Monarchs, Finally

They usually get here in August...
People have been talking about a poor showing this year due to the drought, and I guess that's right.
I've put out their faves though....

Monarch butterfly leaving surprises on butterfly weed (asclepias tuberosa)

Monarch cats munching tropical milkweed (Asclepias curassavica)

The blooms on the tropical milkweeds are pretty, but I'd rather have the cats...

Agalinas purpurea blooms

Buckeye butterfly leaving eggs

Kewt little baby buckeye cat

Buckeye butterfly

I spotted a chrysalis on a pear tree.... This is from the gulf fritillary.

Long-tailed skipper babies on desmodium.

Desmodium blooms... Yall might recognize this plant from it's seeds, the ones that stick to your jeans and socks... This plant is better known as tick-trefoil, and the seeds as 'beggar-lice'. I could actually see a case for "dead-heading" this particular plant... Although.... the seeds are supposed to be valuable wildlife food.

Blooms on cranberry hibiscus. First year growing this plant, I'm thrilled to finally see blooms forming. I still need to find some "strawberry chenopodium".

Seeds from the sandhill ironweed that I posted August 28.

Painted lady butterfly on lespedeeza

Gourd patch. I pulled up that massive patch of vines yesterday, I'll be tossing out some turnip and rutabaga seeds directly.

Bee visits white verbesina

Bees on yellow verbesina. Yall might recognize these verbesinas as tall ditch-weeds, I pulled up a coupla stems last year from a couple of patches that were being mowed. They transplanted without difficulty.

Monarda punctata

Yellow brugmansia

Hair-streak butterflies visit flowering chives

The moonflower vines have begun to bloom.