An English Girl Rambles from 2016 to ....: Norfolk

Showing posts with label Norfolk. Show all posts

Thursday, February 16, 2023

ON A CHILLY DAY IT'S GOOD TO REMEMBER THE FLOWERS OF SUMMER

Bolivan begonia, botanical name Begonia boliviensis. Other names are Bonfire and Waterfall, to name two. It blooms from Spring to Autumn and can typically be found in rock crevices of the eastern side of the Andes. Mine were found at the Norfolk Botanical Garden a while back, as were the other plants.

Next is the Pineapple lily, botanical name Eucomis comosa. Other names are Pineapple flower, Wine eucomis and King's Flower. Not edible! It gets its name because its foliage is reminiscent of pineapple leaves that sit atop a spiky stem. It is very easy to take care of and is resistant to almost all pests and diseases. Needs full sun to partial shade.

This pretty pink flower is the Garden phlox, botanical name Phlox paniculata. Also known as Fall phlox, Autumn phlox, Summer phlox,Perennial phlox and Cross-leaved phlox. It is native to the United States. The name phlox comes from the Latin for "flame", reflecting its bright colors and is an important food sources for insects and hummingbirds.

Many will recognize the Black-eyed susan, botanical name Rudbeckia hirta. Other names are Yellow ox-eye daisy, English bull's eye, Brown betty, Golden jerusalem and Gloriosa daisy. It is often used to attract butterflies to gardens. I have often wondered how it got its name. Apparently it comes from a poem by John Gay, who portrayed black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta) and sweet William (Dianthus barbatus) as humans to tell a love story, and the name Black-eyed Susan is still in use today. Although the stamen is not really black, it is actually brown colored. It was also declared the state flower of Maryland in 1918.

If your weather is on the colder side, like mine, I hope these have brought some warmth.

Thanks for stopping by

and enjoy your day!

Wednesday, September 7, 2022

MONARCH CATERPILLAR AND BUTTERFLY

And in the end it's not the years in your life that count, it's the life in your years."

~Abraham Lincoln~

Added note

I made a discovery just now, after I had already written my post and published it. I learned that the caterpillars in my photos were actually ones that would turn into a Black Swallowtail Butterfly. They are very similar but this site will show the difference. To repeat myself, the caterpillar shown here will not turn into the Monarch Butterfly, as I had first thought, but will reveal itself as a Black Swallowtail. All the information I have written, however, is still for the Monarch caterpillar and that is very interesting. I decided not to rewrite my post but have added more to explain. My signature logo at the end shows the Monarch Caterpillar, and the first clue is its tentacles. Another realization was that at a glance they seem similar but if you keep looking, the differences show themselves quite clearly. Here is another link. Sorry about my confusion but I am actually happy I made the mistake as I learned another fascinating lesson in nature.

The Monarch caterpillars are partial to the milkweed plant. Milkweed contains a bitter chemical known as an alkaloid that keeps most insects from eating it, but which Monarch caterpillars just love. Consequently, Monarch caterpillars and adult butterflies contain the same alkaloid, and this is great for them because other predictors, most of them anyway, will find them too bitter to eat. This explains why Monarch caterpillars, instead of being camouflaged, are boldly marked. Even with their brightly colored 'coat', it announces to all would-be diners you can't eat me, I'm dangerous and I taste horrible.

This is a Monarch Butterfly.

Unfortunately, and as you may know already, the Monarch is now on the endangered species list. If you click on this link it tells us what we can do to help, like plant milkweed and other flowers that bloom in every season for instance.

Regarding the milkweed plant, Jenn Jilks of Cottage Country Reflections, made a very important point in her comment today. "To be clear, monarch require milkweed on which to lay their eggs. It's not a preference. They feed off many plants, however, on their way home." Thank you Jenn! I found more about this here.

The Nature Conservancy website gives a lot of useful information and this site (with beautiful illustrations) will teach us how to create a pollinator paradise.