Maryland Butterflies

 

There have been a flurry of butterflies in the labyrinth.  My neighbors are noticing!  The clusters of Eastern Tiger Swallowtails feeding on the Agapanthis do catch the eye.  When I went out with my camera, I saw a hummingbird hanging out on the opposite side of this group, but it slipped away.

A close look at one of those yellow beauties lets me see how well my new camera focuses.  Of course I am not going to tell how many pictures were not focused where I wanted.  That is an operator error that I hope to get fixed very soon.

There are other swallowtails enjoying the long tubed flowers, such as this Spicebush Swallowtail.  While the top of the wings are very somber, the underside has dramatic orange spots that make it easy to identify.

Moving over to the Millenium Allium are some of the smaller winged creatures.  This is a Common Buckeye, with those very distinctive false eyes to confuse their predators.

The Hackberry Emperor is also enjoying the Allium flowers.  His underbelly is white, as are his legs which are partially visible in the flowers.

The Silver Spotted Skipper is enjoying the nectar of the Verbena.  This little guy kept his wings folded up so I could not see the top of them.  But that white spot is pretty distinctive.

I will watch to see how many others I can catch with my camera

After a Summer Rain

 

This year the rain has been fairly regular for us, encouraging everything to grow generously.  Yesterday's 1.23 inches continued the trend, even though the days before were very hot and dry.

Over the last few years this Crocosmia, 'Star of the East,' has been spreading throughout the Feather Reed Grass, Karl Foerster.  It is hard to weed but looks wonderful with the long display of orange flowers.

All of the hardy hibiscus have been stunning in size.  This one, Cherry Choco Latte has reached 6 feet, and has been swarming with bees, butterflies and the occasional Japanese Beetle.  The beetles are dropped into a plastic cup filled with soapy water.

The Sedum Autumn Fire is already showing its buds.  However, we are not sure if those buds will survive the browsing by the deer.  Each year we lose some or all of them.  At least it looks wonderful now without the flowers.  

Finally, there is this intriguing little, no I mean BIG, caterpillar for the Pipevine Swallowtail Butterfly.  I had to look it up to determine its adult appearance.  I do have a few hanging out in the labyrinth.  I will need to watch out for its chrysalis and make sure it is safe.

These photos are all from my new "used" camera that my brother sold me.  It gets great images, and all kinds of functions I am still learning to use.