Monarch Butterfly News

For the first time in many years, I saw a monarch buterfly. It came in my garden twice, but never stayed long enough for me to photograph.

Then a couple of days later, I found what I thought was a monarch caterpiller in my parsley. I carefully transported it on a leaf to the largest milkweed plant.

It was gone the next day. It turns out that it was a swallowtail caterpillar, they look similar to a monarch. I hope it made it back to the parsley.

On Sunday the monarch came back.

It settled onto the butterfly bush and I was able to take some pictures.

Pollinator Plants

The big news of the year is that my milkweed plants multiplied and grew really tall.

They flowered briefly in the springtime, the blossoms smelled so good.

Now there are large milkweed pods. Yesterday I saw a monarch butterfly in the garden, she came twice. I hope she lays some eggs on the milkweed.

I had bergomot from seeds I planted last year. The bees were realy into its flowers, but they didn't last and I deadheaded them in the hopes that they will come back in the fall

I think this is prairie clover, also from last year's seeds. The flowers lasted a long time and the bees were very happy. They are finally dying out and I think the bees are hungry. It has been so hot, the flowers are suffering. Only the weeds are truly happy.

My bachelor buttons are all droopy like this. A lot of the seedlings died in the heat. But the survivors are still blooming even if the flowers sag.

This was when the sunflowers were strong and numerous.

They have also faded and the new flowers are much smaller.

The rudebekia in its prime.

My purple coneflower has decided to stay green, now the rudebekia flowers are coming back green as well. It has been really hard on the flowers. I have cosmos and zinnias coming up, but they are not flowering yet. I have to see if I can find a pot of lavender with full flowers to keep the bees happy until the other flowers recover.

For next season, I am hoping to start flowers in planters a little earlier in the season. This year I waited a little too long to see which seeds would come back from last season. I was misled by a very promising looking plant that turned out to be a weed and spread all over. I know it now and I will be fiercer next season. I am more familiar with the flower seedlings now.

New season for Three Sisters

I decided to plant the three sisters on my own in a container so I could get a good idea of how the three plants grow together.

Plants at the end of June

They came up strong and quickly.

The beans had pretty purple flowers.

The squash grew blossoms. I had wrapped the bean tendrils around the corn plants, but they did not climb.

Plants on July 26

The corn has not been growing as much as last year. Maybe they are too crowded, maybe there is not enough light, maybe both. I should probably thin the corn stalks down to one. I hope to move the container to a spot with more light once we recycle the oversized grill which has expired. Meanwhile I gave the beans some stakes to climb.

The tallest corn has a very tiny tassel, but the squash blossoms look nice.

And I have beans growing. 

My wildflower seeding in the empty tree pits did not work out. It was so frustrating because I went out in th early spring, in the rain. It was so cold. But nothing came up, except for weeds. There was one little morning glory, but it didn't take. I did plant some seeds in the garden and the containers, so there is that. The gardening is not very guerilla this year, but I have seen other artists working with plants this year. At Socrates Sculpture Garden, Meg Webster has made an interactive planting called Concave Room For Bees. I am thinking of ways work with plants in a more controlled environment. Maybe guerilla gardening is easier in kinder cities, like Portland (either one), but New York is harsh on the random flower. I have renewed respect for those plantings the city does on the traffic dividers and triangles.