Black Swallowtail Chase

This one Black Swallowtail was zooming around the front of my house yesterday. Boy do they get zippy in August. Touching on so many plants that I would swear it was a female trying to trick a predator into looking at plants away from the eggs. Anyway, it might have been a male chasing a female since I saw two black blurs come around the corner and disappear. I don't think I've ever seen so much patrolling for mates. It's probably because I let the yard go to weeds and now they love it.

Monarch Nectaring

The two or three monarchs that have taken over my front yard are interested in a variety of plants. They nectar persistently on Liatris ligulistylus out front and also on a Spicebush (lindera benzoin) which is not blooming so I guess it exudes a sap that they like. Out back they are going back to the grapevines of my neighbor De, The vines are heavy with big grapes and the monarchs seem to sit on the uppermost leaves and sip on whatever liquid the leaves give off. I am pretty sure I saw a monarch on my veronicastrum which is reflowering since I cut it back. Usually only the earlier butterflies go for it, like painted ladies and red admirals. I had a hummingbird on some sedum that I potted up in the back yard. Tons of hummingbird activity this year. And they all like the butterfly bushes, especially the Tiger Swallowtails.

Monarch versus goldfinches

Geoff told me that his monarchs in Houston chase the birds and I just saw that behaviour in my front yard yesterday. My sunflowers attract a lot of goldfinches and I worry that they will try to get at the monarchs who nectar on liatris ligulistylus nearby (their absolute favorite nectar plant!). No worries. I saw one feisty monarch (probably the female) chase off two fat goldfinches who may have gotten too close to her nectar source, her eggs, or her.

Monarchs often have a lilting flight pattern, they can soar slowly and gently. But when laying eggs females flit and hover, and dart rapidly which draws the hunter's eye away from where they have just laid their eggs. Thus the eggs are protected. It is very difficult to get a photo of her laying her eggs because she is very suspicious of every move the camera makes. I did get some OK shots of the egg laying. They tuck the tip of their tail under the bottom of a milkweed leaf and deposit the egg where it will be least visible.

Silver Spotted Skipper and friends

I was on the back porch yesterday and say an attractive fellow near a pinkish butterfly bush. Looks like a brilliant silver spotted skipper, but he also had a yellow band. He is so much more attractive than the pictures you see on the internet.

Since I let my garden get "natural" i.e., I didn't weed everyday, there is much more activity from the butterflies. They seem more comfortable. I had one tiger Swallowtail who nectared about 20 minutes on a 6' tall, self-seeded tiny flowered sunflower. I watched him all through lunch and had time to get a few shots of him before he flew away.

Ladybugs!

I am finding more ladybugs than I ever have. They are usually nestled near the top of my pink milkweed (asclepias incarnata). I am trying to photograph them but I think I need a better lens for tiny things.

Also, the dogwood ABC gave me is doing OK. But I put it in the sunnier spot and now it is sunburned. I need to repot it. I like the idea of having a dogwood tree growing in a pot. (Cornus Florida, white)