Butterfly garden

[Gator]

Last year I started two new beds on either side of our patio and planted several perennial lantana's, salvia, and butterfly bushes.  This year, they exploded.  Tons of blooms, and tons of butterflies and the humming birds love it too!  On one day I counted at least ten yellow tiger swallowtails.  There have been spicebush and black swallowtails, common buckeye, gulf fritillary, different skippers and more.
Around the beginning of Sept., we had a real monarch visit for a few days.  He was very camera shy.  He flew away every time I tried to get close with the camera.
Today, something new caught my eye flitting past.  What the heck was that?  A butterfly I've never seen before. 
visitors can't see pics , please register or login


A zebra longwing.  State butterfly of Florida and common to Mexico and Central America, I read they sometimes stray into Georgia and the Carolinas.  It was very pretty.

Here's a firey skipper
visitors can't see pics , please register or login

[Taffeta]

So pretty <3

The UK climate is too mild to support most larger butterflies, so I've only seen them in butterfly houses and such, but we do have a lot of smaller species that cover the garden in the summer. Usually when the buddleia is in full bloom, because they love it.

I have a special affinity for the swallowtail. I did see one, once, in portugal. Unfortunately right after I saw it, it met a bad fate, so that memory is a bit tarnished.

[Mewtwofan1]

Oh I love butterflies! I love all sorts of insects don’t get me wrong, but butterflies just look so pretty! Our climate here can’t really sustain the larger ones for long (long, near -30 degree winters have a habit of doing that) ,so we get a lot of migratory butterflies too, in addition to some more local ones. I see a lot of tiger swallowtails in the summer!

[lovesbabysquirmy]

butterflies are lovely

[Thimble]

One of the best things about living in farm country is all the weird bugs, butterflies included! Where I lived before was really urban, so I  hardly ever saw butterflies, but here I see lots. And since they're all new to me, I probably get way too excited, lol.
 Congrats on ths successful garden this year. I miss my garden, sigh.

[BlackCurtains]

How lovely! Once I rescued a huge swallowtail from the pool. It's wings were as big as my hand.

[lovesbabysquirmy]

when we were in Mexico, we visited a butterfly garden and hatchery... oh it was magical

[TheBeatlesPkmnFan42]

Very cute! I love Lepidoptera so much!