jmorth said:Your butterfly stalking skills are legendary!

I know, it's weird how good I've gotten! I'm generally such a klutz. I guess walking very, very slowly helps. And I've even got to the point where I know to walk on one side of the butterfly so I don't cast a shadow and spook it. I think stalking them out in the preserves where they have so much space to fly away makes it easier when you're in a garden setting. Plus, they're hungry right now and have limited food choices. Oh, and it was only like 70 degrees. Now, when it's 90 degrees Melanie admits defeat. I love this time of year!

I sometimes dress up like a BF or a bee and lay in wait...(LOL)

One time, years ago, I had my headphones on as usual. I had been working in the garden that day and I think there was a Barred Sulphur or Phaeon Crescent or something else rather small that I was taking pictures of. I laid down on my stomach in the grass to take better pictures. As I was doing so, Mom comes out, and naturally freaks out when she sees me laying in the grass. I guess she couldn't see my camera in my hands or maybe moms in general freak out prematurely? She was saying my name but I couldn't hear her because I was rocking out. I finally saw her out of the corner of my eye and screamed. Then she screamed. I got the butterfly pics but there was a lot of screaming involved! Mom was all, "I thought you were hurt." And I was all, "Didn't you see the camera in my hand and the butterfly on the ground?" I think this is why the neighbors wave as they drive by but they don't slow down. And my parents are even worse now that I have chronic fatigue. Dad just hangs out in the garage or pretends to do stuff outside so he can keep an eye on me. Somehow, no one was around when I took a rake handle to the eye, though. By the way, eye seems to be fully healed.

Tomorrow is MOSI day but I don't know how long I'll stay. My back has been bothering me this past week so we'll just see how it goes and what needs done. FYI, I've taken to telling guests not to announce when they're going to take a picture. I swear the butterflies hear you and fly off. It's just happened way too many times to be coincidence at this point. Maybe I do speak butterfly but they're just not listening? Eh, story of my life.

I can just about picture that situation Melanie...LOL.
Glad you survived the rake incident intact.

Yup, I can see that happening.
You got lucky with the rake - real lucky.

Ann, when I was describing it to my therapist I asked him if he'd ever seen a pitcher get hit by a baseball. Because I'm pretty sure that's what I looked like. I just went down. Luckily, I landed on my side so not too bad. Mom actually loves baseball so I compared it to when our Rays pitcher, Alex Cobb, got hit. That was a bad one, but she got the visual. Dad had the rake out the other day and I warned him it was evil. I'm definitely going to be more careful in the future. I don't actually use it that often, but I have these weeds that kind of form a mat and it's much easier to rake the whole mess up.

Well, I didn't get to MOSI today because I feel terrible, but I might take a walk around the yard and see what's doing. Last frost date is coming up soon so I'll be able to start planting. I've been checking various weather forecasts because my phone said it was supposed to get down to 32 sometime next week. But Weather Underground only went as low as 39. That doesn't seem like a big difference, but try being a strawberry farmer down here! Even I have to cover certain plants if we go below or right at freezing. So I'm keeping my eye on the weather right now.

And while I'm pretty sure freezing temperatures aren't good for butterflies, it doesn't mean a death sentence. I read where it even gets that cold where they spend the winter in Mexico. The big thing is that you don't want them getting wet, then freezing, because ice crystals will form in their wings and they will die. Several years ago there was a bad storm that killed off a large number of the population in Mexico. I don't know if it was a regular storm or if the temperature had anything to do with it. I know they're worried because this year 50% of the Monarchs are located in one site (apparently, there are 12 known sites). So if something happens at that one site, it could be bad. But let's all think positive thoughts and get that milkweed ready for the journey north!

Well, I hope you get to feeling better soon Melanie! Even if just enough to take a walk around the yard.

Positive thoughts for the Monarchs all huddled together there in Mexico.

We've been seeing butterflies off & on -- spotty sightings yet. We are 40's tonight & tomorrow night & then we go down into the lower 30's for 6 days with one of those actually dipping down to 29 but with the exception of tomorrow there's no rain in the forecast.

OH man i've having heck of a time here trying to share some pics! I started a thread, then it was suggested that I share here, and by accident I put this under backyard birds! Sorry!! If a mod wants to delete the share under backyard birds that would be fine. Sooooo, I wanted to share the butterflies which visited my garden this past 2014 season, my butterfly garden in still only a year or two old, some plants I brought from my old house and some are new and still getting established, my family and I don't live at this property yet, its an abandoned house I bought a few years back so I do some house work and spend some time outside landscaping when I need a break from the house. Would like to have some established gardens for when we move here.




1st visitor on 5/31/14

Hey Jason glad you finally found your way here. I'm just ribbing you. It's really okay. We aren't real sticklers here. I just thought your photos were great & everyone would love seeing them.

I believe those are spotted tussock moth cats in your 7th photo & boy, there sure are a lot of them!

Welcome here Jason. we're BF enthusiasts.

Sure, torment me with your Echinacea and your other species of Fritillaries! No, it's cool to see something that I don't get down here. Although, I have to say I didn't think Giant Swallowtails went as far north as Connecticut. What do they host on up there? Also, love the picture of the Tussock Moths...don't care for the real life ones. I don't know much about the different species, but I thought those might be Milkweed Tussock Moths because the thing in the left of the picture sort of looks like the seed pods of the big milkweed that grows up north. Is that milkweed they were on?

And a to Jason. And if I had a nickel for every time time I messed up something on my computer - I could buy another computer! Like the time in college where I was trying to write an email to my mom and posted it to my class' list serve instead. And who hasn't hit the "reply all" button by mistake! Yikes! But hopefully you've got things figured out so don't be a stranger. We love butterflies here. We like to see them and talk about them. Personally, I find petting caterpillars to be great therapy. I'm allergic to cats and dogs and pretty much anything with fur so I have to pet something!

Melanie you're tooo funny!

I think Melanie has a great sense of humor. I love to read her posts!

Well, thanks guys. It's nice to be appreciated somewhere. I'm kind of having a bad week but I'm seeing my therapist later today. I think I'm going to end up sending his kids to college at this rate!

Feel better soon Melanie.

Jason, looks like your going to have a great butterfly garden there.

Melanie.

Thanks again, guys. back at ya!

I'm a firm believer you could just grow Echinaceas and have an awesome butterfly garden. They just swarm them! But alas, I cannot grow them for more than a few months before they kick the bucket. So I have to find other ways to tempt the butterflies. But Jason, I definitely admire your layout. I'm so bad at planning where to put things. Getting better. Going to be planting things in about two weeks so let's hope I make better choices this time around!