Even more wow!

I am so excited to have the Monarch Butterfly in my backyard habitat! I have a sand vine milkweed growing on one of the deck posts and I photographed the visitor today! Click on the photos for a closer view!
This is the first year I have had them and only after discovering that the vines I had been pulling up for several years are a variety that they like! I am so glad I decided to leave the vines alone this year! It was just last week that I discovered what the vine actually was. I did not know that there was a vining milkweed.

I love this time of year! The butterflies are at their finest! This one is a Spicebush Swallowtail, so gorgeous! The picture doesn't do it justice! It was funny, while I tried to get photos of it, it would fly away and a few seconds later it would reappear. At one point, it flew around me as though it wanted to scare me away. At first it lit on the back of the plant as though it was hiding from me but I stayed put and eventually, it came forward and gave a wonderful pose, as you see in the photo! I wonder if they are smart enough to know whether someone is dangerous to them or not? I am certain that it really liked the vine it was feeding from!

Click on icons for a larger view of this one!


We finally have a regular at the hummingbird feeder! I don't know why they come to our feeder so late in the summer. Mom's begin feeding as soon as she puts out food. I feed them into late September or early October because I don't get them until late summer. The thought that it harms them is a myth. They can be fed until they migrate south. Late feeding also helps stragglers to survive their trip. As evening temperatures drop, they feed more frequently because it requires a great deal of food to produce enough energy for them to stay warm on cold nights. I have heard of them being sited in winter....

The one I watched today seemed to be curious about me. It hummed all around me and finally began to feed. I have not been on the deck much because of the heat so it was not used to me but the weather was perfect today for observing them! I stole a few minutes between appointments to observe the wildlife that I love in the backyard!

Something else I discovered today... I have a deadly nightshade growing in a corner of the yard. I have no idea where it came from but it has beautiful little purple flowers with a bright yellow sepal. This plant is poisonous if consumed. Since we have no children or animals around to worry about, I am leaving it alone for the time being.

I hope to get a photo of the hummingbird soon. I will post it when I do!

Relaxing summer eve....

Hummingbirds at Mom's house.... We went to Mom's this evening to pick up some garden booty. I had hoped to strum some but I cut my pinkie while working in the kitchen just before we headed over there, so strumming was no longer on the agenda.

We have corn, tomatoes, and squash, so zuchinni bread is on the menu tomorrow. I baked one loaf tonight after getting home. I have baked 6 loaves over the last 3 weeks and I planned to freeze some of it, but it has not lasted long enough to do that. I have enough for about 4 more loaves. I hope to get a couple of them frozen. Wish me luck!