… or perhaps I should say flitting, as in flitting by. That is the case with butterflies anyway. We have to seize the opportunity to enjoy their presence, as we really only have a few short months every year to do so.
Here in the Midwest, we have four distinct seasons (or we used to – grrr). During those dark and dreary, and brutally cold Michigan Winters, the allure of long summer days, baking in the sun or spending time on the water is what often keeps us going. We glom onto all that Summer has to offer here in the Great Lakes State, not unlike a moth is drawn to a flame, or a butterfly will gravitate to the most colorful and beautiful blooms in a garden.
The rainy, not to mention hot and steamy, weather has Michiganders bemoaning climate change and declaring it to be a bit of a bummer Summer. We expected more – even craved it, after our lackluster Spring. I’ve already witnessed leaves fluttering to the ground, yet I’ve had only one goldfinch sighting, and zero glimpses of hummingbirds hovering about – even the butterflies have been scarce in the ‘hood, or at the Park.
Except for the other day.
Well, this was an unexpected surprise.
I remember reading a quote many years ago by naturalist Henry David Thoreau about happiness and a butterfly, so I searched for it to use in this post:
“Happiness is like a butterfly, the more you chase it, the more it will evade you, but if you notice the other things around you, it will gently come and sit on your shoulder.”
I was at Council Point Park the other morning, just doing my steps and enjoying the trek, when another walker came along, pointed to my shoulder and said “did you know you have a butterfly on your shoulder?” I immediately swiveled my head around, and sure enough, there was a Red Admiral butterfly perched prettily on my white tee-shirt. Now, I often have more colorful, even tropical-looking, shirts I wear during those steamy hot days, and I could have understood if that butterfly honed in on one of those “flowers” … but a white tee-shirt? At any rate, it settled there, daintily opening and closing its wings. Janet, the other walker, said “look at that, its outside wings are brown and it would blend into a tree – its coloring even looks like a brown leaf!” Then the Red Admiral spread those wings to reveal its true colors: black lower wings, orange stripes and white dots. For a second or two, I thought “should I have Janet take a picture of it on my shoulder?” Then I decided that butterfly’s visit was fleeting and it would soon flutter off.
But I was wrong (no, it’s not the first time).
That butterfly decided to go for a free ride. It clung to my shoulder while I kept glancing back, craning my neck to get a glimpse of it in my peripheral vision, while it was opening and closing its wings and just enjoying the view. Unbelievably, that Red Admiral butterfly stayed there on my shoulder for about a mile and a half before it finally took off.
Maybe in a few months I’ll twist my neck around and discover a Monarch resting there, because we have many milkweed plants along the perimeter path.
Today I was treated to more eye candy.
That’s because today was the annual Felty Farm’s Butterfly Garden Open House which is held at Verne and Randy Felty’s home in Southgate, Michigan. They are kind-hearted souls, who use their beautiful backyard that is brimming with blooms, to enlighten visitors on pollinator friendly practices, while benefiting several local animal rescue groups.
For the small price of a donation of some items coveted by these local animal welfare groups, such as The River Rouge Animal Shelter, Lucky Day Animal Rescue and 4 PAWS Sake, you can step into this butterfly haven which is tended to with a lot of hard work and TLC by Verne and Randy Felty.
Verne Felty, the hostess of this event, published the list of the various needs, wants and desires by these groups recently on her Facebook page. When I arrived at noon, the grass and driveway were already piled high with grocery bags filled with items tailored to each group’s needs.
Here was my contribution – paper plates used for feeding their smallest charges, peanut butter for Kong treats and I re-gifted my dog leash and jerky treats that I received at the Mutt Strut 5K event back in May.
But wait a minute … for this small donation, you too, will be benefiting. Oh, it’s not just the eye candy, but you will have a warm and fuzzy feeling from helping our less-fortunate, furry and four-legged friends, and you also get three chances to win one of many raffle prizes which have been donated by various local businesses and creative folks in the Downriver area.
