Danaus plexippus Archives - A Garden for All

Butterflies

August 5, 2015 By Kathy 2 Comments

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail enjoying bottlebrush flowers in A Garden For All by Kathy Diemer https://agardenforall.com

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail enjoying bottle-brush flowers (photo by: Kathy Diemer)

Lately I feel like I’m living on a Lepidoptera landing strip, with butterflies dive-bombing me from all directions as they head in to land on a succulent blossom in my yard. It’s heavenly to watch! Some fly in pairs, others swoop in alone. Clusters of yellow Eastern Tiger swallowtails congregate on a mound of bright purple phlox, casually fluttering over to some nearby rudbeckia flower heads. A female black swallowtail is sipping nectar from the throat of a Casa Blanca lily, while a monarch settles in for a treat on masses of rose colored eupatorium blooms nearby. This is the reward I get for planting dozens of tempting delicacies in my gardens, priceless indeed! [Read more…]

Filed Under: Critters Tagged With: American Copper, Black Swallowtail, Brush footed Butterflies, Danaus plexippus, Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, Euptoieta claudia, Lycaena phlaeas, Monarch, Papilio glaucus, Papilio polyxenes, Papilio troilus, Spicebush Swallowtail, Variegated Fritillary

Plight of the Monarch

April 10, 2014 By Kathy 4 Comments

Monarch butterfly in the garden in A Garden For All by Kathy Diemer https://agardenforall.com

Monarch butterfly snacking on native eupatorium (photo by: Kathy Diemer)

Not a week has gone by that I haven’t read something about the devastating decline of the monarch butterfly. At their peak in the mid 1990’s, the monarch’s overwintering population covered an estimated 45 acres of forest throughout central Mexico. According to the World Wildlife Fund, this winter’s total shrank to a below 2 acres, setting another record low. Yet the life of our revered monarch has always been shrouded in mystery; despite decades of scientific studies, we still don’t fully understand how it migrates to the same location each year. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Critters Tagged With: asclepias incarnata, Asclepias purpurascens, asclepias syriaca, asclepias tuberosa, Danaus plexippus, Monarch butterflies

Welcome to my blog, A Garden For All. I’m Kathy Diemer, the author and photographer, and I’ve been posting since 2012 with the same mission: To provide inspiration, information and a touch of adventure every time you visit. Sharing wonder and beauty is my greatest joy, and A Garden For All is the venue for what I’ve learned as a “hands-on” gardener and caretaker of my two challenging zone 5 acres over the last thirty-plus years. From my favorite plants and design techniques, to gorgeous local gardens and talented artists, you’re sure to find something inspiring! Yet, just as our gardens evolve and change over the years, so do our lives . . . In 2015 I lost my entire home and surrounding property in a devastating fire. It was then that … Read more...

Not only is A Garden For All infinitely readable, written with an honest but flowing and entertaining voice, and exquisitely photographed, but best of all, this isn’t some privileged British lady pontificating on how to marshal the staff of gardeners who grow their tender little nuggets in a nearly tropical zone. This is one of our neighbors, gardening next door and engaged in two-fisted weeding, digging, hauling, and all that scratch and dent stuff right down the street. Her issues are our i…

Tovah MartinAuthor, horticulturist, and lecturer

Butterflies

Plight of the Monarch

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Butterflies

Plight of the Monarch

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