The Great Spangled Fritillary Butterfly Ballet

In the heat of the summer we watched a fritillary butterfly ballet atop the purple cone flowers. The most common butterfly we have observed in the last few days has been the Great Spangled Fritillary Butterfly.

The fritillary butterfly ballet begins!
The fritillary butterfly ballet begins!

While one butterfly seems interested in the nectar from the purple cone flower, the other butterfly seem interested in some other nectar!

Butterflies seeking nectar.
Butterflies seeking nectar.

With probocis’ curled, noone is drinking in the flower’s nectar at this moment.

Curled sippers at the moment.

Curled sippers at the moment.

The hind wing on this butterfly shows a reflection of the flower’s petal color. Notice the pink cast to the usually white or silver spots. This could be a means of blending in with the environment for the sake of avoiding predators.

Silvery spots reflect the colors of the flower petals.
Silvery spots reflect the colors of the flower petals.

As one butterfly repositions on the head of the cone flower his wings open to retain balance.

Wings are spread to maintain balance.

Wings are spread to maintain balance.

The forewing patterns are different between the male and female of this species. The male has mostly black spots and lines on an orange background, while the female has a lighter tan background and white spots near the edge of the wing with black lines on the inner part of the forewing. Notice how the female holds her hindwing in a more forward position than the male. Is this a submissive posture or an invitation?

Forewing patterns are different between the sexes.
Forewing patterns are different between the sexes.

We never actually caught these two in the act, but I assure you that plenty of butterfly love is happening all around the cone flowers and the purple-flowered butterfly bush, too!

Lariope, Statice, Dahlias and Greystokes

These sunflowers aren’t a giant variety, but they ARE pretty big, and they really draw the goldfinches. Sunflowers can get so tall and the leaves grow so big.

Sunflowers with several large blossoms.

Sunflowers with several large blossoms.

Now that's a large sunflower leaf!

Now that’s a large sunflower leaf!

Dahlias sport many colors, ranging from light, lemony yellow to a salmon red and a variegated purple and white.

Lemony yellow dahlia.

Lemony yellow dahlia.

Salmony red dahlia.

Salmony red dahlia.

Deep purple and white variegated dahlia.

Deep purple and white variegated dahlia.

Lariope grass from North Carolina is about to bloom. The spike of light purple flowers will be opening soon. I hope the seeds will help to establish this plant as a border for this flower garden. In any case it seems that some of the plants have adapted to the conditions here in Pennsylvania.

Lariope blooms in spike of light purple flowers.

Lariope blooms in a spike of light purple flowers.

Statice is an unusual plant. The stems are rather flattened and sort of strange looking and they arise from a rosette of deeply cleft leaves at its base. The variety of colors makes statice a sought-after bloom for dried flower arrangements. In our small sampling we have yellow, blue, white and purple hues represented.

Statice blooms in many colors which makes it a nice flower for dried arrangements.

Statice blooms in many colors which makes it a nice flower for dried arrangements.

Spikes of statice flowers atop a basal rosette of green leaves.

Spikes of statice flowers atop a basal rosette of green leaves.

The pink oxalis from North Carolina is doing well. Here you can see the five-petaled flowers and the leaves that clasp the stem from opposite sides.

Pink flowering oxalis.

Pink flowering oxalis.

Gee, I was wondering why we don’t see any birds at the birdbath!

Greystokes taking a drink at the birdbath.

Greystokes taking a drink at the birdbath.

Cactus Flowers and Hibiscus

A neighbor has really beautiful cacti growing all about her place. I don’t know a thing about them to give them names. It is curious that some of them bloom only for one day, like these white cactus blossoms.

White cactus blossoms bloom for one day only.

White cactus blossoms are here for only one day.

A large stalk is sent up, the flower blooms, and then it’s done for about a month, storing up energy for the next blooming.
Two cactus stalks rise up before the flowers bloom.
Two cactus stalks rise up before the flowers bloom.

Portulacas, Sweet Williams and Hibiscus are all blooming in the heat of the summer.

Pretty hibiscus in pink.

Pretty hibiscus in pink.

Sunflowers, Giant Hyssop and Stevia

Tending to the garden this morning, I couldn’t help see the frenzied cabbage butterflies as they flit about the place. We saw two cabbage butterflies mating on a tomato leaf.

Butterflies mating on a tomato leaf.

Butterflies mating on a tomato leaf.

Then we saw two more butterflies mating on the same tomato leaf!

Two others using the same leaf!

Two others using the same leaf!

