Category Archives: wild lime

25 and counting

Posted on by
Reply

A few weeks ago I began a new project garden, inspiration I saw from another garden. That project – identifying plants with garden metal labels.

I have done two different fonts and today completed all 25 labels I received using my cricut machine.

It has been a great project as it has given me the opportunity to take inventory of what I have. The great part, I still have more plants to identify.

I have tried to plant natives in the garden, as they can tolerate whatever weather Southwest Florida throws at them, and they multiple and fill in empty space quite nicely. A good example of this is the blanket flower and coreopsis, otherwise known as tickseed.

Here are a few of the flowers that have been identified so far.

Blue butterfly bush
Purpletop vervain
Goldenrod
Wild lime
Firebush
Starry rosinweed
Penta
Zinnia
Blanket flower
Fire spike
Spiderwort
Plumbago
Lantana
Almond bush and an atala butterfly.

Wild Lime

Posted on by
Reply

A few years ago, I purchased a wild lime tree, which has tripled in size, and is finally blooming for the first time. I added this plant to the garden because it is a host plant for the giant swallowtail butterfly, and Schaus’ swallowtail butterfly.

According to the Florida Wildflower Foundation, this plant is a shrub to small tree that grows naturally in hammocks in Central and South Florida. The peak flowering season, although blooms year-round, is in the winter and spring. The fruit, the foundation states, provides food for both small wildlife and birds.

The flowers appear in clusters that are yellow to yellowish green on the leaf axils. The fruit are round and yellowish green, the foundation stated, and when mature turn to a “dark brown husk” that when splits show one, or two tiny black shiny seeds. The wild lime has tons of thorns on the branches.

It’s growth habit is 5-20′ plus and 3-10′ wide. My wild lime is in direct sun, therefore produces a “fuller crown.”

Yesterday while wandering the garden I noticed that a monarch butterfly was enjoying the nectar from the flowers. A double win!

They are back

Posted on by
Reply

The giant swallowtail caterpillars have returned to my wild lime tree with three now in my butterfly house.

The caterpillar goes through five instars, with feeding typically taking place during night hours. Each instar looks different in appearance. They resemble bird droppings when younger and rest on the top of the leaves. The larger caterpillar will rest on stems or leaf petioles.

Graceful

Posted on by
Reply

Graceful comes to mind when I see the giant swallowtail glide through the garden. This butterfly grabbed my attention immediately and held it as it fluttered throughout the garden, landing on my wild lime to deposit eggs, as well as nectar from my red penta flower.

The giant swallowtail’s forewing spans 11.7 to 17.5 cm for males and a span of 13.5 to 18.8 cm for females. The demand your attention when they flutter in the garden, just for the pure size of them.

The females tend to lay single eggs, cream to brown, on the upper surface of leaves – citrus plants – that are 1 to 1.5 mm in size. The larval, caterpillars, will go through five instars (stages) and they mainly eat at night.