Golden groundsel is blooming here too, such a pretty and cheerful early bloomer. Mine survived the freeze here too.

I ordered Golden Groundsel for my garden. It's a pretty flowering native species.

Warm weather for a few days before the next storm. We'll have more freezing weather, but spring is definitely taking over


Return of the Bee Butts!


Edit to add: oops, that was aimed for the Bees thread. Sorry.

Gorgeous, Zoë! Absolutely gorgeous.

joannakat said:Gorgeous, Zoë! Absolutely gorgeous.

Evelyn & Joanna

After rain last night (Yea!), the sun was out today and it was very warm, so butterflies were out playing and nectaring! I saw two Monarchs (my first this year!), but couldn't get near to really take a pic! I think they were nectaring on the natives verbenas, which I have quite a few just growing out on their own. Well, even if I could have gotten closer to them, the heat was already getting to me by then and could hardly walk. I think I saw a pipeline swallowtail and an American Lady, too! I don't really have any milkweed for the Monarchs yet, unless they want to lay eggs on the very small growth on the plants in the ground. Then I'd probably have to find more milkweed at a nursery, because the cats would strip what little growth the plants have too fast if there were more than a few eggs. Spring is here! Every day, the blooming maple is filled with bees and other nectar seekers. That and the verbenas, Mexican Buckeye blooms and some bladder pods are mainly what I have flowering at present. Must buy something already blooming! No excuses!This is such an abnormal year. But the butterflies today helped my mood!

I saw a butterfly yesterday, too. A clouded sulfur. They are often our first butterflies.,

We are removing a large Norway Maple on our property and eventually will install a native oak species in its place. We've learned that oaks are good host plants for many Lepidoptera.

Good choice, Joseph! You might want to look into native cherry trees; they are a valuable source of early nectar for bees, if you're interested in planting for the bees.

These small butterflies came to my garden today
Common name: Bataraza (Ortilia ithra)


I don't know the name of this one that came to my lantana
Well. After some search I found its name: Blanca Lomo Negro (Heliopetes omrina)

Really pretty pics! That lantana is a stunner!

Some butterflies came to my garden today
The first one a Junonia genoveva (cuatro ojos común)


An Euptoieta hortensia






And aTatochila autodice (lechera común)

Just beautiful, Ceci! I saw my second butterfly yesterday, a pearl crescent. 😊

Lovely photos Ceci👍

Oh, @ceci, I always love your photos.

joannakat said:Oh, @ceci, I always love your photos.

Me too!

I'm surprised by the number of Monarchs I've seen here on my property this spring. Not a whole lot, but considering that last spring was such a bust, Monarch-wise, a few seems pretty good. But haven't seen eggs or little cats yet on my milkweeds. I go out there and look, then say "NONE again"? At least the plants are truly growing now.

Not a butterfly, but my first of this year!

Since none of my blue porterweeds seem to be coming up yet due to the freezes i went ahead and bought another one. My nursery had a hidden gem that my eye has been on for seven months. I found a yellow flowering firecracker bush. I was excited to see it.