The last time I attended, I won a charm shaped like the Mitten State (the nickname for Michigan) that is made out of prized Petoskey stone, a rock that people in this state collect on the sandy beaches of northern Michigan. These stones are rough fossilized coral and people polish them in tumbling kits to use as paperweights, or sometimes, like here, they are fashioned into jewelry.
I did not attend last year’s event because of the extreme heat – it was in the 90s and high humidity and I had already been on a six-mile walk that morning, but my friend Ann Marie went and said it was wall-to-wall people, despite those sultry temps. At the 2017 event, (my first time), I enjoyed myself immensely. I took many pictures, then wrote a post about the yard, including the Koi fish pond, creative and artsy yard sculptures and the flowers, then sent it to Verne Felty. There was eye candy everywhere your eyes landed, and that’s not even counting the butterflies: I have a picture of a Red Admiral butterfly in that post, so here it is if you’d care to read it:
Verne Felty commented on that post and has since contacted me to advise when subsequent events will be held – in fact she will host two events this year, today, plus one in Fall to witness the Monarch butterflies. As you see in the post referenced above, this yard is a Monarch Waystation, an area of the backyard is solely dedicated to nurturing Monarch butterflies, because, as you may know, milkweed is the sustenance for the beautiful Monarch butterflies.
“Christmas in July” was today’s theme at Felty Farm.
I arrived early enough to seek out Verne Felty so I could introduce myself before she got too busy. I wanted to meet the person whose picture-perfect front and back yards are a showcase, and who is doing such a wonderful and selfless deed to benefit our furry pals. I even wore my Mutt Strut tee-shirt, to show that even though I nurture no four-legged pals at my house, I’m all in for helping out the less fortunate furry friends.
Now for the highlights of today’s event.
Upon entering Felty Farm, you really don’t know what to look at first – there are beautiful flowers, and a whole lot of creative yard art here in the form of statuary, wood, but mostly metal.
There are signs to make you smile and/or nod your head in agreement.
There are informative and cautionary signs like this one.
As I meandered along, mixing and mingling with others on the mulch paths and wooden boardwalk, I was admiring the many flowers. Even if you don’t delight in butterflies for some reason, it was a treat to see all the colorful blooms. I recognized many of them, and, according to a recent local news story about today’s event, Felty Farm’s butterfly-preferred blooms include phlox, butterfly bushes, Mexican sunflowers, Joe-Pye weed, latanas, zinnias and coneflowers. The Monarchs are treated to a trio of milkweed varieties including common, tropical and swamp milkweed.
Tucked here, there and everywhere are a variety of angels, bikes and birdhouses …
… as well as an assortment of other yard art.
The wind chimes that were hanging around the yard tinkled pleasantly in the very slight breeze. A beautiful pond with a waterfall and many Koi fish was popular, as we all took in the peace and beauty of the fish leisurely swimming and looking up at us, perhaps for handouts?
I took this picture of the woman near the entrance of the backyard – be sure to check out her sign which I have enlarged.
When I asked Verne and Randy if I could take their picture, I said if it did not turn out well, I would have to use “The Bloomers Lady” to represent Verne.
The stars of the show.
So, who would be the stars of this event? Verne and Randy? The people who attended and gave selflessly to benefit animal welfare? Maybe it was the butterflies and bees that drifted lazily around the flowers?
It was a hot and sunny day, one where you would think many butterflies would be sipping sweet nectar from all those flowers. I did see a couple of Cabbage Whites and a few Monarchs as well. Surprisingly, there was just one pair of Monarchs that flitted from flower to flower. One admirer, who stood patiently with his camera, its long lens trained on the colorful blooms and a solitary butterfly that kept hiding behind a leaf in the shade, finally turned to me and said “it’s a little bit of a diva, don’t you think?” I agreed saying “it is just trying our patience in the hot sun to see how badly we really want to take the photograph.” Well, we were both rewarded with a few butterfly photos.
We lucked out to find a few bumblebees buzzing over the milkweed and coneflowers too.
As mentioned above, I understand a special open butterfly garden event catered specifically to Monarchs will take place at Felty Farm in September before they flit and flutter their way to their sunny and warm Winter homes and we collectively will hunker down, with the furnace blaring, just counting the days ‘til Summer returns.
