Tag Archives: Asclepias tuberosa (Butterfly Plant)

Butterflies

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Asclepias tuberosa (Butterfly Plant)

I chased a butterfly around yesterday afternoon, a tiny one named Eastern Tailed-Blue (Cupido comyntas). It did not let me approach very close so the pictures just give a hint of what it looks like in person.

It lit on a brick edging of the meditation circle, so here you can get an idea of the relative size.

Eastern Tailed-Blue (Cupido comyntas)

I had to enlarge the image a lot to show detail. Can you make out the tail?

Eastern Tailed-Blue (Cupido comyntas)

The Eastern Tailed-Blue moved onto clover in the grass and eventually I could see the wings open.

Eastern Tailed-Blue (Cupido comyntas) – center

Wings partly open:

Eastern Tailed-Blue (Cupido comyntas) -below and right of center

Here it is enlarged with the wings open.

Eastern Tailed-Blue (Cupido comyntas)

Another Silver-spotted Skipper visited yesterday enticed by the ever popular verbena bonariensis. It moved around quickly also but stayed let me near for pictures.

Silver-spotted Skipper (Epargyreus clarus)

Silver-spotted Skipper (Epargyreus clarus)

I saw one Monarch butterfly 6 weeks ago, April 13, 2021, when there was little blooming for it to enjoy. The southern side path is ready for them now. The Asclepias tuberosa has more light this year and has responded accordingly.

Asclepias tuberosa (Butterfly Plant)

In A Vase On Monday – Last Day In May

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In A Vase On Monday – Last Day In May

Each Monday Cathy at Rambling In The Garden invites us to share a vase of materials gathered from our gardens.

In A Vase On Monday – Last Day In May

May flowers. I began with brilliant orange Asclepias tuberosa, leaving plenty for any monarchs that might show up. (The umbel is a variegated form of Aegopodium, an attractive groundcover but unfortunately invasive.)

In A Vase On Monday – Last Day In May

The color emphasis shifted when gathering other flowers I came upon a second and final bloom of Paeonia ‘Pink Parfait’, the only one of the peonies that did not produce lots of flowers this year.

Paeonia ‘Pink Parfait’

The other peonies in today’s vase, two ‘Sarah Bernhardt’ (below) and one ‘Festiva Maxima’ (lower left corner above), have been stored in the refrigerator for a few weeks. It was time to bring them out.

In A Vase On Monday – Last Day In May

The first of the returning dahlias, along with achillea, snapdragon, gaura, hydrangea, dark red clematis and even a bright orange nasturtium all were enlisted as companions to bridge the gap between orange and pink.

In A Vase On Monday – Last Day In May

In A Vase On Monday – Last Day In May

In A Vase On Monday – Last Day In May

In A Vase On Monday – Last Day In May

Materials
Flowers
Achillea filipendulina (Fern-leaf Yarrow)
Aegopodium podagraria(bishop’s weed)
Antirrhinum majus ‘Speedy Sonnet Bronze’ (Snapdragon)
Asclepias tuberosa (Butterfly Plant)
Clematis ‘Niobe’
Dahlia ‘Gallery Art Deco’
Echinacea purpurea (Purple Coneflower)
Gaura lindheimeri ‘Passionate Blush’
Helleborus x hybridus (Lenten Rose)
Hydrangea macrophylla
Nasturtium ‘Vesuvius’
Paeonia ‘Festiva Maxima’
Paeonia ‘Pink Parfait’
Paeonia lactiflora ‘Sarah Bernhardt’
Penstemon digitalis ‘Husker Red’ (Beardtongue)
Foliage
Dahlia
Peony
Container
Ceramic Urn Stamped “Vintage 4”
6-inch clear Lomey dish
eco-friendly Oasis floral foam

In A Vase On Monday – Last Day In May

As always thanks to our host Cathy at Rambling In The Garden for providing this opportunity to to share our vases. Visit her to discover what garden surprises she and others are offering this week.

A Snapshot In Time

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Asclepias tuberosa (Butterfly Plant)

While chasing a decidedly camera-shy Common Buckeye butterfly yesterday afternoon, I came upon a fleeting segment of natural wonder.

Beneath a patch of zinnias an asclepias seedpod was having a moment. Walls of the okra-shaped pod had separated, revealing rows of seeds attached to white, silky threads.

