Sunday, July 2, 2023

Impossible Dream- Spicebush Swallowtail Butterfly

 Hello, my friends! I hope you are all doing well! July is here and I have a few photos to share with you. The following two images are from our back yard, these are "whorled rosinweed" flowers. They are wildflowers that first appeared a few years ago and Richard has encouraged them to grow and now, we have more of them. Now, I must tell you, it took a while to research this one but we believe it to be correctly identified. (A member of the Aster family.) It grows very tall, some of them are almost 5 feet tall!



You see how the leaves are in a kind of "whorl" around the stem? That is how it got its name!





Just to add to the show, we also had a few sunflowers that came up from the bird seed that we put out for the birds! A volunteer is a sweet surprise.


Remember me telling you about the spicebush swallowtail caterpillar on our sassafras tree?  Yesterday, I was so sad when I saw a really scary looking black mass on one of the leaves. I was convinced that the caterpillar had died from some kind of virus that I had read about but today, I saw the caterpillar- big and green and healthy looking!  If you look at the video above, you might guess that I will not be touching the caterpillar.  No, I just observe it...and since it is on a low branch of the tree, I am crouching down and am usually in broiling hot sun with the temp at almost 100 degrees! (If my neighbors wonder what I'm doing, let them wonder!) Oh, I hope so very much that we see the butterfly emerge from this tree! We are both taking out the Japanese beetles, Richard and I are trying our best! 



Another yellow flower to show you! This is the flower that we see blooming at Panola Mountain State Park and we think it is called the "Woodland sunflower".  It is a beauty!


 

Besides flowers, we also are crazy about ferns! Guess what, I found a fern (it was an Autumn fern) on sale for only $4.00.  It was a tiny little thing but we bought it and it is now a very full and frilly fern! (I don't seem to have a photo of it but perhaps I will show it to you on a future post. The photo above was from one of the gardens we visited in June.) Richard is very good in the garden.  In England, they would say that he has green fingers! Isn't it funny that in the USA, we say that someone has a green "thumb"? Can anyone explain to me that no matter what it is...in many cases anyway, we Americans just HAVE to say it a different way? Go look it up on your "cell" or "mobile" phone, depending on what country you are in! LOL!

Just observing the caterpillar in the different "instars", makes me think what an impossible kind of dream it must be to become a butterfly!  That reminded me of one of the BEST tv adverts that featured such a great song....I have had this on here before but it is so very good! Enjoy!






27 comments:

  1. Sounds like gardening is keeping you busy but it's paying off with beautiful flowers!

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    1. I think I observe more than I garden! LOL!

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  2. Your whirled rosinweed flowers look like they are just so excited to be blooming! I think somebody needs to make that little caterpillar into a stuffed animal! It's pretty cute but I wouldn't be touching it either. I had lots of ferns near the house but have taken them out and once and while one will slowly try to come back. I do have tons of them by the creek though and I'll be taking some pics after the rain this weekend. They are about 5ft tall! Our weather isn't has hot as yours but it's super humid and rain off and on. I hope you have a wonderful July 4th...sorry it's because of our independence from England...

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    1. Richard and I just love our ferns and we have enjoyed them on our walks on trails also. We had such a rainy Spring that we had so many! And the caterpillar is so amazing, I am lucky it was right outside my front door! Hope you had a great 4th also!

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  3. The flowers are beautiful, i am glad your husband grows things and encourages them. A friend of mine has milkweed and we always look for the caterpillars there.

    Ferns are lovely, i always enjoy finding them growing in unexpected places.

    I do hope you and your family have a blessed and beautiful Independence Day!

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    1. We have never been able to get milkweed to grow but we still see Monarchs every year since we have so many flowers for them!

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  4. You are so full of fun information. Way to go.

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    1. Ha ha, I have been told before that I'm full of it! LOL!

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  5. I have to watch the advert when I am home, with the volume on.
    Yesterday, I took a picture of sunflowers specifically for you… and your Dad 🥰
    It will take a while before it will appear on my blog, I guess, but appear it will!
    Hopefully, your butterfly will be around for you to see, after all the care you have taken.

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    1. Ah, sunflowers! Yes, they are usually at their peak in July here in Georgia. I am sure you remember when they had the Sunflower Festival very close to my Dad and how much we loved to go! I will look forward to your sunflower photo! Not sure if the caterpillar made it but I did all I could to help it.

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  6. Superb pics again.

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  7. I love ferns and flowers! You're certainly keeping busy!
    hugs
    Donna

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    1. Oh yes, and I didn't even tell you everything I've been doing!!

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  8. How fun to have wildflowers growing in your garden, as well as volunteer sunflowers! We have woodland sunflowers here too; they've just started blooming in the last week or so.

    Best wishes to your caterpillar as he pursues his Impossible Dream!

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    1. Oh Sue, I fear that it might have been an impossible dream for the little caterpillar. I fear that he didn't make it, I can't see any evidence of him. I just hope that the chrysalis is hanging by that one silk thread on a leaf and I just can't see it. Fingers crossed.

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  9. Nice photos. I have noticed that the USA and The UK often have different words for things, especially since the internet and things like yahoo news which is North American based. Words like casting shade, doubling down, etc which I'd never heard until then. Probably the age difference between them. I always find it amazing in the UK that cities, often only 30 miles apart like Glasgow, Edinburgh, Newcastle, Belfast, Manchester, Liverpool, London etc have such different accents, architecture, folklore, culture etc....something that only occurs in static populations over many generations/centuries that stay put in one location. Bob.

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    1. Hey Bob! It is interesting how certain regions have such unique customs and dialects. We moved closer to the Atlanta area as a child and when went back to Toccoa area, I had to watch how I spoke around my cousins because they would make fun of me! Then, back home I couldn't speak like my country cousins or I could get beat up. So, I noticed this very early in life.

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  10. The caterpillar is adorable!!!! Really a wonderful creature. And I love those yellow flowers, especially the first ones. How very cheery they are.

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    1. Oh Nan, I know if you were here with me you would have been right by my side admiring this caterpillar! So utterly astounding. I don't think it made it but I hope I'm wrong and will see a newly emerged butterfly fluttering around in my garden.

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    2. Oh!! And so glad you love the rosinweed that are totally wildflowers that just came up for us, we simply admire them and water them a bit!

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