Linda Schaub
WALKIN', WRITIN', WIT & WHIMSY 
Colorful pictures Linda, as always. I do love lots of color, but have hardly seen any butterflies this year either. As for the butterfly hitching a ride on your tee-shirt, maybe they can tell you are a nature lover, and you will be hence forth be known as the Butterfly Lady, as well as the Squirrel Lady! Hey, do you remember which post you had your blue ceramic Garden cat in?
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Thanks Joni – glad you enjoyed them … the butterfly was so amazing and it was not breezy so he had any danger of falling off as I walked. He was content to be there, and I was content to watch him – yes, now I have two different names! Yup, I remember it was “Meandering at Memorial Park” and I’ll have to return there to check out their butterflies. Here is the post: https://lindaschaubblog.net/2019/06/20/meandering-at-memorial-park/
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We have had a ton of hummingbirds around this year, so they must be your missing ones.
The garden plaques are great!
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I’ve not seen one and it’s not like it was not warm enough for them! She had many garden plaques – I got a kick out of them. The hair salon where I go, it is a husband and wife, and the husband does slates with drawings and lettering. I have bought several of them there and Jim has them hanging all over the shop. Not many were there this past Saturday when I was there as he took them to a big art fair. Some are nature-related, some funny … I used to have some around the yard when I spent more time in the garden.
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you always write up such a interesting article Linda! Personally I wouldn’t of gone as the heat makes me melt but glad you soldered on!
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Thanks Wayne – glad you like the article. I wish I had let the walker take a photo of that Red Admiral on my shoulder – it would have been perfect for this post as I knew I was planning on attending this event. It was hot, but I skipped last year’s event as it was in the 90s and I knew mid-day in the backyard and front yard since it is totally sunny, I would melt. There were so many flowers I hated excluding many that I took and will likely use them in September for the second event and concentrate more on the Monarchs then.
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I too wondered why you didn’t get someone to take a shot of your little hitch hiker. It came by to say hello to you!
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In retrospect, I should have done that Wayne – I figured it would stay there a half a minute, catch its breath and flutter on by. It liked having a free ride and a look around from a different perspective. 🙂
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or it was someone you once knew dropping by to say “hello”!
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Like the story of how cardinals come to visit near your home after a loved one has died. It is a sign that your loved one is thinking about you from Heaven.
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never heard that before? We do have Cardinals,so I guess our relatives must visit only back east.
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I thought it was just folklore Wayne, but many people say they have seen cardinals the day they buried a family member or the same day one passed away. My mom loved cardinals – there are several cardinal figurines and plates around the house and I used to get her cardinal Christmas ornaments as well. When I had that one cardinal in the Winter who would wait for me at the Park and he looked so beautiful in the bare tree with the snow in the background, I liked to think maybe there was some truth to that little story (of course, a peanut might have been his motive as well).
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obviously Cardinals represent importance to your spiritual side Linda.
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Nice mix of beautiful pictures Linda.😊 Do you have Monarch butterfly in Michigan?
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Yes we do John and I hope to see some Monarchs at the Park where I go daily as there are many milkweed plants there and so I think that will be attracting them. I see alot of Cabbage Whites dancing around the milkweed plants. Glad you liked the pictures John – I actually had many more of the flowers, but the post kept getting longer and longer. I will likely go to the Monarch event this September.
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I love the quote
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I was glad I could find it Eliza – it fit perfectly and I regret I didn’t take the picture of it on my shoulder.
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Next time…though it may move if you get to.
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Exactly! I didn’t figure it would stay there for more than a few seconds. At the butterfly event the other day, there were two butterflies flitting all over and they only really stopped one time so I seized the opportunity to get those few shots. The rest of the time, they were all over the place – lots of flowers to hone in on.
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Thank you for the beautiful Monday morning treat, Linda! 🙂 Stay cool! Keith
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Glad you enjoyed it Keith – it is so hot out there and I know Nebraska is part of this heat wave as well – 100 + heat index by the end of the week. I’m ready for Fall. Stay cool as well.