Asclepias tuberosa (Butterfly Plant)

Patterns in nature are fascinating and here the seeds are aligned, held back by gentle tufts of silkiness.

Asclepias tuberosa (Butterfly Plant)

I went inside to grab some clippers imagining this would make a great focal point for a floral design.

Asclepias tuberosa (Butterfly Plant)

Asclepias tuberosa (Butterfly Plant)

Asclepias tuberosa (Butterfly Plant)

In my brief two-minute absence nature carried on with its script, sending the necessary amount of wind across the flower bed, releasing the seeds into the world. Wind dispersal sends seeds away from the parent plant, in this case carried atop silky parachutes. Stunned it had happened so immediately I failed to even photograph the mostly bare stems left behind.

Eventually I managed a distant shot of the butterfly, a satisfying consolation and another fine example of nature’s fondness for pattern.

Common Buckeye (Junonia coenia) on Chrysanthemum ‘Sheffield Pink’ (Hardy Chrysanthemum)

In A Vase On Monday – Heat Wave

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In A Vase On Monday – Heat Wave

Each Monday Cathy from Rambling In The Garden invites us to share a vase assembled from materials collected in our gardens.

In A Vase On Monday – Heat Wave

June has arrived. May finished up with blistering heat, scorching the grass and plants with record temps in the 90s. Friday evening brought rain storms that blew over the beautiful asclepias and a few other plants, but the rain otherwise served temporarily to replenish and restore.

Red Asiatic lilies, grown in a large pot on the back patio, have multiplied over the past several years. They chose this past hot week to bloom. I collected them several times times toward the end of the week and brought all that were open indoors, knowing they would be perfect for a Monday vase.

Lilium ‘Black Out’

After enjoying the lilies several days while they conditioned in a tall glass vase, I considered leaving them as they were.

Conditioning Materials in Water

In the end I determined to use Oasis floral foam and create a formal design to take advantage of having so many lilies. I had a baker’s dozen (13) stems of lilies, but wished for more.

Saturday morning after the rain I searched for some foliage to use with the lilies: Hedychium coronarium (Ginger lily) and Canna ‘Semaphore’ for filling in and adding height to the design; peony leaves to conceal the mechanics at the base.

Upon seeing the rain-bent asclepias, I straightened as many stems as I could, then rescued the ones that could not stand up, suddenly abandoning plans for a monochromatic arrangement for today’s vase and introducing orange alongside the carmine red lilies.

Lilium ‘Black Out’ and Asclepias tuberosa

I could not stick completely to red and orange and found myself bringing in some richly-hued Salvia guaranitica ‘Black and Blue.’ (After trying them alongside the others I confined them to the back of the vase. Blues and purples seemed to distract from the strong red-orange color theme.) Also I discovered tender young lavender just beginning to open, but only a few pieces  made it into the vase.)

The backside is not visible but I tucked ‘Heuchera leaves as concealer for the oasis and plastic dish.

Back of Vase – Salvia and Foliage

 

Materials
Flowers
Asclepias tuberosa (Butterfly Plant)
Lavender (Lavandula)
Lilium ‘Black Out’ (Asiatic lily)
Salvia guaranitica ‘Black and Blue’
Foliage
Canna ‘Semaphore’
Hedychium coronarium (Ginger lily)
Heuchera sanguinea ‘Coral Forest’ (Coral Bells)
Paeonia lactiflora ‘Coral Charm’
Container
Ceramic pot

The vase itself is a beautifully crafted black and red glazed pot I bought in a silent auction at an art show in my home town sixteen or more years ago. It measures 10 inches (25.4 cm) across at its widest point and is 11 inches (28 cm) tall. (Unfortunately I do not know the artist.)  the peony leaves are placed at a diagonal to emphasize the band of red glaze in the pot.

In A Vase On Monday – Heat Wave

These flowers really make a strong impact in my living room. I enjoyed the luxury of having red lilies to arrange. They make a great cut flower and should keep many days.

In A Vase On Monday – Heat Wave

I posed the flowers in different places, so please bear with me.

In A Vase On Monday – Heat Wave

In A Vase On Monday – Heat Wave

In A Vase On Monday – Heat Wave

In A Vase On Monday – Heat Wave

Many thanks to Cathy at Rambling In The Garden for hosting and giving us an opportunity to share flower designs across the world. Visit her to discover what she and others found to place In A Vase On Monday.

