My poor garden has been neglected lately – add daily rain to the mixture, and it is out of control.
So, today, I had much needed garden therapy. It’s amazing, and special, to have butterflies flutter so close, almost landing on you while you work on their designated space.
Before I finished, I spotted the beginning of the mating ritual of two gulf fritillary butterflies.
Nature is incredible to watch.
This beauty, a little tattered, but still flying about the garden. A little inspiration, for sure.
With tropical storm Debby in the gulf, we’ve had nonstop bands of rain and wind pretty steadily all day. So, needless to say, there were no butterflies enjoying the gardens today. The caterpillars were all holding onto their host plants just fine – weathering the storm, but the butterflies found their shelter riding out the storm.
The last time I took our 4 month old golden retriever puppy outdoors, that changed. Lily found a gulf fritillary butterfly on the ground with wings wet as can be. A gust of wind took it near a tree, where Lily guided me. She put her nose to the ground right where the butterfly landed. While I scooped up the butterfly, Lily led me back to the porch where I placed the butterfly into the butterfly house, so it can dry off its wings tonight. We will let the beauty go tomorrow, when hopefully the sun comes back out and the grounds dry up a little.
My sweet puppy just stole my heart. Another butterfly whispherer in our home. The gentleness she showed is one of the reasons I love this puppy.
The maypop passionvine flower is among one of the most unique flowers in my garden, and the most invasive.
This plant has taken over the garden, inside and outside, of the space. To say I have an abundance is an understatement. The gulf fritillary butterfly has a ton of host plant to lay eggs on, and the caterpillars food to eat.
I have spent the last few days in the garden cutting back some plants, pulling weeds and getting the area ready for new additions. This gulf fritillary in particular has become a “friend,” if you will. Every time I am in the garden, no matter what time of day, it flies fairly near and lands on either the ground, or one of the stepping stones close by. I know it is the same one because of its hurt wing.
The gulf fritillaries are among my favorite, just for their unique wings. The population of these butterflies is going to explode in the garden soon as there are tons of eggs on both of its host plants, the corkystem passionvine and maypop passionvine, as well as caterpillars newly hatched to ones that are almost ready for its chrysalis. Of course, my daughter collected many caterpillars, along with the host plant and put them in the butterfly house.
