FXW176

47 minutes ago, yoda said:

Will they finally be able to win in the first round tonight?  Or will they pull a Caps and blow it?

Your fascination with the Caps warms my heart on this chilly Oct Eve @yoda. ❤️

9 hours ago, H2O said:

shop vac cleans that up real quick

Too kind. Expose a cat to an IGR for a really horrific result. Worse than the tachs imo.

My first swallowtail chrysalis. ❤️

On 8/26/2019 at 12:52 PM, mappy said:

so I'm thinking next year i will forego the veggie garden and just make an annual butterfly garden. i have a 10x10 space to work with. suggestions on what i can plant? 

Mappy! Been awhile, hope you and yours are doing well! 

My prob four fav plants in the butterfly garden are the swamp milkweed (Asclepias Incarnata), Pentas, Lantana, and Celosia.

Only the milkweed is an perennial of the four, but doubles as a nectar and host plant for the monarchs. (And for some random critter I haven’t been able to id yet.)

The others are annual nectar plants with the Pentas attracting the most butterflies, the Lantana a great all around pollinator attractor, and the Celosia being the bee magnet. Results may vary...

The pic of that swallowtail cat came from the dill, rue, fennel, and parsley containers I have in the b garden. New addition this year and have never raised those cats before. Now I’m caring for a dozen. P cool.

Are you looking to provide a habitat or raise a few? Regardless, it’s waaay fun.

#notamonarchftw

(snip)

@PrinceFrederickWx

V nice. Here is one of my favs from this year. iPhone quality. Yours rule.

Nice chow @C.A.P.E.. Props for not wrecking it with ketchup...

And gorgeous pic @PrinceFrederickWx. P sure that’s a female, good on you for planting some pollinators.

Main milkweed garden @BlizzardNole

Fifteen cats eating on the back porch, one in J, and the three chrysalis that are prob gonna emerge by this weekend. Hoping for a Gen 3 female to drop a few more eggs.

Gonna need a green box here just east of IAD soon.

On 7/31/2019 at 10:23 AM, BlizzardNole said:

I've been thinking of adding dill, fennel and parsley to my butterfly garden for black swallowtails but haven't tried it yet.  I get lots of Monarch caterpillars with the tropical milkweed, and all kinds of butterflies nectar on that stuff.  Hummingbirds love it too.

Have you seen any black swallowtail caterpillars on the herbs?

 

Unfortunately, haven’t seen, found, or heard one yet. And I’ve been looking. Prob too much.   

Your garden is gorgeous. Thinking about adding a potted wild cherry and maybe a spicebush here in the fall. Want to diversify a bit and up my chances to catch a few other critters.

Have three monarch chrysalis on my back porch right now. Will try and remember to send a pic of my main milkweed garden I planted earlier this summer. The three cats I had were ahead of my regular schedule. Pentas ftw.

On 7/25/2019 at 7:30 AM, H2O said:

Why can't you put this much effort into saving the whales?  Butterflies.....pfffffffft

Fairy certain you have a vested interest in my water consumption. I’ll stick with the butterflies for now.

On 7/25/2019 at 9:11 AM, biodhokie said:

He's saving bees, cut him some slack

Bees are cool, no prob with ‘em. But if I find the predator that’s eating my future cats he/she is toast.

21 hours ago, Eskimo Joe said:

Chasing swallotails...RIP my right arm.  

Very cool. Oldest child was intrigued when she saw me planting dill, parsley, and fennel. Along with the rue. Wanted to know if I was growing an herb garden. Told her yes, but not for us.

2 hours ago, Eskimo Joe said:

Gardened for most of the day Sunday and got Rue Rash....far worse than poison ivy.  Blerg it burns and doctor has nothing for it except to let it run its course for about 10 days.

Huh, hope that heals quickly.

Chasing swallowtails with the Rue or using it as a herb?

1 hour ago, WinterWxLuvr said:

Band from Florence?  From the southwest?

The pivot got me.

Just picked up a quick tenth as a band from Florence moved in from the SW. P cool.

26 minutes ago, MN Transplant said:

Radar estimates are low today.  There are places in Chantilly with 5-6”.

Yup, that last batch was redic.

1 hour ago, MN Transplant said:

Crunch, crunch, crunch.

For realz. D0 coming soon to a neighborhood near you.

That was very, very cool.