Working Hard! Oh, how I love this man...
Hooray, the hard work is done.
I got the fun part, planting the veggies. Collards, Cabbage and Brussell Sprouts. Need to go back to the store and get some more, the selection today was slim.
Camera Critters....I read an article today that said Monarchs only feed on Milkweed.......What's this one doing, resting? I had so many butterflies again today, I love it! (I did buy Milkweed this week so I should have an abundance of Monarchs next year, right?)
To join Camera Critters or just take a look see at some, click on the Camera Critters Banner on the right of my page..........Enjoy!
28 comments:
Darla: Neat garden and that was a neat Monarch for CC.
Nice CC and love the rest of the post too - I think I might be in love with your husband too (mine would never do anything like that!!). Thanks for leaving a comment on the post about my friend Donna.
Nice to meet another Florida Friend :-)
Wonderful post! I love your Monarch butterflys!
The turning of the top soil: it's an annual rite of passage.
Hi Darla~
Thanks for your visit to my blog last week! And yes, the flower you saw next to my frog prince is pentas. Your garden looks great! I would love to have a rototiller. We are so lucky here in Fl. to get to garden year round! You are gonna love the Milkweed for your butterflies, (FYI... it will reseed everywhere).We were able to watch many Monarchs emerge from their chrysalis last year, it was amazing and beautiful. The echinacea/butterfly photos are great.
Karrita
Darla, Is that clay soil he's churning up and/or did you amend at all? Is this your first veggie garden? (I know 20 ???) Sorry. It looks so pretty all hilled up and planted out. My garden is giving me green beans already and the pole beans are starting to come in too.
Love the butterflies. The monarchs around here aren't completely partial to milkweed for feeding. I do think it is their choice for laying eggs though.
Wow had to look to see where you lived to be planting a garden. All our stuff is harvested here in Massachusetts. Beautiful shots of the Monarch!
I'd love to have a garden, but my yard is mostly sand. Great photos of the butterflies.
Beautiful Monarch Butterfly. I love the butterflies especially. As someone else stated though monarch butterflies are not partial to feeding just on milkweed. However milkweed is the host plant for the caterpillar of the Monarch Butterfly and caterpillars only feed on the host plant, that is why you shouldn't remove the caterpillar from the plant.
Beautiful Monarchs!
You have a nice veggie garden too!
Oh, as tired as I am from my garden, it makes me want to get out there and plant something. I do have to get out and cut some cabbage, and broccoli though. Cauliflower is still growing. Your garden looks wonderful. I would love to learn more about those butterflies.
It's so hard for me to imagine that you are JUST starting to plant a veggie garden when I am a month away from possible snowstorms! Post pics as they grow!
Love the coneflower and its friend!
Gail
I could use one of those men to help in my yard. :-) Love the butterfly shots and can't wait to see pics of when your purchases have grown.
How luck you are to have a hubby willing to do the hard labor! I used to think butterflies in my garden was a good thing until I discovered what they leave behind...caterpillars! Ugh. So many of my plants were ravaged my caterpillars this year.
lovely flowers and butterfly sandy
Thanks for all of the comments.
I am thankful he does the hard labor.
Meems = It is a thin layer of sand right under the grass. It tills right in to the richer dirt.
I now know about Monarchs and Milkweed, thanks everyone. We want the caterpillars so we will have more butterflies.
That does look like hard work. Love the butterflys.
I am a little envious that you are planting a veggie garden now, but I don't envy your HOT summers. Looks like you should eating freah very shortly. The Monarch will feast on many flowers, but the caterpillar feeds only on the Milkweed(butterfly weed). So you have a great host plant plus it has very pretty blooms!
Darla, if you want more monarchs visiting, you'll need a few milkweed plants. Since it's the only plant the caterpillars eat, you'll need to have enough on hand to feed them once they come. They are HUGE eaters. My 4 milkweed plants have been in the ground 2 or 3 years and the caterpillars ate every leaf off of them this summer. The problem with running out and buying more milkweed as you need it is this: most garden centers spray the plants to keep the bugs off. This poison stays on the leaves a while and it can kill the caterpillars. If you plant in the spring, you'll be good to go by summer.
Your veggie garden looks great newly tilled & planted! I think it's just the monarch caterpillars that feed on the milkweed plants.
Darla, This time of year when winter is coming, I'm a little jealous of those of you in Florida--who are planting gardens!!!!
My hubby also does the hard work when it comes to our flower gardens. BUT--I certainly do my share. Can't wait 'til spring --to reap the rewards!!!! Keep those gorgeous pictures coming.
Hugs,
Betsy
Hi Darla! Thanks for stopping by my blog. It's exciting that you're planting a veggie garden. If you want to attract more butterflies, try reading this UF/IFAS document: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/UW057.
I am no butterfly expert, but maybe they meant before they are a butterfly. They do lay their eggs on the milkweed.
Amazing you still have a Monarch. And you captured a 'flat' photo, they usually don't stay still long enough for a good one.
Darla, you are undoubtedly the busiest girl I know! Wish I could borrow some of your energy (and maybe your man & tiller) to get some planting done. It all looks great!
I've got photos of Monarchs on many other plants/flowers/trees besides Milkweed ;-) Aren't they beautiful!
My Hubs thought that maybe the flower in my Today's Flowers post on Misty's Musings might be Milkweed... I have no idea.
Really enjoyed visiting your garden! And lucky you to have Monarchs.
Thanks for sharing.
Darla, I just wanted to say when you plant a milk weed and it has finished with its flowers it will make big puffy seed pod. The seed scatters and you will get many milkweed plants.They come in different colours to. I have a creamy white with purple around the little bell flowers. Mine are always full of wonderfully striped caterpillars from the "Wanderer" as we call the Monarch butterfly here. Sorry that this got so long.
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