Sunflowers are composite flowers of many blooms. See the individual blossoms near the center in the close up.

Individual blooms in the composite sunflower.

Individual blooms in the composite sunflower.

Beautiful symmetry in this sunny flower.

Beautiful symmetry in this sunny flower.

Blue giant hyssop is growing in the garden from seeds planted a few weeks ago. It is not yet giant, nor blue. The flowers will appear next month and should attract butterflies and bees. The leaves of giant hyssop have an anise-like taste and can be used in salads.

Giant blue hyssop will flower in the late summer.

Giant blue hyssop will flower in the late summer.

Peppers are maturing in the vegetable garden. Summer salads await! Baby cucumbers are hiding under their canopy of cucumber leaves.

Baby cucumbers still attached to their yellow blossoms.
Baby cucumbers still attached to their yellow blossoms.

The Stevia plant that was purchased at a local greenhouse is doing quite well in the garden and now is about two feet tall. No visible signs of bugs eating this Sweet Leaf plant. Not a single chew! This member of the mint family can be used as a natural bug repellant by rubbing the leaves on your skin. Certainly worth a try as the smell of DEET is very offensive.

Stevia, or Sweet Leaf, growing in the garden.

Stevia, or Sweet Leaf, growing in the garden.

Closeup of sweet leaf.
Close-up of sweet leaf.

The Japanese beetles would probably like my girl’s pesto judging by their appetite for the basil blossoms and leaves. For fun around here we go around knocking beetles off the plants into a vessel of soapy water so they never to return to their nasty habit!

Basil leaves and flowers are devoured by Japanese beetles.

Basil leaves and flowers are devoured by Japanese beetles.

Basil flowers and holey leaves.
Basil flowers and holey leaves.

The Roma tomatoes are green and looking very delicious.

Green Roma tomatoes will soon be at the top of the dinner menu.
Roma tomatoes will soon be at the top of the dinner menu.

The greenery of the Canna Lilies is about two feet tall and it’s not quite immune to the culinary tastes of the Japanese beetles. The canna lily bright red blossoms should attract a few hummingbirds later in the summertime.

Bee-Balm is Oswego-Tea

Even though this blog concentrates on wildflowers, I can’t help but add some comments on the garden flowers and animals that we observe here in the mountains of Pennsylvania.

A small group of about a dozen turkeys were wandering around the edge of the woods around noontime today. The group appeared to be a couple mature females and some young ones. They were pecking at bugs and probably taking in a few stones from the gravel lane. At the slightest noise the turkeys scampered back into the woods.

The indoor plants are doing well in the warm conditions upstairs. The diffenbachia is blooming and showing off its pure white spathe.

Diffenbachia sporting a pure white blossom.

Diffenbachia sporting a pure white blossom.

A mushroom appeared in the clay pot that holds a Norwegian pine. Never saw that before!

Norwegian pine pot with a yellow mushroom.

Norwegian pine pot with a yellow mushroom.

Driving along a country road we found a nice batch of Bee-Balm, Monarda didyma, growing near the edge of the road. The hummingbirds have to like this stuff — the blossoms are so red!

Bee balm by the roadside.

Bee balm by the roadside.

Monarda didyma flowers are brilliant red.

Monarda didyma flowers are brilliant red.

Identifying characters for Bee-Balm are that the blossoms are scarlet red and the bracts are red, too. Even some of the leaves have red coloration where they attach to the stems. Bee balm is a beautiful addition to any flower garden with the added benefit that it is a plant native to America.

Bee balm bracts are scarlet red.

Bee balm bracts are scarlet red.

Bee balm is also known as Oswego-Tea. A tea made from the leaves was used by Native Americans to treat colds, fevers, stomachaches, and colic, among other maladies.

Garden poppies have pretty much died out with the heat coming on in July, but they are being replaced by the zinnias, marigolds, dahlias and sunflowers.

Black Bear Rubs a Tree

A black bear was our latest visitor on the Mountain Top! At first I thought it was the neighbor’s Newfoundland dog as I saw it from the kitchen window just before dusk. He was right at our front door sniffing around the portulaca and dahlias. Then I saw his little round ears — not to mention the size of him. We pushed the dog into a different room so he would not cause a racket, but I don’t think the bear would have cared. He was ambling along at his own pace.

I ran for the camera and got this shot through a dusty garage window as he had rounded the side of the house to the back yard.

A black bear walking over a small tree as if to mark his territory.

A black bear in the backyard walking over a small tree.

