Garden View August 5, 2022
The garden had a good tidy and mow this week. Considering it is August, I am happy enough with the way it looks I will share a long-view photo. There are still some sections (lower corners of the photo) where I am battling bermuda grass. It does not want to give up, nor do I. Covering the affected areas with heavy layers of cardboard and mulch for months has been effective, but unsightly.
We have had several rains, some with thunder, some with sun. They didn’t bring much precipitation but each drop this summer has been especially satisfying. Each shower encouraged a fresh batch of summer flowers and butterflies.
Black Swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes)
Butterflying has been very casual this year, still I have noted 248 butterflies, 24 species in the garden. This week added two first-of-year sightings—Sleepy Orange (Abaeis nicippe) and Pearl Crescent (Phyciodes tharos). Both were difficult to photograph but whereas the Sleepy Orange didn’t return for a photo op, I had multiple chances with Pearl Crescents throughout the week.
Pearl Crescent (Phyciodes tharos) on Green-Headed coneflower
While Common lantana, Zinnias, Butterfly bush, Green-Headed coneflower and Black-eyed Susans were popular insect hubs this week, dahlias seldom draw more than a passing glance. I ordered some single variety dahlias this year, which are supposed to be more useful than doubles and semi-doubles for pollinators, but they didn’t grow.
Here are some of my favorite scenes from the past few days.
Horace’s Duskywing (Erynnis horatius) Rudbeckia fulgida ‘Goldsturm’ (Black-eyed Susan)
Cleome hassleriana (Spider Flower)
Monarda didyma (Scarlet Beebalm) often draw hummingbirds
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus) – dark morph female
Silver-spotted Skipper (Epargyreus clarus)
Zinnia
Dahlia ‘Tsuki Yori No Shisha’
Gladiolus ‘Performer’ (Large Flowering)
Gladiolus ‘Performer’ (Large Flowering)
Double-banded Scoliid Wasp (Scolia bicincta) on Green-headed coneflower
Common Thread-waisted Wasp (Ammophila procera) on Green-headed coneflower
Dahlia ‘Tsuki Yori No Shisha’
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus)
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus) – a fresh beauty
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus) – Side view of same butterfly
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus) – One more side view of same butterfly
Black Swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes) -Nectaring on zinnia in front of a sea of black-eyed Susans
Black Swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes)
Dahlia ‘Cafe Au Lait’
Dahlia Decorative ‘Noordwijks Glorie’
Dahlia ‘Totally Tangerine’
Dahlia Ball ‘Petra’s Wedding’
Dahlia ‘Gallery Art Deco’
Angelonia ‘Serena Blue’ and Italian Parsley
Zinnia
Dahlia ‘Cafe Au Lait’
Black Swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes)
Pearl crescent (Phyciodes tharos)
Pearl crescent (Phyciodes tharos)
Little Glassywing (Pompeius verna) on Green-headed coneflower
pbmGarden 
Your garden from above is beautiful, Susie! What a sight to behold as you descend into it. Your photos of flowers and butterflies are delightful.
I find zinnias and coneflower are very popular with the butterflies this time of year. The only thing attracted to my dahlias now are earwigs and Japanese beetles…grrr.
Thank so much Eliza. I do like the high vantage point for viewing the garden. It feels much more intimate than the photo suggests. Dahlias are so tricky, aren’t they. Ants are bothering mine this year.
This post could be a coffee table book. I don’t have enough adjectives to describe the beauty of each one of those photos. Thank you for sharing because I appreciate the smile.
I appreciate this sweet comment Judy. One of the joys of having my garden is taking pictures. So glad sharing them made you smile! Have a good weekend.
I love the overhead view of your garden, Susie. The butterflies are certainly giving it their seal of approval as well. I’d expected to see more butterflies here by this time but my cutting garden hasn’t been the draw it was in prior years, although my Zinnia crop is still a bit sparse. However, I visited my local botanic garden this week and didn’t see a lot of butterflies there either, which is odd and more than a little distressing.
Kris, sadly I think butterfly numbers are down here also (not just in my garden). I used to almost ignore Eastern Tiger Swallowtails because the garden was full of them but now I am so pleased to see one I take a dozen pictures of it. Let’s hope the rest of the summer is filled with zinnias and butterflies!
Oh, gorgeous! Beautiful butterflies and other pollinators, too! Thanks for the long view; it’s nice to get a picture of what your larger garden looks like…fabulous! (Butterfly numbers are down here in the Madison, Wis., area, too. 😦 )
Thanks Beth! The garden is rebounding after a few years of neglect. Sorry to hear your butterfly numbers are down also.
Your garden is doing so well and even though you are not counting butterflies like last year, you sure have plenty of them coming to the garden.
Thank you. The butterflies seem not as plentiful, especially the big colorful ones, but those that stop by make me happy.
That first photo suggests that your house must be well elevated above the garden, Susie – good for viewing! Do you have garden at the back of the house as well? You have seen an amazing number and variety of butterflies! Here, there have certainly been more in recent weeks than earlier in the summer, but perhaps less than a dozen varieties
Let’s hope we keep finding more butterflies. This view is taken from a screened porch at the back center of the house (the garden is the entire back yard). I love being able to see out over the garden from my second floor bedroom also. I have a garden on the narrow south side of the house that has gotten little attention lately. It’s not enclosed by the fence so I have to plant things deer and rabbits won’t eat. There are homeowner rules in our community that dictate lawn in front, etc. and rather than fight that battle I mostly concentrate on the back garden. It’s my own little private space.
Thanks for elaborating Susie, it helps me visualise it better. I do rather envy you having that view though as it’s not something we have here
Wow, you’re not kidding! The garden looks great and the butterflies really seem to enjoy it. I’m always surprised by how diverse your visitors are, I don’t think we get nearly as many here, even in a good year.
Thanks Frank. I feel like the garden is better than in the past two years. Many things I could pick apart and worry over but usually by now everything is simply brown. So keeping it green feels like an accomplishment! Hope your pollinators increase and diversify! have a good week.
The view across your garden from the house is lovely Susie and I imagine it must be very pleasing looking out at that every morning. It seems your weather has been wuite good for the garden this summer, with just enough rain. You have so many gorgeous dahlias this year! And the butterfly shots are great. A new one to me is the Pearl Crescent – a beauty. 😃
Thanks Cathy, it has been a good year to enjoy the garden. We’ve not had much rain but I’ve kept things going by handwatering. It needs it again this morning, no rain forecast. Pearl Crescents were out for about a week but haven’t seen them the last few days. They are pretty.