Garden

[Allegheny]

Glancing outside my front door and just noticed two swallowtail butterflies visiting my hosta blooms.  Think they are spicebush, could be black swallowtail.    Just nice to see them.  Will see an occasional Monarch, but mostly swallowtails in black and yellow.

Yesterday evening heard a rustling in the woods below the house. It was a whole bush of turkey.  My neighbor told me that early in the morning last week she saw a red fox meandering in her side year.  Its been ages since we've seen a fox, let alone a red fox.  I hope it means our environment is getting healthier and kinder to natural species.

[Puzzle Piece]

I enjoy the butterflies that come by my butterfly bushes.

Trouble is, the children come over and do their best to catch them.  I run them off but they want my visitors.  They are trespassing and damaging the insects too.  Why don't people teach their monsters anything? 

[PA Mom-mom]

@Allegheny  I've seem a greater variety of butterflies this year than in several years past. Things are looking up! We had 7 Eastern Black Swallowtail caterpillars on our parsley, but they ran out of parsley or the birds got them. We are always happy to see the foxes, because they seem to keep the groundhogs at bay.

[silkyk]

If you love Butterfly Bush I purchased the cottage farms Butterfly Bush with all 3 colors on it and FANTASTIC! Took a while to get growing but when it did it grew like crazyand pulled in a crowd!. Best Butterfly "bait" ever. Hope they offer it again.

[hayseed00]

@silkykVery lovely !!!!

[NickNack]

@silkyk   Just beautiful!

[alicedee]

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@Puzzle Piece wrote:

I enjoy the butterflies that come by my butterfly bushes.

Trouble is, the children come over and do their best to catch them.  I run them off but they want my visitors.  They are trespassing and damaging the insects too.  Why don't people teach their monsters anything? 

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Children are “monsters” for chasing butterflies by your bushes?  Wow.

Did you go out and speak kindly to the kids, explaining you liked to watch the butterflies, so please don’t chase them?  And thank them for understanding?

If it is that distressing to you, walk over or call the parents and ask them to keep their children off your property.  And be prepared for bad future relationships with your neighbors.

[Lilysmom]

@silkyk , now that is beautiful!  Butterfly bushes don’t survive in my garden. The winter gets them.  Sometimes they last a season or two.  I stopped buying them for that reason.  LM

[silkyk]

They die down after the season and you cut them back to get new growth and even more flowers next year. I trim them down to about one foot and they come back strong. This 3 colors on one plant from CF are unique and beautiful. The BFs love'em!

[NickNack]

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@silkyk wrote:

If you love Butterfly Bush I purchased the cottage farms Butterfly Bush with all 3 colors on it and FANTASTIC! Took a while to get growing but when it did it grew like crazyand pulled in a crowd!. Best Butterfly "bait" ever. Hope they offer it again.

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That is just beautiful @silkyk .  I looked at Cottage Farms offerings, and it isn't for sale right now.  I'll have to look for them in the spring.  I used to have butterfly bushes and didn't cut them back.  They took over the area and I removed them.  I'd like to get one like yours and plant it in a pot and cut it back each year.  I loved watching the monarchs and swallowtails.