Red Raspberries

We're off to a good start with our red raspberries this year.  Unfortunately, there are lots of Japanese Beetles that have also found their way to the berry bushes.  The beetles seem to like both berries and leaves.  They're also working on our grape leaves and  roses : (

Since we don't use pesticides in the garden or lawn, we have to pick off the beetles individually as we see them.  

Perennial Path Blooms

A walk this morning around and through the perennial path provided me with a variety of blooms to photo.

Shasta Daisies and Daylilies with Foxglove in background

St. John's Wart

Astilbe peeking out of the ferns

Bee Balm

Daylilies

More Daylilies

Phlox just beginning to flower

Astilbe 

Clematis climbing the shepherd's hook that holds the oriole feeder

This is the first year our yucca plant has had a flower stalk

Butterfly Habitat

Today we set up the Butterfly Habitat.  Because we protect our blueberry bushes with a net structure to keep the birds from stealing our crop, I thought it would also make a perfect habitat for the butterflies that I raise -- dual purpose. 

The purpose of the habitat is to provide a protected area, somewhat free from preditors, to allow more butterflies to survive than the normal survival rate. Our yard is loaded with milkweed for monarchs, dill weed, fennel and parsley for black swallowtails, and rue for giant swallowtails.

After raising the monarch caterpillars on milkweed indoors in a 2 foot by 3 foot cage, they form their chrysalis on the inside top of the cage.  I transferred the cage full of chrysalises to the 4 foot by 8 foot by 6 foot high blueberry cage outdoors.  One of the female monarchs emerged this morning, which you can see inside. 

I've provided blooming flowers and sugar water nectar for her.  There's also milkweed blooming inside the cage among the blueberry bushes.  I'll keep the female in the cage only until a male monarch emerges from his chrysalis, mates with her, and she lays eggs on the milkweed plants.  I'll release the remaining monarchs as they emerge.

Last year was my first attempt at raising a second generation and it worked -- I was able to raise three adults from the eggs laid by the female.

Blueberry structure made into a butterfly habitat

Our first arrival and cage containing 29 more chrysalises

A female monarch was the first to emerge

Some of the other residents of the 2' by 3' cage

Nectar and flowers for food

Lantana -- a favorite of mine and the butterflies!

Common Milkweed inside cage beginning to bloom

Tropical Milkweed in pot on right, nectar in center yellow container, flowers in left pot

Giant Swallowtail June Update & Monarch Sighting

Today I'm happy to report that, so far,  three of the seven Giant Swallowtail chrysalises that wintered over in the cage have eclosed -- June 8th, June 9th and 10th -- one each day! I released them from the cage and they were strong enough to soar into the trees.  

Last August I had gathered the eggs off my rue plants and raised the resulting caterpillars in a cage.  They formed their chrysalis in the cage (the last one formed 9/10/18) which I left outdoors on our covered porch all winter long with temps going into the single digits at times.

Also today I spotted our first monarch butterfly of the season.  She was laying eggs on the milkweed in our yard -- here's a good shot of her on the milkweed depositing an egg.

2019 Spring Garden Update

Ruby Throated Hummingbird on Rhody 5/20/19

Ruby Throated Hummingbird at our new feeder 5/20/19

Daffodils

Rhubarb

Baltimore Oriole visitor 5/6/19 -- Feeder went up on 4/29/19

Primrose

Red Raspberry patch 5/1/19

Garden Center purchases May 1st -- Pansies and Iris

It's not very often that we'll see a hummingbird perching  5/20/19