Gardeners! Share your garden photos and garden chatter here.

[terri]

She really never moved. After about 3 hours of only moving a few inches one way or another and slowly fanning her wings, she decided to suddenly start flitting around and was ready to go. I put my hand in and she lighted on it so I could draw her out. I got to hold her just a few seconds and then she went straight up and landed in the maple tree.

Another crappy cell phone pic:

She stayed there another hour or so, and I never saw her leave.

We're supposed to get tons of rain Wednesday from Beryl, and I am so glad she's already, well ahead of this storm.

 

[The Barbarian]

Could this be a Monarch caterpillar?

Yep.

 

[Digger...]

Monarch caterpillar update!

Last seen, I was still showing the cat, right after I dropped the butterfly cage over the swamp milkweed outside - the cat crawled up and attached to the top in "J" position:

View attachment 277204


The very next day, we had this:

View attachment 277205

This morning when my husband checked around 8:30, we still had a very darkened chrysalis. I just looked twenty minutes ago, and -

It's a girl!

View attachment 277206

Apparently you can easily tell by the back of the wings like this. Without seeing the two black spots on both lower wings that indicate a male, you have a female.

Another view:

View attachment 277207

I'm going to be checking on her about every 20-30 minutes. She can't have been out too long, and conventional wisdom says let them dry out and try their wings for a couple of hours.

Once she's moved away and is active, I'll turn her out.

So how many days from j position to butterfly?

 

[terri]

Yep.

And away she flew!

So how many days from j position to butterfly?

Around 12 or so.

 

[SquarePeg]

Mid July garden updates!

One of my hydrangeas is a gorgeous, vibrant blue/purple/pink combo.

First time growing callas. They’re lovely!

The bunnies devoured any of these liatris that were not inside the chicken wire. We have about 8 baby bunnies living under the hydrangeas and running all around the front yard. I’ve sacrificed the pansies and the liatris to them for this year. It’s keeping them away from the cone flowers and zinnias. Harlie mostly keeps them out of the backyard.

False snapdragon reseeded from last year. Free flowers! First thing to bloom after the tulips in April and still going strong mid July.

Zinnias - these were store bought when the early June garden was lacking color.

Late blooming clematis - Cardinal Wysinski I think?

Dill. No black swallowtail caterpillars so far…

Zinnias from seed that I saved from last years plants. Free flowers!!

Sulphur cosmos. I don’t usually plant anything yellow. Just a personal preference. These were in a packet of wildflower seeds I used last year in the pollinator garden.

Cosmos reseeded from last year! Free flowers!

Lobelia - I can't resist anything purple.

It’s cone flower season!! They’re in full force right now and attracting a ton of pollinators.

First time planting gladiolus. Wasn’t expecting them to be so tall. Will need staking soon.

 

[SquarePeg]

First dahlia bloom of the season. This o ones called Rip City! First year growing this variety for me. She’s a beauty and full of buds already! Was bit worried when I planted this one because the tuber was a little on the squishy side. But she came through fine. My dahlias are all over the place as far as growth is concerned. Some are like this, full of buds and blooming, while others are 12 inches high and seemingly not growing at all. It’s a mystery as growing conditions are pretty similar from one bed to the next. The flowers in the more established beds are doing better than the ones in the new beds, so maybe the soil?

 

[KJ_North]

A few wild daisies

 

[SquarePeg]

You’re a mean one, Mr Grinch…

 

[greybeard]

 

[Jeff15]

Lily

 

[SquarePeg]

More dahlias are starting to bloom! I have much more variety than last year’s 5. I lost a few to rot and a couple look like they’re going to be duds but I have at least 21 varieties that look good! Here are this week’s new blooms.

Castle Drive

Silver Years

 

[SquarePeg]

Gardeners in general and photographers!

 

[bulldurham]

Dahlias are nice, but Zinnia's are sublime.

 

[Jeff15]

Lilies

 

[SquarePeg]

Panicle hydrangeas are blooming. These are Pinky Winky and are a favorite of the bees. They’re always covered. They first bloom a pretty, soft white and then gradually start to turn pale pink and by fall will be a dusty rose color. The flower heads can get up over a foot long. They make amazing cut flower displays and also dry very pretty.

These are branches that I dried last year. When they got a bit too brown, I lightly sprayed them with a pale mauve and then some silvery white. They’ve kept their delicate little petals really well.