flowers and butterflies

[marla]

I love this time of year, the lillies are blooming profusely as are other flowers and the butterflies, and catterpillars are abundant.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v729/grandmavis/whitelillies.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v729/grandmavis/yellowlillies.jpg
canna
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v729/grandmavis/canna.jpg

[marla]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v729/grandmavis/hyacinths.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v729/grandmavis/tigerswallowtail.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v729/grandmavis/monarch2.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v729/grandmavis/monarch.jpg

[marla]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v729/grandmavis/butterfly.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v729/grandmavis/monarchcatterpilliar.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v729/grandmavis/walkingstick.jpg

[Jackie Ramo]

Oh Marla, just wonderful pictures. Thanks for taking the time to share them with us. Stick insect... haven't seen one of those since I was a kid. I'm hoping that now that the city has banned pesticide use we will once again enjoy a variety of wildlife.

[marla]

Jackie, the walking sticks are a yearly event. This one surprised us and was up by the house. Usually every year when we pick rasberries we find lots, they range in size from under an inch and green to 3 inches or bigger. I know they love the oaks, and grape vines, but I'm not sure why they are always in the rasberries. When I use to do day care the kids always came down with me and we'd collect a few, counted most and at the end of the day after showing parents put them back. Kind of missed picking lots of berries this year to busy.

[Terri]

OH WOW!!! Marla those picture's are fantastic!!!!! Love the butterflies, and I've never had the pleasure of seeing a monarch caterpiller inperson, lucky you! I hope you're printing a few of these off to display... they are terrific!

[Jackie Ramo]

My raspberries dried up so quickly this year with the heat I didn't get many picked. Too busy trying not to to get scratched to look for bugs I guess. Besides the birds were complaining I was stealing their food.

[marla]

OH WOW!!! Marla those picture's are fantastic!!!!! Love the butterflies, and I've never had the pleasure of seeing a monarch caterpiller inperson, lucky you!
Terri, about 4 yrs ago we had 27 monarch chrystalises(sp?) hanging on the house. Again it was a great learning tool for the kids I did day care for. We took pictures as they progressed. While waiting for the bus one morning the kids got to watch as one emerged. When they came home it was still hanging around. The pictures were put in an album and the kids took turns taking it for show and tell. Maybe I'll have to see if I can scan them and post. That was the last time we had so many at once, now usually it's just a couple and they are hard to find.

[Jackie Ramo]

I've seen the larvae in the wild but never the chryslids. Had about a dozen go through here yesterday and a hummingbird as well. Also a small warbler has arrived... Although I love the new things this season brings I hate the fact it means summer is at an end.