This morning I spent quite a few hours in the garden with the company of the orange barred sulphur butterfly.
I have made it to the far section of the garden where my candlestick cassia plant is located, a favorite of the sulphur, with my stone pathway.
She kept fluttering in, flying high and low, close and far away from me. I lost count of how many eggs this sulphur left behind on its host plant.
The plant is already loaded with caterpillars of every instar.
I walk my garden daily, more times than not, multiple times a day.
When you plant a butterfly garden your eyes become trained on what to look for – eggs, caterpillars, chrysalis, butterflies – all the stages of life.
Lately I have found a few newly emerged monarch butterflies in the garden, a great surprise, as I never saw the chrysalis. The last few have been on the underside of the giant milkweed leaves, the monarchs host plant.
Today, I spotted this beauty still drying its leaves.
Another lifecycle has begun. I have begun to spot many monarch caterpillars again. The clues they give make it easy to spot them, such as their frass left on leaves. The size of the frass also lets you know how big the caterpillar may be.
I recently added the purpletop vervain, verbena bonariensis, to my garden.
I go to a few different places when seeking additional host plants, as I want to make sure it comes from a reputable place.
Although, this nursery is not local to Southwest Florida, the plants are shipped in amazing condition, and for me have done really well after planted in the garden. Joyful Butterfly is my online nursery, as it gives great information about the plant, what it attracts, and how you should care for it after delivered.
I love adding additional butterfly host plants to the garden. It is always a thrill when you can attract a new species to your designated space.
This is the host plant for the common buckeye. The nectar is also loved by such species as swallowtails, fritillaries, hairstreaks, painted ladies, queens, commas, sulphurs, and checkerspot butterflies, as well as bees and hummingbirds.
It grows best in zones 7-12, loves full to partial sun, and requires medium to dry moisture. It can grow 5-6 feet tall and should be spaced 1- 1 1/2 feet apart.
The flower is a gorgeous purple and reseeds readily.
I love watching the polydamas swallowtail caterpillars. The stages they go through and the size they become is fascinating. There are probably two dozen caterpillars on the birthwort eating.
The caterpillars grow up to 2.1″ in length.
The sunflower has always been one of my absolute favorite flowers. They just look happy. I’ve had dune sunflowers for a good four, or five years, but the sunflower, I can’t tell you when.
My daughter and I have been looking for the perfect flower for a particular spot in the garden and saw this, and well, it went right in the cart.
This morning a male monarch butterfly was resting, and walking on my new addition.
