Saturday, August 26, 2006

What's Growin' On: 8/26/06











Realization Of The Day:
Been too busy to blog. Figured butterfly photos much better than nothing.

Personally I never get tired of looking at butterflies--in real life or in pictures. These were taken back on June 28th but never posted. Enjoy.

7 comments:

  1. When you look at these photos all you can do is to just smile.

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  2. is that wild echinacea? lovely. we plan to collect some seed and try and get it growing on our roadside.

    k-)

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  3. Beautiful photographs. Yes, what kind of flowers are those?

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  4. Hi Ray,
    Thanks! : )

    Hi Yellow Dog,
    Yep. Even if Cary isn't in them. : )

    Hi Karl and MaryLou,
    Yes, that's echinacea (also called Purple Coneflower). Click here to see a larger view of the bed where they're growing. Click here and here to see close-ups of flowers.

    I started the original plants at least 10 years ago at Windridge Farm with purchased seeds. I actually started both the common "echinacea purpurea" and the rarer "echinacea angustofolia" (sp?). When it came time to move, I just dug up a bunch of them, so I'm not sure what variety these are. I do know that although these aren't technically "wild," echinacea is a "wildflower" and in our area and grows wild all over the place, especially along the roads. And of course it's used as an herbal remedy for all kinds of things, most commonly to boost the immune system. Both the roots and flowers have beneficial properties.

    Karl--yes, definitely collect some seeds. My plants reseed themselves and spread like crazy. This is a very hardy plant that thrives with no attention given to it at all. The cheerful flowers bloom en masse for weeks and weeks each summer.

    I just looked in my Pinetree Garden Seeds catalog and found that you can also buy a variety of echinacea called White Swan: "Shorter than purple coneflowers, but just as showy. The snow white reflexed petals surround a large green cone. White Swan flowers over a long period and will gradually spread to create an impressive display. At 2 to 3 feet in height, it mixes well with other perennials in the border. 3-inch blossoms." They charge 95 cents for a packet of 25 seeds.

    I'm definitely going to order some of these!

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  5. P.S. The other little bundly things you see in the photo are Spiderwort. Click here to see more photos and find out why I love this perennial so much.

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  6. Such great captures of these butterflies! I can barely look away to post a comment!

    That reminds me I took one million photos of butterflies during a recent trip to BC that I'll have to post.

    One day...

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  7. amacing, two sorts on one photo

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