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Lovely pictures. The event sounds amazing. I see many butterflies on the farm and especially in the prayer garden since it is now in full bloom, but rarely am I able to get good photos of them. I have seen a few monarchs in the past week. Last week I was floating on an inner tube in the pond and a dragon fly decided to hitch a ride on my arm. Have a great week Linda!
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Thank you Ruth – glad you liked the pictures. I had many more of the flowers, and even the donations that people brought and the vendors, but knew if I made the post too long people may not read through it. It was tough to weed out what photos I already picked. The butterflies were beautiful and I was glad I got a few shots – that was just as I was ready to leave. It is such a worthwhile endeavor – people flocked to the back and front yards to see all the flowers, and the pond – everywhere you looked, there was something to see. I have seen an occasional dragonfly flit by me at the Park, but never landed. I really should have asked the walker to take a picture of this butterfly on my shoulder. It’s going to be a scorcher Ruth – I pity your husband working outside in this heat, but I guess you and he are used to it from working on the farm. The end of the week especially with a heat index of 105 – I guess our Dog Days of August are now in July! You have a great week and stay cool … I am waiting for this storm which they say will come through early evening, the first of several to follow later in the week.
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We did get a nice light rain for a while. Glad it was not a storm. Every bit helps.
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I heard a torrential rain about 5:30 and just looked out now and the sun was shining – the weather is too much these days Ruth!
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I so enjoyed the lovely photo tour! I adore all the colors and your words explaining what you saw. Nice job – thanks for heading out in the heat to catch the great shots!
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Glad you liked the photo tour Shelley – I had many other pictures I didn’t use. The Gutenberg editor does not have the slideshow feature as you know, so the only way to display the shots is gallery-style, so I just used a few flower pics. The zinnias were awesome – I’ve never seen zinnias before but other people at the garden were remarking on their vibrant colors. It made me feel bad for my garden and how it looked back in 2010 – I know it is a lot of work, as do you with yours. I am glad I braved the heat – it was not as hot as last year’s event which was a real scorcher. I heard people talking about that yesterday as well. One of our largest art fairs in the state begins this Thursday – it goes over many blocks and we are having 92 Thursday and 95 Friday (with a heat index of 105) – the attendees may be scarce this year.
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Yes, I enjoyed the photos. I appreciate you venturing out and sharing what you found. Zinnias are such a fun flower – and they draw butterflies, which I adore watching.
Yikes, that’s gonna be hot! I’d probably skip it, or carry an umbrella to block the sun.
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I should have included some of my zinnias I took – they were beautiful, especially a reddish-orange one I saw. I am still kicking myself for not getting the butterfly on my shoulder shot, but I figured it would fly off.
I’m going to decide whether to just walk at the grocery store this morning or the Park … I’ll take the car for a run anyway, one is a cool venue, the other not so much … most of the “wildlife” is gone from the Park and they likely won’t venture out much as the heat progresses through the week. Today is not a dangerous day, so likely the Park will work.
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Sounds like an interesting event. Nice photos.
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Thanks Kate – you, the animal lover, would have enjoyed the spirit of the event, not to mention seeing all the flowers and the pond as well.
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How lovely to have a butterfly ‘hitching a ride’ on you! The open garden looks a beautiful place to visit, for both people and insects. 🙂
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I am kicking myself now Clare that I did not ask the other walker to take a photo of that Red Admiral, but I figured it just alighted on my shoulder and would be gone as soon as it didn’t find any nectar there. 🙂 I walked a loop and a half after it landed and it was still hanging on tight. Next time … of course, next time, no one will be around. It was a beautiful background for the event – both front and back yards are filled with flowers, the pond, the artwork – a whole experience for the senses and you leave with a sense of peace.
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I’m in tears reading this. Thank you for the beautiful write up
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Hi Verne – I am glad this post touched you. There was so much beauty to see and I know the camera did not capture half of the entire beauty that I saw with my eyes. It was not just the pretty blooms, or the creative yard art, that made the day special for me, and I know I speak for the other visitors as well. It was watching folks, bonding together to offer just a little assistance to make life better for our four-legged friends. You should feel good that you brought us all together for this worthwhile and enjoyable endeavor and that you will likely do so for many years to come.