Did you notice that he is deliberating walking over this little maple tree, which is about 6 feet tall? There is plenty of grass on either side of the tree, so we think he was either marking his territory or maybe just scratching his butt!

From the back door we watched the black bear take down a few sunflowers to check them out – not ripe yet! Then he ambled back into the woods by the way of the compost heap. As he slowly walked into the woods you could hear the leaves go shuush-shuush-shuush!

Black bear shuffling back into the woods.

Black bear shuffling back into the woods.

The berries have been ripening and that probably drew him here, along with the neighbor’s dumpster. Now that the corn is ripe, he is probably stuffing himself with corn. The farmer said that you can tell when a bear has been in the corn fields. The black bear is so lazy he justs sits in one spot and grabs all the corn he can from that spot, and so, will leave a circle of destruction where he sat in the field!

Purple Cone Flower, Cactus and Spider-Flowers

A purple cone flower, Echinacea sp., growing adjacent to the front door had a bad habit last year of drooping onto the doorstep. To keep the four feet tall stems from falling over into our entryway, we simply placed a small tomato cage (31″ tall) over the perennial cone flower as it started to come back to life in the early Spring. As the stems grew we tucked them inside the cage and yes, it did look strange for a couple weeks. Now it looks great! You can’t even see the cage and the stems are all held upright for the butterflies and bees and us to appreciate — and not trip over!

Echinacea blooming near the front door.

Echinacea blooming near the front door.

It’s fun to watch the blossoms develop. Here is the purple cone flower blooming as it starts out with greenish petals and as the outermost flowers bloom first followed by the inner flowers. As a member of the composite family, each blossom is actually made up of many very small flowers grouped together. Notice the yellow pollen emitted from each individual flower in bloom. The cone or composite of flowers starts out flat and attains the cone shape as it matures.

Early purple cone flower.

Early purple cone flower.

Outer most flowers blooming as noted by the yellow pollen.

Outer-most flowers blooming as noted by the yellow pollen.

Inner cone flowers blooming.

Inner cone flowers blooming.

Lavender is in bloom along the walkway near the front of the house. This plant will have to be divided and planted elsewhere as it has grown too big for its present location. The garden hose keeps tripping over it!

Lavender blooming next to the oregano.

Lavender blooming next to the oregano.

A unique flower has started to blossom in the flower beds — the spider-flower. Not the spider plant that you might have in a hanging basket on your deck or indoors, but rather an escaped alien plant, Cleome spinosa. Granted, we got a couple plants from friends to put in our garden and I think it will be here for a long time. The seeds are plentiful and the spider-flowers return year after year. Blossoms are white to pink to purple and consist of four narrow-stalked petals that are separated widely and several extremely long stamens.

Spider-flowers blooming pink above the palmate leaves.

Spider-flowers blooming pink above the palmate leaves.

White spider-flowers with really long stamens.

White spider-flowers with really long stamens.

Other garden flowers that are making an appearance include several cacti, the trumpet vines and portulaca, or the moss rose.

Purple cactus flower blooming in the sunshine.

Purple cactus flower blooming in the sunshine.

Spiny cactus leaves contrast with the delicate purple flower.

Spiny cactus leaves contrast with the delicate purple flower.

It is curious how such a mean-looking plant can produce such a delicate-looking flower!

Jewelweed and Enchanter’s Nightshade

This week was the first time this year that I noted a flowering Jewelweed, or Spotted Touch-Me-Not, Impatiens capensis, which is an annual that returns each year along the lane. Further down the lane is a patch of poison ivy that refuses to be cut back. A remedy for poison ivy rash is found in a poultice of crushed leaves or juice from the pre-flowering stems of Jewelweed. Isn’t it curious that these two plants are almost always found growing close to one another?

Asiatic Dayflowers were seen yesterday and will appear each day now for the remainder of the hot weather. They, too, are growing along the lane. Since the dog and I were taking a walk I didn’t carry the trusty camera, so I’ll have to come back for a few pictures to post here.

Another lane-side plant was noted by its terminal spike of two-petal flowers, Enchanter’s Nightshade, Circaea quadrisulcata. Each tiny white flower appears to have four petals but on closer inspection the deep clefts in each of two petals make it look like four. Isn’t it quite unusual to have a flower with only two petals? The enchanter’s nightshade is growing in a damp, shady area adjacent to the area where the spring trickles into a culvert underneath the lane. It’s much nicer having this dark green plant alongside the lane than the dreaded poison ivy!

White yarrow growing in the gravel of the lane where is gets more shade than sun. The direct sunlight it does receive is during noontime.