Tuesday, August 9, 2011

native blooms & critters...



my 'ironweed' is blooming!  yay!
it's a florida native...and over the past few years, i've decided to treat my
gardens with a 'survival of the fittest' attitude.  
i used to cover everything in the winter 
when it dropped to freezing or below.  not anymore. 

when i'm looking for a plant or two to add to the yard,
i now tend to go for native...the ones that can survive the summer & winter
on their own...plants that will invite butterflies 
and provide food for caterpillars.

'red spotted purple'

  
blue-eyed grass

if it's a native...
then it's sure to attract all the little local critters!

 'long tailed skipper'

 'anole'

black-eyed susan

 if it's a weed...if it has little flowers...
if those flowers attract the butterflies...then it stays!

'gulf fritillary'

the native plants help to conserve water once established...
and they provide food & shelter for all the little critters.

 the magical dragonfly

'buckeye'

of course,  if you have the butterflies...then chances are...
there's a caterpillar or two hanging out somewhere nearby!

above: 'checkered skipper' caterpillar
below: a 'checkered skipper'

beauty berry

a  'fiery skipper'

'hackberry'

i hate to leave a question mark here...but i searched...and can't be sure!
maybe...an 'army worm' caterpillar?


'clouded skipper'


butterflyweed

'gulf fritillary'

 oOo

well, that's a wrap!
literally.
some thing has rolled itself up in a fern leaf...and it looks as though
it's about ready to unroll...and fly...


have a safe journey & enjoy the ride!
laura

preview...next time...
crystal rainbows

and a BIG THANK YOU to
 lorna @ Artymess

AND
cindy @ Bug Safari


oh, and maybe some spiders and mushrooms and owls,
OH MY!


gotta get to an early appointment...will play catch-up later!
:) lk


21 comments:

  1. HI ..I loved this post...the Red spotted purple is a beauty!
    I agree with you on the fussy plant thing ...I have had up to 80 tea roses in the past ,and living in the state of Maine they had to be cover at the base with a foot of dirty ever winter ..age makes you smarter on some things : }}
    So as one dies of they are not replaced I am down to probaly 15 and they no longer get covered!!
    I also have gone to those that are not fussy, survive and provide a purpose!! Well a few exceptions . : }
    Your photos I very much enjoyed, nice to see what grows, flits, and crawls in you part of the country!!
    Sorry so long : OO ..Grace

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  2. how neat! the anole has an attitude. love it!

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  3. Looks like a spider all balled up in that fern? Very cool photo!
    All the photos are great-the color on that ironweed is gorgeous!
    Love all your butterflies. It must be so cool to stand there with them all flitting around.
    Have a great day today!
    meggs.xx

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  4. Native plants are the way to go, Babe. I began doing that here a few years ago, once I got "the list" from the Master Gardeners...been planting them ever since, watching them keep other critters alive and well...:)JP

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  5. Oh! That's called "Ironweed"! I saw coming out in the garden just yesterday! Lovely pictures again, as usual.

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  6. Love that fern leaf, it looks like he's holding something in surprise, like "guess what's in my hand!"

    Yay for the hardy stuff!

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  7. Awe! I have a weakness for chameleons (properly called anoles, but I sold them in pet shops and first knew them as chameleons) and dragonflies. Love wildflowers! Go wildflowers!! You take the best photos. :):)

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  8. Wow, wonderful series of butterfly and otheres thing that I have not seen. Thanks for the trip in the garden, forest. Have a nice week to you.

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  9. I love your critters and flowers. It is a great idea to attract more wildlife with plants. Lovely photos and post.

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  10. Funny how beautiful a flower named Ironweed can be! My Morning Glorys have finally taken off, and they are climbing way high as I hoped! I simply get lost in your stunning bugs as well...the butterflies are really dancing around here lately too, although maybe not as charming as yours...but they are butterflies!

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  11. Cool captures. I've never seen a long tailed skipper. Very interesting.

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  12. That's exactly the same attitude I have to most of my garden too Laura! By planting natives they seem to stand up to pest invasions so much better as well.
    Love the trade-off between having grubs and caterpillars chewing through everything, but then beautiful butterflies and moths appear!
    Your little delicate blue eyed grass flowers are sweet.
    Cheerio for now, really enjoyed your post :D)

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  13. great photos as always Laura ..they take me to your place for a moment ....magic .........xx

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  14. Absolutely loved all the photos..a lovely visit to your area (without airfare!).

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  15. thanks everyone...for stopping by and leaving a note!! i really appreciate that!! :)

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  16. I love your butterflies, they are unique.

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  17. BeautifulPicturesGoodCreations

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  18. Such a cute post. I agree with you on planting natives species and keeping certain "weeds." Thanks for all your comments on my blog! Glad you found the following button! Oh, and I love anoles!

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  19. LOVE all the different caterpillars & butterflies/moths you have down there! Native plants are definitely the way to go as they are best adapted to your local conditions, although the finely cultivated plants have their place, also. Those often do require more care, however. You are right on about the critters making use of (actually NEEDING) the native plants.)

    Great job on this post - as I've learned to expect!

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  20. I really enjoyed looking at your butterfly photos. I'm making an effort to learn my butterflies this summer. We have the buckeye butterfly and red spotted purple here as well--two butterflies I learned the names of in the past couple of weeks. I've never seen blue eyed grass growing wild in Michigan--it grew wild in upstate New York though. ONe of my favorite flowers.

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  21. You are SO lucky to have all these wonderful beings surrounding your home. I agree with the idea of survival of the fittest, eventhough I also don't agree with it in life. But with regards to nature, what survives is simplest for your life and best for the ecology.

    Enjoy the flowers. Spring is around the corner for us too. Can't wait to see what this season holds for my garden!

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thanks for stopping by! it's always nice to hear from fellow wanderers!