Tag: Tithonia
Monarch Butterfly Ready For Its Close Up
So just yesterday I posted that I was seeing only one Monarch per day in mid-September. As if in response to a customer complaint, Monarch Central seems to have dispatched four Monarchs to ensure that I don’t feel neglected. These were displaying themselves in the front garden when I first opened the door.
Bees and Butterflies Still Busy in the Garden
According to the website Monarch Watch, the peak for Monarch Butterfly abundance in Chicago should be roughly during the first half of September. However, in our garden the Monarchs seem to be on an expedited timetable. This year in July and August we would often see multiple Monarchs, as many as five at once. In …
The Grateful Deadheader
Deadheading if fun. Deadheading is relaxing. Almost every day, I take time to deadhead selected flowers.in the morning or evening (sometimes both). Deadheading, of course, is removing faded flowers. We do this to keep the fresh, new flowers coming. You could argue that this is mean to plants, who want only to produce a certain …
Curb Appeal
The front garden is the one thing that really brings out my exhibitionist tendencies. I want it to grab the attention of people walking or driving by. Late summer is one of the times when the front garden has its greatest visual impact. Some of the blooms of mid-summer become even showier and more prolific. …
Wild Times at Garden in a City
The north side Chicago chapter of Wild Ones, an organization of native plant enthusiasts, came to our garden today. They were on their triennial garden tour. As I wrote in my last post, I was working hard to prepare for this visit, partly by spiffing up the garden and partly by obsessing over all its …
Now Comes High Summer
In our garden high summer comes in a very literal way, with the first blooms of some very tall plants. My favorite among these are the Cup Plants (Silphium perfoliatum), which grows eight to ten feet tall. Their height gives Cup Plant a certain majesty combined with a gangly, awkward beauty. They are the Abraham …
Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day: July, 2015
Finally! Our wet, cooler weather has delayed some of the excitement of summer in the garden, but as of today things are moving along. Just yesterday the ‘Eye-yi-yi’ Daylilies (Hemorocallis) in the Driveway Border started bursting into bloom. Here they are with Butterflyweed (Asclepias tuberosa). Too much orange? Have I mentioned I really like orange …
Hummingbirds!
There is only one species of Hummingbird in the Chicago aea, the Ruby Throated Hummingbird. They spend their winters in Central America and arrive here in May. Throughout the summer, though, there was almost no sign of them in our garden this year. That changed about 10 days ago. Since then, we see hummingbirds almost …
Sic Transit Tithonia
If you’ve been reading this blog, you know I’m in love with Mexican Sunflower (Tithonia rotundifolia), with its intense orange flowers that draw butterflies like a magnet. However, we cannot be blind to the flaws of those whom we love. This past week I learned about such a flaw. Namely, in rich soil Tithonia will …
Giant Swallowtail Butterfly
I was going out this morning to pick tomatoes when I saw an unfamiliar butterfly on the Mexican Sunflowrer (Tithonia rotundifolia). Judy grabbed her camera and came outside to get some pictures. However, the humidity was so high that her lens fogged over. So, if you’re wondering what photos look like taken with a fogged …
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