Butterfly kisses

Yesterday I was extremely lucky to come home and notice quite a few Monarch Butterflies flitting about my Buddleias (butterfly bushes). I ran inside and grabbed my camera to try to take a few shots.

When I first came up to the bush, the butterflies flew away but almost instantly they got used to my standing there and as long as I moved slowly, I was able to photograph them.

One butterfly caught my eye right away. The interior section of the pattern on it's wings was a blur. I just couldn't get my eyes to focus on this spot. How cool is that?

Even in this shot where you can clearly see the antennae, you can't get a clear image of the spot where the body meets the wings.

I do so love taking photos of butterflies. They are just so ethereal and graceful.

Today is nicely overcast so I will head out there and try for more photos.

Melanie

Hosta in the fall

Walk around your garden today and look at your hosta. It's amazing how different they look in the fall. Half of mine are ratty, covered with holes, ripped foliage and ready to be put down for the winter.

Looking carefully though there are still a few stellar performers in the garden. I believe this variety is 'Fresh', certainly well named! Obviously 'Fresh' is not only slug proof but it's not one that burns up in the late summer. I'll also add that 'Fresh' is in a part of the garden that has dry, root bound, crappy soil.

I know it's hard to find motivation to take ugly photos but maybe it would be a good idea to go around the garden now and document the good, the bad and the downright ugly.

I'll be out there looking closely as I divide Hosta and Daylilies today. It will also be the last day I'm officially open for sales. Next Saturday is homecoming at Walt Whitman High School so I'll be busy walking in the parade.

If you have a Hosta that looks good in your garden right now, let me know the variety!

Melanie

The 'Pearl'

There's a plant in my shade bed that is just coming into full bloom. Earlier in the year I wrote a post about it, I don't know what it is (nor can I find the post but it's starting out as one of those days...).

My guess has always been that this plant is part of the Cimicifuga family which has for some reason be renamed as the Actea family.

It seeds around nicely and the seedlings don't seem to mind being transplanted. (I've still got more to share.)

Here you can see the whole plant. Although I tried a number of times, my camera just doesn't want to focus on the white blooms. The leaves aren't as finely cut as the Cimicifugas I see online or for sale. As a mature plant it gets quite large. A nice bonus is that the leaves don't seem to be affected by the slugs that have been ravishing this part of the garden.

There is a Cimicifuga named 'White Pearl'. I know that this plant is not that specific hybrid because these are all seedlings but it sure looks quite a bit like a strand of white pearls.

Out in front of my house I have Cimicifuga 'James Compton' which I bought last year. It caught my attention because of it's dark, almost purple foliage. As you can see here, the bloom is very similar but the buds are dark purple.

If I could bring this to you in smell-a-vision you would just swoon because the scent is heavenly! I never would have expected this simple flower to have such a strong smell and at first I looked around to see what else was blooming. As an afterthough, I think I'll cut a bloom and bring it inside to see how long the perfume lasts.

Here you can see the foliage of 'James Compton' when I bought it. So far I can't say the foliage has done much in the garden, I couldn't get a single decent shot of it yesterday and will try again today. As with most purple foliage plants, it's lost it's coloration this late in the season and now just appears to be dark green with hints of purple (squint hard and you might see it).

If you decide to plant this in your garden I would suggest buying 3 or 5 and planting them as a group unless you are a very patient gardener.

In truth I did have a second photo showing this foliage but there wasn't the adorable face peeping out from behind. Calie-the-wonderdoodle had to sneak her way into my photo shoot that day. It was a pretty amazing feat for this big lumbering 70 pound dog to slip into that corner and appear so innocent.