How quickly they grow! In just a short week the baby caterpillars have tripled in size. At last count, we have 10 caterpillars. They are indeed, very hungry caterpillars.
In the garden today, our coneflowers have developed large brown cones heavy with seeds. The flowers are drooping under the weight. Should we deadhead? No way! It's that magical time when coneflowers morph from being a pollinator feeding station to become a bird feeder. Goldfinches adore coneflower seeds. When they sit on the cones and pick out seeds, their weight furthers the droop. The right time to deadhead a coneflower is after the cones have been picked clean, probably in late winter/early spring. So coneflowers go on the spring clean-up list.
While squishing aphids on the milkweed, I noticed a VIP: our first monarch caterpillar. He's very tiny and very hungry. George snapped a baby photo but he's difficult to photograph since the little guy's about the size of a grain of rice. (The bug, not George).
This was a very thirsty one! Notice its proboscis deep in the flower.
The markings on this Hummingbird Moth are pretty amazing! It was about 1 1/2 -2 inches long and moved just like a hummingbird...pretty speedy and hard to focus on!
We had a very rare and special visitor today. It's called a Hummingbird Moth. Check out some interesting information about them below.
https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Hemaris-thysbe
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Same butterfly, different view. How beautiful those wings are!
Down to the last drop!
Daily feeding.
We are finally getting honey bees daily!
Today's lovely visitor.
Whether bees are big or small, the Agastache Blue Fortune welcomes all!
Our wild bergamot is attracting such beautiful butterflies!
Gardeners may call it wild bergamot or bee balm or monarda but pollinators call it lunch! The selection in our garden is Claire Grace, a sport (naturally occurring variant) of monarda fistulosa, a North American native plant. With dozens of monarda varieties available in commerce, why did we choose Claire Grace? Her references are impeccable! The Mt. Cuba Center (a former Dupont estate in Delaware turned public garden focused on native plants) rated Claire Grace highest in a recent trial. A plant field trial involves planting blocks of varieties side by side then observing their growth and performance for several years. Claire Grace had 100% flower coverage over a month long bloom period combined with exceptional resistance to powdery mildew. Mt Cuba takes field trials a step further by counting pollinator visits. Claire Grace had the highest number of pollinator visits as well. Since Claire Grace is practically perfect in every way (sorry Mary Poppins) why would a gardener choose any other monarda cultivar? Color is one reason. Bees are red/green color blind and show a preference for blue or blueish purple flowers. Hummingbirds prefer red flowers. If you are planning a hummingbird garden, choose Jacob Cline or Raspberry Wine monarda. Size is another reason. Compact cultivars are available for those with smaller gardens. Fall or spring clean-up? Like other members of the mint family, monarda has hollow stems. Tiny native bees lay their eggs inside the hollow stems where they over winter. Please leave your monarda standing until mid spring to let the little bees hatch before cutting it down.
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Cecily, I saw another Monarch on the milkweed yesterday. Who knows, maybe we will have another wave of caterpillars!
Driving along Aden Road, I noticed the Joe Pye weed in bloom and sumac leaves colored scarlet. Despite the temperatures, the seasons are changing. I wonder if this generation of monarchs will remain in Virginia to breed or make the long trip south to Mexico? PS: I have milkweed growing in pots on my deck if another generation appears. The way these guys are eating, their milkweed will be defoliated as they reach their last instar.