Look carefully and you might see a new butterfly. It has been exciting to have eggs and monarch caterpillars on my swamp milkweed, and painted lady caterpillars on pearly everlasting plants.
In the past month I have been able to identify some new north land caterpillars and butterflies. Enjoy these pictures, but it is better to see the real thing rather than a picture! Get outside and observe!
“Whatever befalls the earth, befalls the people of the earth.” Chief Seattle
If Everyone Does a Little It Can Add up to A Lot!
Have you noticed how few butterflies are flittering around this summer? Researchers find that butterfly species throughout the world are disappearing because of pollution, pesticides, and habitat loss. A newly released study says many butterflies are vanishing.
The author suggests we remove some of our lawn, and plant more flowers. Yes, we should plant more flowers, but beside planting more flowers we need to reduce the use of the chemicals we put on our lawns, in our gardens and on our agricultural fields.
Reducing chemicals and planting host plants for butterflies can make a big difference. Many of us are actively working on planting milkweed for monarchs, but there are many other butterfly species. Besides milkweed I have pearly everlasting for the American painted lady, turtlehead for the checkerspot butterfly, and golden Alexander for the black swallow-tail. Violets are great for the fritillary butterflies. This is one of the best charts I have seen on plants for butterflies from Bringing Nature Home And some ideas from the University of Minnesota for plants that are favored for butterflies an moths. Please let me know what your best plants for butterflies are?
More information of pollinators: http://www.xerces.org/
Perfect Weather and Great Views
The air is dry and temperatures are comfortable with a slight breeze. Most days the sun shines, and the big lake moderates the hot extreme. Daylight still hangs on until about 8:30PM. It is perfect kayaking weather and the big lake is a rich blue hue. Breathing the refreshing air feels healthy, and you wish for these marvelous days to linger forever.
The ripe red elderberry berries bring a family of hairy woodpeckers, red-eyed vireo and some very noisy blue jays to our yard. The hummingbirds love anything red, pink or purple. The call of loons, sand hill cranes, and pileated woodpeckers haunt the air.
Best pollinator plants blooming now are the common milkweed, thistle, and the St John’s Wort. The native bee balm hasn’t bloomed yet, and the hyssop and golden rod are a few days away from vying for best pollinator plant!
Our friend, the fox, visits daily, stares at us for 2 minutes and then trots off. Some days he brings a mate. Sightings of does and her babies are unusually rare.
