We've been busy in the yard again this spring...some plants have come back from last year, others are newly planted...we are still removing the weeds from the yard, so portions are just now being cleaned out and mulched properly...the yard is always a work in progress, but there are so many neat creatures out there that I enjoy seeing nature in action...
A swallowtail 'instar', its a young caterpillar, eating the bronze fennel...
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these are adult swallowtail caterpillars, we relocated them from the dill to the parsley because there were 6 full grown adults and they had completely stripped the dill plant...the parsley, on the other hand, is huge and there's plenty of food for them all...
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what is this alien looking thing? its the dutchman's pipevine flower...the pipevine is the host plants of the pipevine swallowtail, its not a common plant at the nursery...Brian bought 5 containers of this last year, none got planted, they all looked to be dead, and one by one they've all come back to life...they're now planted in the garden and we expect to have some caterpillars eventually, but not too soon, or they'll eat all the leaves before they have a chance to get established...
here's a page full of pretty pics of the pipevine swallowtail and the caterpillar...
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this is the buff beauty rose...i bought it 3 years ago when i placed an order at the Antique Rose Emporium...and while the plant has grown (it even relocated with us to the new house), its never bloomed until this year...the flowers are a pretty orangy-yellow color, and look old...most roses like 6 hours of sun, but this one gets 4 at most, and its really happy, so we'll probably leave it where it is...i'm just happy to finally see some flowers!
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I'm sitting in my rocking chair on the porch, minding my own business, when i look over and see this little green dude...its always like discovering easter eggs in the garden...I'm glad he found a good place to hide from the elements - no getting wet or bothered there... |
I had to shoot a close up...after the 37+ caterpillars we had a few weeks ago, its good to see a chrysalis up close...and this one looks healthly, like he'll really survive the metamorphasis and become a butterfly...I check on him daily, he's still green, not turning orange/black just yet... |
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This is a pic of the left part of the garden in the morning...I enjoy the garden in the morning, its still comfy out, the flowers are up and butterflies are zipping about... |
We planted this dude last year, and he just kinda suffered thru the summer...this year, now that I'm feeding everyone on Sunday, he's going crazy...growing, blooming, just happy as can be...Heritage Rose... |
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I like these shots from the end of the garden space, it makes it look full and lush... can you see how the rose arch is leaning toward the street? I've checked it's sturdiness, it seems pretty strong in the yard, but one really good storm can probably knock it right over...we'll prob wait till later in the year and secure it back up...the rose is doing a good job of holding it in place too... |
This is the butterfly bush or 'buddleia' we planted this year...the butterflies and hummingbirds like this flower...it comes in white, lilac and this 'black knight' color... |
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I put this pic in, its similar to the one above, except you can see the blackberry bushes in the foreground...they are bigger than the ones I grew in Austin, cause this soil is sandy and lets the roots move about... |
Someone snuck outside and discovered the warmth of the porch steps... |
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"What..what's that you're saying? You want me to rake my teeth on you?" |
"...done" |
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The infamous Jack Bauer, enjoying the new porch box...he's kinda claimed it as his own, we spy him up there each morning, waiting to be fed.... |
Someone else discovered the joys of the porch box.... |
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I bought this geranium, brought it home.... |
...and a pair of nuthatches has made it their home...Here's one of them, singing...
These aren't nuthatches at all...(although a local pic of them at the feed store sure looked like them)...they are Carolina Wrens! Thanks to Amy for this link, she's right, they are the Wren...the one description that matched perfectly was 'loud' - these birds are really loud for such little beings...I'm glad to FINALLY know what these two are...and its the MALE who sings all the time... |
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And just as I shot the pic, he flipped around, so I was able to get his tail too... |
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The bird bath and a pic of the buddleia before it grew out of control... |
Our little cardinal eggs that have become a mystery...one bird hatched and disappeared...two eggs are still in the nest, but the parents don't visit it...I see them in the tree across the street...maybe our yard was too hectic for them, or the arch swayed too much in the storm...who knows... |
