more july wildlife

I find that the hummingbirds prefer the small-flowered canna....

It may not have as spectacular of a flower as the large flowered types... but... who cares when the pay-off on the small-flowers is in attracting these sweeties?

And visiting the salvia...

I totally avoid feeders... I feel like they harm the critters... makes getting pics a bit more of a challenge, but I'm not putting out GMO products or poisoned bird food... or helping spread bird diseases...

 Pigweed caterpillar, I've never seen these b4.

harlequin bug eating pigweed-caterpillar

Phlox... with butterfly.

Butterfly visits swamp hibiscus.

St Andrews Cross (Hypericum hypericoides ssp.)

 

Rhynchosia minima, snout bean...a natural wildflower

Buckeye butterfly visits winter-sown echinacea

Toad lily with bee

 

House lizard...

 

Got a better pic of the bird on her nest...

Babies...

A caterpillar's life isn't easy...

Kinda looks like the caterpillar from Danger-Mouse... Apparently a tussock moth... They have the cutest caterpillars!

Sulfur lays eggs...

Eggs become caterpillars...

Wasp kills caterpillar...

Ctenoplusia caterpillar eating Conyza (mare's tail weed)

Caterpillar on mulberry tree

Bird hunts caterpillars...

Katydid

Cactus bug

Long-tailed-skipper

Long-tailed-skipper caterpillars

Cabbage white

Checkerspot, Pearl Crescent? 

Judy Burris explains the difference at "Beautiful Wildlife Garden"

Pearl Crescent butterflies have solid black dots on the bottom wings.  The Checkerspots have some dots with white centers.

Now we know that I have Pearl Crescent butterflies.

Searching for caterpillars...

redbird.... nest

And finally... Y'all remember the monarch that was laying eggs in the last post?

A baby monarch!

Butterflies

Summer means butterflies at Gardens in the Sand...
People in the area complain that they aren't seeing pollinators...

I doubt that anyone is going to see butterflies when they are busily putting out 7-dust on everything... they're not getting any better veggies than I am...

And... Butterflies can't eat grass...

 

Yay! Monarchs... Finally.

 She's laying eggs!

Spicebush Swallowtail

 

Gulf Fritillary... I like to get pics of those ultra-violet spots on the bottoms of the wings... when I can. 

 

Georgia state butterfly...

 When I started gardening here... these tygers were rare... I got busy planting poplar trees... I have lots now...

 

Black form... Gorgeous!

 It's always a bit of a challenge to get multiples... when they're mating... it's a bit more so...

Some veggies n stuff

Jerusalem artichoke, (Helianthus tuberosus L.)

The flowers seem early.

 I'm not going to have corn on the cob for the 4th of July... but maybe next week...

Cucumber patch

 Getting some nice cow peas...

These brugs seem early too.

Bi-colour 4 0'clocks

Crinum

kudzu bugs

Drowning the kudzu bugs.