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Wow how wonderful! Butterflies are always my favourite and I get so excited when I see them and can snap a picture.
That place you visited is exactly the sort of one I could spend hours, and money in 😁 thank you for sharing this with us
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I’m glad you enjoyed this post Ari – I like butterflies as well and don’t see enough of them anymore. It was a sunny and warm afternoon spent immersed in a garden full of colorful blooms and people eager to take pictures of the butterflies and bees that were enjoying the nectar from those blooms. You could spent a long time here and we have a botanical garden that is not far from my house – same scenario, many flowers, both annuals and perennials, even some delicate, tropical-looking flowers as well. I think I should go to that park while the weather is so tropical-feeling here. Felty Farms’ blooms and butterflies is a place to think back on during the brutal days of Winter.
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Beautiful post, Linda! What a great event so close to you! I haven’t seen a monarch here in my Oregon garden despite growing milkweed. I’m not sure if they still come up here during the summer. I hope you get a chance to go back in the fall! 🦋
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Thanks Sabine – I thought you would enjoy the flowers and butterflies. There were many photographers there with long lenses and when a pair of Monarchs started flitting over the milkweed, everyone stood there poised to take their picture, whether by camera or using a smartphone. No wonder the butterflies kept ducking out of the way – they were camera-shy! The bees were very cooperative too. I know there were three types of milkweed in these various gardens so it is a Monarch magnet at Felty Farm. I hope to return for the Fall Open Butterfly Garden to view them before they leave for their migration to Mexico. Last Fall I was at Council Point Park and a whole group of Monarchs appeared in a bush and were fluttering around – it was incredible, just a few minutes as they alighted and I got a few pictures, but I’d already put my camera away and they moved on pretty quickly so the pictures were not great. I think the Monarchs were on the move that day – it had gotten cold here quickly in Michigan – we had a hard freeze shortly after the Fall Equinox!
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What a sight that must have been! Butterflies can be difficult to photograph for sure! I have a couple of different milkweeds, but have never seen a monarch around here. I’m glad you had such a good time at the event! 🙂
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I’ve seen some pretty Tiger Swallowtails at the Park once the thistles are blooming. That’s where I see the goldfinch too. It is very quick and once it sees me, it takes off for the highest tree. Yes, it was lovely and I hope to go to the Fall event as well – hopefully the day is sunny once again.
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I enjoyed reading your Thoreau quote about happiness. He is an interesting guy. I have a bunch of research that I did in preparation for writing a post about him, then I never wrote the post! Maybe I will have to revisit it. Sorry about your apparent lack of summer! I am not ready to move on to fall yet!
So cool that a Red Admiral decided to hitchhike on your shoulder! We have some Red Admirals down below our house in the meadow where the milkweeds grow. I guess they must compete with the Monarchs for the milkweed.
Thanks for sharing your photos of your trip to the Butterfly Farm with us! I’m glad you got some pictures of actual butterflies as well as the pretty signs and garden art.
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Hi Laurie – We never read any of the great works or classics while in high school. I think I may have mentioned that we lost our millage for the school system for two years – this was 10th and 11th grade for me. So, no college prep courses, no sports, band, drama or extra-curricular activities. We had school only four hours a day. Then I went to community college and discovered everything I missed. Other students, especially those in Dearborn which had multiple high schools and great schools, spoke of books they read – poetry, Shakespeare, the classics – I read none of them, even though my parents were avid readers and I read a lot as well. I aim to read Thoreau one day and all the classics I missed – I guess when I am retired. I had seen or heard this quote before so Googled it.
I wish I had a photo of the butterfly on my shoulder. Perhaps I will have another chance as I see a lot of milkweed with the pale pink flowers growing along the Creek banks. So, I think given this heat wave we are going to be getting this week, that milkweed should multiply -so hopefully lots of photo ops.
Glad you enjoyed it the tour. You were documenting all the flowers in the Spring for your blog posts – you’d spend an entire afternoon here and still not be done. We have some rain pelting down and are supposed to getting a storm soon (they say).
