Summer Flowers

Tags

asclepias tuberosa, astilbe, cleome, clivia, echinacea, kabocha, milkweed, photography, postaday

The abundant rain we have had this Spring has led to lots of vibrant summer flowers.

Milkweed ( Asclepias tuberosa).

Milkweed ( Asclepias tuberosa).

Some Monarch butterflies have already started to visit the milkweed.

Astilbe.

Orange Echinacea.

Kabocha (winter squash) flower in vegetable garden.

Inside the house, the Clivia plant, now divided into three separate pots, is also blooming vigorously.

Clivia.

Clivia.

Cleome.

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Milkweed and Cosmos

Tags

asclepias incarnata, asclepias tuberosa, cosmos, milkweed, photography, postaday

This year I tried to grow from seeds orange milkweed, also called butterfly weed (Asclepias Tuberosa). So far only two plants grew and they are displaying bright orange flowers.

Butterfly Weed (Asclepias Tuberosa).

These plants are not as tall as the pink or swamp milkweed planted three years ago and, in the summer, visited daily by Monarch butterflies.

Swamp Milkeed (Asclepias Incarnata).

I also planted Cosmos flowers from seeds. They are starting to bloom and here are some pictures of them.

Cosmos.

White Cosmos.

White Cosmos a day later.

Cosmos.

Bee, Butterfly on Milkweed

Tags

asclepias tuberosa, bee, milkweed, monarch butterfly, photography, postaday

I have been planting milkweed (Asclepias Tuberosa) in our backyard for the past three years. It’s an easy plant, requiring virtually no care (note the weed in its name). A sunny afternoon found a bee and a Monarch butterfly on the milkweed.

Bee on milkweed.

Bee on milkweed.

Monarch laying eggs on milkweed.

Monarch, done laying eggs.

Monarchs and Milkweed

Tags

asclepias tuberosa, Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, milkeed, monarch butterfly, photography, postaday

While driving at the Edwin B Forsythe Wildlife Refuge this past Sunday, I saw a few Monarch butterflies from time to time. What made me stop and take the following pictures is the intense orange of the milkweed flowers (Asclepias Tuberosa) which perfectly matched the Monarch’s colors. There were many other weeds around the area, but the Monarchs did not mind.

Monarch butterfly and milkweed.

Monarch butterflies and milkweed.

Monarch butterfly and milkweed, and a tiny green insect.