Butterfly Weed
Back to the empty lot today. It was cold and a jacket would have been a good idea. Or gloves, anyway. It was also overcast and not terribly bright so getting a sharp photo with a frozen shutter finger was difficult.
Tagged With: Butterfly Weed
Butterfly Weed
Butterfly Weed
We have this orange Asclepias tuberosa as well as a pure-yellow-flowered variety.
Categories: Flowers and Plants
Tags: Asclepias, Asclepias tuberosa, Bloom, Blooms, Butterfly Weed, Flower, Flowers, Hardy Perennial, Native Plants, Perennial
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Monarda, Asclepias, and a Bombus
Monarda didyma, Asclepias tuberosa, and Bombus impatiens
Along our back fence, the garden has really gotten out of control. With the work we’ve been doing on our mom’s houses, we haven’t really had time to give it half the attention it needs and deserves. Consequently, it’s got goldenrod, poke weed, and thistles growing in abundance. Three of our planted perennials are doing quite well, however, including the bee balm (Monarda didyma, also known as Oswego tea or bergamot) and the butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa) shown here. The other, not yet in bloom, is obedient plant (Physostegia virginiana). All three are native to the area and extremely tough. The bees love them and I followed this common eastern bumble bee (Bombus impatiens) for a while as he moved from flower to flower.
Categories: Creatures, Flowers and Plants
Tags: Asclepias, Asclepias tuberosa, Bee, Bee Balm, Bergamot, Bombus, Bombus impatiens, Bumble Bee, Butterfly Weed, Insect, Insects, Monarda, Monarda didyma, Native Plants, Perennial
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Milkweed Seed
Milkweed Seed
It turned cold over the last few days. Not bitter, winter cold, but relatively cold with lows down in the mid 30s. This morning it was below freezing for the first time this fall and the forecast is for more of the same. In the sus this afternoon it was pleasant enough if you’re like me and prefer cool weather to hot. The insects are starting to be less in evidence and Cathy was actually looking for dead insects in the yard to send to a friend (it’s probably just about as weird as it sounds). She found a carpenter bee and I took pictures of it before making sure it was dead with a little chloroform in a jar. I also took pictures of holly berries on the tree at the corner of our house. Then I spotted this milk weed seed on the top of a drying Verbena bonariensis stem and decided that’s what I’d use for today’s photo.
Categories: Flowers and Plants
Tags: Asclepias, Asclepias tuberosa, Butterfly Weed, Milkweed, Native Plants, Perennial, Seed
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Asclepias curassavica Orange
Asclepias curassavica Orange
This butterfly weed, Asclepias curassavica, is also known as blood flower. Cathy recently bought a few plants in both orange (this one) and all yellow. Sadly, it is not hardy enough for in-ground planting as a perennial here, but it should do well in containers and brighten up the back patio. This one is in a container right outside our kitchen door and looks great against the green backdrop of Rudbekia growing around the patio. I especially like the bi-color nature of this one, although the all-yellow variety is nice, too.
Categories: Flowers and Plants
Tags: Asclepias, Asclepias curassavica, Blood Flower, Bloom, Blooms, Butterfly Weed, Herbaceous Perennial, Orange, Perennial, Tender Perennial
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Milkweed Pods
Milkweed Pods
We took a nice walk in Redgate Park today. The fall color has started but it isn’t really in full ‘bloom’ yet. I did get some nice photos of Carolina horsenettle (Solanum carolinense), American sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua) leaves which were a deep purple-red, and some pretty, peeling birch bark. Of course there were a few general scenery photos. We saw a heron at one of the ponds but were not anywhere near close enough to get a worthwhile photo and I wasn’t carrying my new, long lens. I got some photos of non-native and invasive plants, as well. These included the dreaded mile-a-minute vine (Persicaria perfoliata), Japanese barberry (Berberis thunbergii), which is found throughout our woods, and porcelain berry (Ampelopsis glandulosa var. brevipedunculata), an Asian vine in the same family as the grape. The milkweed pods in this photo, probably (Asclepias syriaca), were really nice, though, so I thought I’d go with them for the walk’s featured photo.
Categories: Flowers and Plants
Tags: Asclepias, Asclepias syriaca, Butterfly Weed, Milkweed, Redgate, Redgate Park
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