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Your school situation sounds crazy! It’s a shame your high school experience was marred by the lack of funding!
We visited a butterfly garden in Hershey, PA with my son and his family a few years ago. My DIL didn’t like it – she hates bugs. I got a great photo of a big butterfly sitting on my son’s head. It was hot in the garden and he was sweating. I think the butterfly was attracted by the sweat.
I love milkweed. When all the milkweed is in bloom in the meadow below our house, it smells heavenly when you walk on the path. And the butterflies have a field day there.
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Yes, it was bad and for many students who wanted to get scholarships in sports, music or drama … it did not happen and we had four hours of school, basically the 3 Rs for the first two years of high school.
We have a butterfly experience at Meijer Gardens and it is not near me, but I think it is the same type of experience with butterflies flying all over the place in a large room. Very hot in there to keep the butterflies happy and out and about. I don’t like bugs either, as you know, but I make an exception for butterflies, they are not creepy crawlies like those “other bugs”. 🙂
I have to go back to Memorial Park to see their butterfly garden. There was no milkweed blooming when I was there a month ago or so, in fact I could not locate it as it was newly planted and mulched over so no fresh “dig marks” … so hopefully by now, with all this heat, humidity and rain, that milkweed will be a butterfly magnet. I didn’t realize it was fragrant – I will take a sniff this morning, on my last trip to the Park for a few days as this incredible heat wave and oppressive weather takes over (105 real feel for us Friday/Saturday, especially bad on Saturday). I’ll head to Meijer, but take a break on Saturday.
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Lovely photos and sounds like a great event.
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Thanks Marian – it was a beautiful tour and it did benefit a good cause. And how is your garden growing and thriving this year? I don’t know how you get it all done … mothering, working, writing and tending to the garden which is so needy during the Summer months. I am hearing about the European heat wave, but hopefully it is not as hot in the UK as last year – I remember several fellow European bloggers writing about it in 2018, especially a blogger from Sweden who wrote of how farmers had no crops and could not feed their cattle leading to their demise. We also have a heat wave and dangerous heat indices by week end (100 F/37 C plus). .
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It did look good. Yes garden is growing well and keeping me very busy along with everything else.
Not sure if you noticed but I started a second blog focusing more on my writing and ive been doing Facebook live, it’s very scary. There are links on my blog posts at http://www.marianwood.com it is alot to keep up with and I am struggling.
The weather here is hot right now, which is nice, very little rain, so have to remember to warer the garden…
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I will check it out Marian – I need to catch up on blogs as I have been a few days’ behind in Reader for about a month now. We’ve been busier at work and so I’ve been staying a little later a few nights, plus the biggest issue was when I smashed my ring finger on my right hand in the new garage door. That was 2 1/2 weeks ago and my finger looks much better, but the nail is still discolored and still numb – I am grateful that I did not break or fracture the top segment of my finger or have an open wound. We have this extreme heat right now, pop-up storms daily and we will have some perhaps record-setting temps by the weekend. I try to stay off the computer in electrical storms.
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Oh wow, thanks Linda! that sounds like a very painful accident.. I think I would have fainted! I’m certainly not up to date on reading blogs. I can’t keep up.. we haven’t got storms here, I think it is cooler in the UK. Yes I understand you staying off the computer…
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Well I think you’re asleep by now Marian (hopefully), so when you check in tomorrow here, have a look at this post which shows my finger. Just looking at the photos and how it looks now, it is amazing to me that it looks as good as it does. I did see stars and felt nauseous and within a few minutes the bruising made that finger turn a dark purple. It is hard to keep up with reading blog posts – I was doing pretty well for a awhile, then the wheels fell off so to speak with the finger: https://lindaschaubblog.net/2019/06/29/x-marks-the-spot/
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Your finger really does look painful.. owww… I would have definately fainted. Wow!
