We still have butterflies in our garden. Here are a few Queen butterflies congregating on our Gregg's Blue Mist (eupatorium conoclinum greggi): Queens massing on Greig's Blue Mist ( photo / image / picture from marlingardener's Garden ) Queens are often mistaken for Monarchs, since their coloration is similar, but from this picture you can tell the Queen is slightly different: Queen butterfly on Greig's Blue Mist ( photo / image / picture from marlingardener's Garden ) Gregg's Blue Mist is also known as "boneset" since it is an eupatorium, which has medicinal uses. However, this plant is lovely in the garden, requires minimal care, and can survive in both shade (ours is at the base of a large Ashe Juniper) and in half to three-quarters day sun. It also makes a decent cut flower.
I've hardly seen any butterflies in my garden this year due to adverse weather conditions. Your photographs are lovely and I'm glad you still have some of these beautiful insects in your garden this late in the year.
I saw about five or six of those orange butterflies on some pink zinnias the other afternoon. By the time I got my camera they had flown away. I think because Chance wanted to "help"! Yours are very beautiful and I really like the flowers. dooley
Wow... the flowers and the butterflies are both beautiful. Around here today, I only have Cloudless Sulfurs.
Lovely butterflies, MG. The blooms themselves look quite attractive, so I was looking into the possibilities for growing that here. It would seem that our climate here would not be ideal for it, unfortunately. I noticed everywhere that these plants are really attractive for butterflies, I did not notice that they were attractive to bees. Do you notice any honeybees on your Eupatorium's.
Sjoerd, Yes, we keep bees, so I see honeybees on most of our flowers. They do seem to like the Blue Mist quite well, and also the Peruvian Rock Rose (pavonia peruviana). I'll try to get a photo of bees on the Rock Rose, but they move around so much (the flowers move in our breeze, not the bees!) that it's rather difficult.
I am interested to see pics of your Pavonia. I have the sneeking suspician that I can't grow the same plants that you do there, though.