In A Vase On Monday – Purple, Orange, Pod and Bark

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In A Vase On Monday – Purple, Orange, Pod and Bark

I look forward each week to joining Cathy at Rambling In The Garden, along with other garden bloggers from around the globe, in sharing an arrangement every Monday using materials collected from our gardens.

After enjoying an exciting and special time with family during the weekend, I quickly pieced together a simple Ikebana design for today. A few Asclepias plants are still blooming despite very dry conditions in the garden, but pods are forming as well. One seedpod and one flowering stem were the starting point for today’s vase.

I paired the Asclepias with a section of bark from a crape myrtle from the front garden (another storm mishap for those of you who are familiar with the history of my poor trees–this one being a particularly galling incident considering how dry it is still).

Just before photographing the vase I tucked in two sprigs of angelonia to kick up the color impact. Angelonia is a great annual for summer color.

Angelonia (Summer Snapdragon)

Materials
Flowers and Seedpod
Angelonia (Summer snapdragon)
Asclepias tuberosa (Butterfly Plant)
Bark
Lagerstroemia (Crape Myrtle)
Vase
Porcelain Ikebana vase, Georgetown Pottery, Maine. Triangle Ikebana Blue Wave (6.5 W x 6.5 L x 2H inches)

Walking down the hall toward this vase after I had already finished this post, I noticed the the design is much more engaging from the side, than from head on the way it was designed. More rhythm, more interest. If it were not so late I would be tempted to experiment from this angle, but there is always next week.

In A Vase On Monday – Purple, Orange, Pod and Bark

I will finish with an homage to our little crape myrtle out front. Until I photographed the bark I had not really noticed the little heart. I think it loves me too.

Crape Myrtle Bark

Thanks to Cathy at Rambling In The Garden for hosting each week, allowing us to share our passion. Visit her to discover what she and others found to place In A Vase On Monday.

In A Vase On Monday – Accent Orange

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In A Vase On Monday – Accent Orange

Each Monday Cathy at Rambling In The Garden invites us to share an arrangement using materials collected from our gardens.

Gardenias are in full bloom on the north side of our house. There are two shrubs each reaching over 7 feet tall. One can smell them from the street the scent is so intense.

Gardenia jasminoides (cape jasmine)

Gardenia then seemed a perfect choice for today’s vase.

Gardenia jasminoides (cape jasmine)

After several tries at combining gardenias with asclepias and calla lilies, I decided to regroup. I separated the flowers and created two arrangements, keeping brightly colored orange asclepias in common with both.

Asclepias tuberosa (Butterfly Plant)

In the first vase gardenias and asclepias are inserted into a black floral frog that holds water. The frog in turn is placed into a new small gray footed dish with a graceful, sinuous curve.

Gardenia jasminoides (cape jasmine)

The second vase features my first ever Calla lilies. Foliage of Aucuba japonica ‘Variegata’ is used to highlight the yellow Callas.

In A Vase On Monday – Accent Orange

Of the three calla lilies that have bloomed so far from a package labelled ‘Orange Blend’, two flowers are yellow. The photo on the cover promised they would be more exotic, but I am happy they bloomed.

Zantedeschia ‘Orange Blend’ (Calla lily)

Zantedeschia ‘Orange Blend’ (Calla lily)

Materials

Flowers
Asclepias tuberosa (Butterfly Plant)
Gardenia jasminoides (cape jasmine)
Zantedeschia ‘Orange Blend’ (Calla lily)

Foliage
Aucuba japonica ‘Variegata’ (Gold Dust Aucuba)

Vases
Porcelain Ikebana vase, Georgetown Pottery, Maine. Triangle Blue Wave (6.5 W x 6.5 L x 2H)
Footed ceramic dish, gray matte finish

The next few weeks will be busy away from the garden, on a special journey—an intense 200-hour yoga teacher training program.  I am beyond excited. As my focus shifts I hope to be able to create Monday vases and continue reading your posts though I may not get a chance to comment often. Soon after the yoga training ends, the Garden Bloggers’ Fling will begin.

Thanks to Cathy at Rambling In The Garden for hosting and giving us a chance to express our flower arranging passion. Visit her to discover what she and others found this week in their gardens to place In A Vase On Monday.