Show your butterfly and hummingbird gardens/plants

[SpookyShoe]

That's nice Tracy. I didn't know that passiflora would grow that far north. Now I know.

[SpookyShoe]

This tough little plant is a bee magnet and it can withstand my sun and my heat.

[GoDawgs]

Just a simple row of zinnias and marigolds.









I saw a hummer or two investigating the sunflowers the other day but after a good look they went elsewhere. You'd think they'd investigate the red zinnias but I've never seen them do that.

[SpookyShoe]

I See you have a gulf fritillary on your zinnia. I found one of them this morning on the passion vine, which is their host plant. I won't have hummingbirds until mid-August at the earliest, when they are on the fall migration.

[Dak]

Spinx moth feeding on California golden current (Ribes aureum)

[Dak]

Hummingbird sage (salvia spathacea) with an Anna

[SpookyShoe]

That moth is spectacular!

[Dak]

And they're big, too, their wingspan can be up to 8 inches! They were here in late winter one year, buzzing all over the place.



It's so hot and dry here I decided early on that unless it's food, I only put in native plants that have a chance of surviving with minimal water. Natives bring such interesting wildlife to our garden.

[Tracydr]

Originally Posted by SpookyShoe

That's nice Tracy. I didn't know that passiflora would grow that far north. Now I know.

It’s the p.incarnata or maypop. I’m going to take some cuttings off of it and also start some from seeds and try some in a sunnier area in my garden where I’m making a bee/butterfly and sitting spot.
I may also add a tropical passiflora to the same trellis for interest and cross pollination. I’ll just have to cut it back and bring it indoors for the winter. I love passiflora and the fruit!

[SpookyShoe]

These are common in my backyard this year.

[SpookyShoe]

I have a corner in the backyard that is my original hummingbird and butterfly area from many years ago. Over the years it's contained several plants. This year I gave up on trying to maintain the Wendy's Wish Salvia and the Blue Spires Salvia. They were unable to take the sun and the heat and were constantly wilting and drooping. Last year I had a Blue Fortune Agastache that couldn't make it because it was burned by the sun. I replaced them yesterday with Hamelia Patens and Hamelia Patens Lime Sizzler. They are small but they will grow fast. My Skyscraper Pink Salvia is doing okay because I have it in a semi shaded spot and I give it a lot of water.

[GoDawgs]

Spooky, you have such beautiful plants! I tried a long time ago to grow flowers but the veggies just took over my time. Now there's just zinnias and marigolds in the veg garden to bring in the pollinators. Oh well, they brighten it up a bit. It's enough to scratch the flower itch.

Here's a little butterfly that stopped by this afternoon. I've been to three butterfly ID sites online and the closest I came to this one was a Statira Sulphur. The pics I found had the same light green color with no spots but the narrative called it a light yellow. This one has a small lighter colored patch under that darker green streak on the wing near the head. Go figure. Any suggestions?



OH! Also today I saw the first hummer ever visiting the zinnias! They've probably been there before but not while I was looking. She was more interested in the yellow ones than the red which surprised me. I've had hummers come say hi and stare at me when I'm wearing a red shirt. Then they say, "Oh, it's just *you*' Byeeeeeee!"

[SpookyShoe]

If it's not a Cloudless Sulfur, then I don't know what it is. But it does look a little green and the SuIfur I have seen are more of a yellow.

[GoDawgs]

A new visitor to the garden! I've tentatively identified it as an Orange-Tipped Oak Moth (Anisota senatoria), about 1.25" wide. It was resting on a field pea leaf this morning. There are always new surprises in the garden so that's why I always have my camera with me.

[SpookyShoe]

That is one hairy moth.