.  Out of the photo, on the right, is 'Blue Muffin' Viburnum

Purple coneflower being visited and pollinated

(unnamed yellow daylily), Campanula 'Cherry Bells' at top in back, 'Spiritual Corridor' and 'Startle' Day lilies (left to right, respectively)

Really pretty daylilies - unnamed

Another day lily, unnamed

 'Strawberry Candy' daylily

unnamed

Another great (unnamed) daylily

Purple Cone flowers Dance!

Oh, boy.  I used to know the name of this day lily!
I obtained this as a dormant plant a couple of years ago.

An unfolding fern!

 Front garden

The end, for now.  ;-)
Have a Great July!
SG