Yesterday (August 15, 2019) I spotted a new garden visitor. This Pipevine Swallowtail (Battus philenor) appears tattered and torn as do many of the butterflies I saw this week. (Life ain’t been no bowl of cherries for some of them.) Like so many others it is attracted to the Lantana camara (Common lantana).
Pipevine Swallowtail (Battus philenor)
The iridescent blue on the top surface of the hindwing makes this butterfly especially lovely.
Pipevine Swallowtail (Battus philenor)
Pipevine Swallowtail (Battus philenor)
Pipevine Swallowtail (Battus philenor)
Here is the Pipevine in action (21 seconds).
The spider mentioned in the title is one of my favorite spiders, Lycoris radiata (Spider Lily). My grandmother grew these near the front foundation of her house and as a young child I was fascinated by the color and form.
Lycoris radiata (Spider Lily)
The tall stems erupted and shot up overnight Wednesday with red tips showing by yesterday the flowers had opened. I took these images early this morning while rambling through the garden. I wonder if they will last as cut flowers?
Lycoris radiata (Spider Lily)
Lycoris radiata (Spider Lily)
Rudbeckia fulgida ‘Goldsturm’ (Black-eyed Susan)
Rudbeckia fulgida ‘Goldsturm’ (Black-eyed Susan)
Daylily
Lantana camara (Common lantana)
Tanacetum vulgare (Tansy)
In A Vase On Monday – October Surprise
Running late as the week begins I hurriedly join Cathy with In A Vase On Monday, an opportunity to share an arrangement using materials collected from the garden.
A surprise this morning when I went out to search for flower came in the form of pass-along reblooming iris.
In A Vase On Monday – October Surprise
In A Vase On Monday – October Surprise
Zinnias have fallen and splayed but continue to flower. Swamp sunflower, also blown over but glorious in the morning sunlight, more pass-along dahlias (featured last week) and a stem of Autumn Joy sedum round out this week’s selections. I placed these in a blue, green and white pitcher by a local potter.
In A Vase On Monday – October Surprise
Materials
Dahlia sp.
Helianthus angustifolius (Swamp Sunflower)
Hylotelephium telephium ‘Herbstfreude’ (Autumn Joy)
Lantana camara (Common lantana)
Reblooming Iris
Zinnia ‘Cut and Come Again Mix’
Zinnia ‘Burpeeana Giants Mix’
Zinnia elegans ’Cactus Flower Blend’
In A Vase On Monday – October Surprise
Thanks to Cathy for hosting and giving us a chance to express our flower arranging passion. Visit her at Rambling In The Garden to discover what she and others are placing In A Vase On Monday.
In A Vase On Monday – In A Basket
As the week begins I join Cathy with In A Vase On Monday, an opportunity to share an arrangement using materials collected from the garden.
Sunday evening we had rain! Much needed, much appreciated rain. But Sunday afternoon I began today’s vase with the idea of creating a small design using bright multicolored flower clusters of Lantana camara. Given the increasingly dry conditions in the garden for the last six or seven weeks it seemed unlikely much else would be available. But I noticed some Perovskia (Russian Sage) that looked fresh, similarly Verbena bonariensis, and surprisingly, even three Iceberg roses.
In A Vase On Monday – Lantana camara
I added a few zinnias and marigolds. Soon I had collected not armloads of flowers, but certainly more than expected. It felt bounteous.
Searching around for a container I thought of simply displaying the flowers informally in a basket. The idea stuck and I chose an egg basket I had woven many years ago.
Perovskia atriplicifolia (Russian Sage)
Grouping them into bundles by flower type, I loosely inserted the colorful blooms into the basket, layering them to suggest they had been gathered that way. [I did not use water so after taking photographs, the flowers were unceremoniously placed in a ceramic vase where they should last for much of the week.
In A Vase On Monday
In A Vase On Monday – In A Basket
In A Vase On Monday – In A Basket
Materials
Chrysanthemum
Lantana camara (Common lantana)
Lathyrus latifolius (Perennial Sweet Pea)
Perovskia atriplicifolia (Russian Sage)
Rosa ‘Iceberg’
Tagetes (Marigold)
Verbena bonariensis (Tall Verbena)
Zinnia ‘Cut and Come Again Mix’
Zinnia ‘Burpeeana Giants Mix’
Zinnia elegans ’Cactus Flower Blend’
Twin-bottom egg basket, reed and wisteria
In A Vase On Monday – In A Basket
It is always such a pleasure to put together a weekly vase and especially I like the rich colors and the spontaneity of this Monday’s display. I took additional photos outdoors in the garden and have included some of them here. If you have time, click to enlarge these images and view as a slideshow.
Thanks to Cathy for hosting and giving us a chance to express our flower arranging passion. Visit her at Rambling In The Garden to discover what she and others are placing In A Vase On Monday.
Eastern tiger swallowtail (Papilio glaucus)
Eastern tiger swallowtail (Papilio glaucous) nectaring on Lantana camara (Common lantana), photographed August 3, 2016.
Eastern tiger swallowtail (Papilio glaucus)
Eastern tiger swallowtail (Papilio glaucus)
Eastern tiger swallowtail (Papilio glaucus)
Danaus plexippus (monarch) and Lantana camara (Common Lantana)
A small number of monarchs usually visit my garden in late October but this year I have been spotting one or two at a time for the past month. They disappeared for a couple of weeks during the long rainy period, then returned with the sun.
For much of today I saw four or five dancing around the large lantana.
Danaus plexippus (monarch) and Lantana camara (Common Lantana)
There always seemed to be a single monarch sipping nectar from the passalong dahlia by the back steps but the two other dahlias apparently offered no temptation.
Danaus plexippus (monarch) and Dahlia sp.
Danaus plexippus (monarch) and Dahlia sp.
A tattered and torn male finally settled atop a seedhead of Monarda didyma (Scarlet Beebalm) for a rest.
Danaus plexippus (monarch) – male
The black spot on each hindwing indicates this is a male.
Danaus plexippus (monarch) – male
Monday brings the chance to share cut flowers from the garden by joining in Cathy’s weekly challenge In A Vase On Monday. In preparation I gathered flowers Sunday morning. It was a lovely day for enjoying being outside, clear sunny blue skies and 73 degrees F. (23C.).
Late Summer Pitcher
For some time now I have intended to feature this rudbeckia—Rudbeckia laciniata (Green-Headed Coneflower)—in a very tall glass vase, as the stems are quite long. But the effect was not as I had imagined. In the end I pared them down and chose a more rustic container.
I loosely combined them with pink and orange zinnias, lantana and cosmos into a matte putty-gray jug to create an informal late summer arrangement.
Late Summer Pitcher
While the lantana and zinnias are very sturdy, these rudbeckia petals behave just the opposite—flowing and draping and acting all dramatic.
Late Summer Pitcher
Late Summer Pitcher
The colors in the lantana, a bright medley of red, orange, yellow, reflect those of all the other flowers in the arrangement. Meanwhile the umbels or flower clusters of the lantana contrast with the composite form of its companions.
Lantana Echoes Colors of Zinnia and Rudbeckia
Materials
Cosmos
Lantana camara (Common lantana)
Rudbeckia laciniata (Green-Headed Coneflower)
Zinnia
Rudbeckia laciniata (Green-Headed Coneflower)
This should be a long-lasting arrangement, bringing the golden glow of late summer sunshine to the indoors.
Update: The Phalaenopsis orchid blossom used in my vase two weeks ago is still looking fresh.
Thanks to Cathy for hosting this weekly flower addiction. Visit her at Rambling In The Garden to discover what she and others are placing In A Vase On Monday and feel free to join in.