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When I looked at it last night to send it to you, I could not believe how it had improved. It is a wonder I didn’t faint Marian … I did let out a scream that would wake the dead however. 🙂
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I would have screamed and cried and screamed more i think.. don’t make that, mistake again…owwww
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Nope I pay attention – too much attention as I’m intimidated by the stupid door – I hope the heavy gloves will help until it becomes second nature. It’s a wonder the handyman did not fall off the roof the way I screamed! I Googled afterward and discovered there are many accidents with garage door panels folding up like that and he had just oiled it on the track so it came rolling down very quickly!
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I think I’d be feeling scared of it, nasty accident.
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Yes, it happened so fast too – I think about it alot to be honest.
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Yes I would too.
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How exciting that must have been to have a butterfly land on you! There is so many beautiful places to see near you, you are very lucky! I remember those wasps when I was a kid and lived in town. I just saw a post about them and they said those wasps destroy Japanese Beetles!
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It was exciting Diane and now I am kicking myself that I didn’t take the camera out of the pouch and ask the other walker to take a picture, but I must say that if I’d had the camera in my hand at the time, like I usually do while walking at the park, I could have handed it over, but having to reach over, unzip the pouch, take it out … all arm and hand movements which I figured would jostle that butterfly and it would fly off. Had I known … sigh.
The wasps were huge and I had no idea what they were – I thought wasps were only in the same color and size as a hornet or a carpenter bee. This thing was big enough to go to work!! I’ll have to tell my friend who lives in NY about that – she is always mentioning her Japanese Beetles and the damage they are doing to her garden.
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People make the mistake of putting out the traps for the Japanese Beatles. The traps have a hormone in them that actually draw the beetles to their yard. I learned this the hard way! I got rid of the bag traps and went out with a can of water and dish soap and knocked them off my plants and into the can where they drown. I haven’t had a serious problem since, just a handful of them.
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That is good to know Diane- I’m going to share that with my friend who battles them every Summer.
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I like your photos. I’ve tried my hand a creating a butterfly habitat here, but so far my results haven’t drawn the Monarchs for which I started the garden. I spent a few years messing around with various milkweed plants, but none were the right variety for the places I put them. I wanted to get a handle on the landscape this year, but between wet weather and the roofing event I’ve come to realize that it was not meant to be. I can, of course, still enjoy everyone else’s gardening successes.
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Thanks Ally – I appreciate it. Despite all the flowers, I only saw two butterflies which amazed me, especially since it was a sunny day. I think I mentioned before that I had a butterfly garden, then I lost most of my perennials and all of my butterfly bushes after the Polar Vortex in the Winter of 2013-2014. I will tell you that the butterfly bushes and pink cone flowers were a magnet for the butterflies – the black-eyed susans and daisies, not so much. I had pale lavender and a dark purple butterfly bushes, but they seemed to like the pale lavender best. I had a book on butterfly gardens and I believe the butterflies gravitate to pinks and mauves the most. I know I could go into the backyard at any time in the Summer and there were always butterflies (Monarchs, Tiger Swallowtails and Red Admirals) on those butterfly bushes I had three butterfly bushes – two I grouped together and one on the other side of the yard. I never replanted anything after I lost the plants, and also a few well-established bushes. I was surprised the butterfly bushes were not hardier. I am in Zone 6 and they were supposed to be hardy down to Zone 5. If you have a better Spring next year (I have no expectations here since our last two Springs have been so crummy with all the rain) I’d try a couple of butterfly bushes and see how it works out for you. Our weather is a pain – we have this extreme heat wave all week and right now it is torrential rain for the second time this evening – the rain came down in sheets and caused a 30-vehicle pile-up this early in the evening! Here’s some info for the hardiness zone and soil type for the butterfly bush. They grow like crazy, so if you plant them, give them a spot where they have room to spread as they have long branches and shoots and the blooms will be all over the place. I had blooms and butterflies the first year after fertilizing with the liquid Miracle-Gro: https://homeguides.sfgate.com/hardiness-zones-butterfly-bush-68317.html
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Thanks for the info and link. I have high hopes about my butterfly habitat, but poor follow through. I blame it on the weird weather. 😉
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You’re welcome Ally. I was really pleased with how my garden took off and attracted butterflies. I lost enthusiasm after everything died and the rat problem occurred right as I got my garden in/thriving. The new neighbor’s dog was out 24/7 and caused issues, and despite having a pest control service in, going out in my little paradise was never the same. Even though it is a small house and yard, there was still maintenance to be done and I felt uncomfortable being out there. The hot, humid and stormy weather last year and this year has dampened my enthusiasm to do anything quite frankly – this is not my idea of Summer.
