Three Is A Crowd

This morning Ed and I were headed out to go to the YMCA for our exercise class in the pool.  Although we were a little pressed for time and did not wish to be late for class, these Black swallowtail caterpillars stopped us in our tracks.  It would take a person who was oblivious to the natural world around them to ignore these.  I went back in the house and got the camera.  The  Bronze Fennel flowers and new seeds have the undivided attention of these cats.  I can't blame them since I find them tasty myself, but the prospect of beautiful swallowtail butterflies is more important to me than flavor added to a salad..

I hope the fennel lasts long enough.  The frass on the deck under the is impressive,  Caterpillars are eating machines.  This evening when I checked on them one of the large caterpillars was gone and the stem was chewed clear through. The remaining cat will have to move to another stem. As for the other one I'm sure a chrysalis will turn up somewhere.

Here is another very fancy caterpillar.  Ed saw this one crawling on me.  It made an attractive broach.  Ed whisked it away and it landed on his foot.  He bravely stayed still so I could get a photo. I'm sure it is a type of tussock moth, but the coloring does not match the pictures in my books.  In any case touching these can result in a nasty rash for some people.  We sent him on his way delighted to have his picture. This time of year there are lots of caterpillar crawling around.  Each one is amazing in its own way.  I'm glad I didn't miss these!

Butterflies, Caterpillars And Me

Yesterday we finally got some real rain.  This morning the weather was cool and the idea of being anywhere but the garden seemed silly.  When I headed out the door I was greeted by the sight of a white admiral butterfly on the bronze fennel flowers that grow just outside my kitchen door.  He stayed put while I went back inside for the camera.  My day was off to a great start.

I love weeding the garden on a cool day and there are plenty of weeds waiting for me there.  I was working on the area around the Big Bird daylily.  The purslane and wood sorrel were slated for the compost, but first I snapped a picture of this interesting caterpillar.  I tucked the camera back in my pocket and focused on my weeding.  It was only after I finished that I realized that I had stepped on the caterpillar.  Getting caught between my garden clogs and the stone path had turned him into a smear of green slime.  I hoped that this caterpillar would turn out to be some ugly moth or destructive type, but a quick check in my caterpillar book confirmed that it was variegated fritillary.  One of the food plants for this lovely caterpillar is purslane.  We have lots more of it if another caterpillar shows up.  I'll try to watch my step!

There were monarch butterflies flitting around the garden today.  It didn't take Ed too long to get a great shot of a monarch caterpillar on some milkweed.  He's a real eating machine.

I was almost finished making dinner.  All I needed was a little fresh dill.  I had my eye on a plant that had self seeded in the allium bed, but on closer inspection I realized that three black swallowtail caterpillars had beaten me to it.  Unwilling to interrupt their dinner, I found another plant in the bed in front of the house.  There were no caterpillars in evidence here, so they have their dill plant and I got mine.  It's a pleasure to share and dinner was delicious!

October Garden Walk, Photos by Amy

Blue skies and sunshine made this a delightful day to spend  time in the garden. Ed spent most of the day outside.  Amy spent some  time weeding one of the stone patios. It's one of the hardest weeding assignments in the garden and one I have difficulty  doing. It was  sweet of her to tackle it. After that hard work,  I gave her the camera to have some fun. She captured the Black swallowtail caterpillars eating the dill as fast as they can. It was just over a week ago that they looked so different. Here's how they looked on October 13.

The second one isn't quite as big, but he looks like a familiar Black swallowtail caterpillar too. I love the gray of the lavender in the background here.

Never before have there been so many Large Milkweed Bugs, Onocopeltus fasciatus in the garden. Before this year I have never seen more than a few adults. Their bright orange and black coloring would catch any one's eye. These all look like adults.

Here is a single adult and small immature bugs. I have read that adults overwinter. I can't help but wonder how many of these will be around in the spring. It's a lucky thing we have plenty of milkweed here for everybody!

This terrific picture shows immature bugs inside the milkweed pod. Much of the milkweed fluff  has had its seeds consumed. I guess those will never get to dance on the wind without the cargo they are made to carry. These orange and black bugs have been chowing down on the seeds. I first noticed these amazing garden inhabitants on October 5 when I wrote a post for Beautiful Wildlife Gardens. 

Looking very much like a couple of flowers in the grass, these mushrooms are striking in their beauty. Not bad for a fungus.

Today was a gorgeous October day to be outside in the garden made perfect because we enjoyed it together.