Our December weather has been unusual this year. It took a long time before our first freeze and then we've had a couple of days here and there that were in the 70's. But, as always, after warm winter weather, a bad storm follows. Because of the bouts of warmer temperatures, I've had some fun visitors to my garden that we wouldn't normally see …
Insects in Your Garden
Insect life in your garden is plentiful - butterflies, bees, wasps, caterpillars, and more. Some of these insects are beneficial and some are harmful to your garden, but we have to learn to live with them all. Learn about some of the insects in your garden!
How The Assassin Bug Is Good for Your Garden
Have you seen an assassin bug in your garden? I don’t know how I never noticed these little insects during the years I have been gardening, but they just never registered on my radar. A friend recently posted about being stung by one of these, and that very same day, I realized that I had taken a photograph of a juvenile assassin bug. Are …
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Don’t Let the Bad Bugs Spoil Your Outdoor Fun
It is just the worst part of gardening. I mean it, the worst. The bugs. My former biology teachers would scold me for saying “bugs” and not insects, but that’s what we call them. I appreciate beneficial insects in the garden - the praying mantises, ladybugs, spiders, and even bees and wasps that can sting. But here in the Deep South, we are just …
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How to Attract Gulf Fritillary Butterflies to Your Garden
You can attract Gulf fritillary butterflies to your yard and garden by providing food plants (flowers), caterpillar host plants, water, and shelter for the butterflies. Here are some tips for the plants to include in your garden for Gulf fritillaries. Gulf fritillary butterflies (Dione vanillae -- formerly Agraulis vanillae) are orange, black, …
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Butterflies from my garden
Many of the flowering plants I grow in my yard attract butterflies by providing food for them or their larvae. It always makes me smile to see a butterfly flitting by or resting on a bloom. My neighbors probably think I'm crazy when they hear me say "hello, beautiful" to the butterflies, but they always seem like fancy ladies visiting my garden. …
Red Buckeye Flowers For Butterflies, Bees, and Hummingbirds
Red buckeye (Aesculus pavia) has bright red flowers. The flowers of this native shrub are a favorite of hummingbirds and butterflies in early spring. In the southeast, it blooms in late March and early April, and you can hear the hummingbirds buzzing around the blooms. The red buckeye always catches my eye when it is blooming. These tall …
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