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Yes, I agree that this is not the summer to beat all summers. It’s too humid and wet. If I wanted southern FL gulf coast weather I’d live in southern FL. 🤨
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I am definitely not a fan of Florida for the same reasons – ugh. If this is the new norm for Summer weather, I am not impressed. I wasn’t too impressed with Fall, Winter and Spring either – just label me a malcontent.
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Miss Linda……………………I sure did forget about going over to the butterfly garden …………….I missed out………..thank you for sharing all of the nice pictures of their yard……………..I’m glad that you did go and donate all that you gave to them……………………that must have been an omen that that Red Admiral butterfly was clinging to your white tee-shirt at the park………..someone is thinking about you……………………..and I really liked Henry David Thoreau’s quote on happiness…………………….we need to think read and hear about it every so often, don’t we?
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Ann Marie – I was going to ask you if you planned on going since I had sent you the date awhile ago – you didn’t mention it and I wondered if it was because it started earlier this year – I believe it began at 1:00 last year – you went in that really hot weather. There is another chance to go in the Fall event – more Monarchs then. I am still kicking myself as to not getting a picture of that butterfly on my shoulder, but I truly thought it would take off as soon as I started moving around to reach and get the camera. I had put it away as I had a bag of peanuts in my hand. Who knew it would stick around? There is a lot of milkweed growing along the pathway near the Creek on the Wyandotte side, so I am hoping to see some Monarchs and other butterflies as well. I never read any of Thoreau’s works – our Lincoln Park school system was not as good as other local cities since we lost our millage for 10th and 11th grades and I never read his works in college either. Perhaps when I am retired and have more time, I can read more. We do need to follow that advice Ann Marie.
Are you walking in this heat? I think today is the last day for the Park and it is off to Meijer the rest of the week – Saturday I likely will pass on a walk, Meijer or otherwise as the heat index will be 105 degrees.
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This same thing happened to me, Linda, kayaking down the Potomac. A butterfly landed on my head and stayed for about 20 minutes! It was great!
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How exciting – I was so amazed by this hitchhiker, then thought if I moved too much it would fly off, but it dug its heels in and hung on for a nice long ride. It made my day Pam!
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🥰😍🥳
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Great outlook. Love the photos and that butterfly quote.
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Thank you Joanne – glad you liked them. That quote sure worked for that butterfly visit – I am still kicking myself I didn’t get a photo of that butterfly who hitched a ride with me.
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Oh what a lovely sounding event to go to and for such an anazing cause. I love your butterfly friend who you so kindly gave a lift too. That quote on the butterfly too was so true . Thank you for such a beautiful post ❤❤
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It was very nice Zena and such a beautiful garden for those butterflies and even the bees to enjoy. I really should have gotten a picture of that butterfly but I was afraid to make a move to get the camera to hand it to someone, lest it move on as it would be startled – I had no idea it would stay there for that long. I like that quote too and one day I aim to read Thoreau’s works – I like the idea of living out in nature and writing about it. Good luck on your knee surgery Zena.
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Thanks for the good luck ❤Living in nature would be great wouldn’t it.
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You’re welcome Zena – I knew you said it was in two weeks so I knew it had to be close. Living in nature would be wonderfully peaceful … my biggest issue would be the bugs. I’m really scared of spiders and centipedes. 🙂
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Such an interesting article…🤩
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Thank you very much Shagun – it was an interesting and beauty-filled afternoon and I hope to make it to her next event as well.
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It was my pleasure …☺️
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Thoroughly interesting read and such beautiful photos! Great post
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Thank you Antonio – glad that you enjoyed this post and the photos. It really was a nice event and for such a good cause as well. I hope our weather (which has been fractious and uncooperative all Summer) is nice when the Monarch butterfly event takes place.
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Beautiful
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