Choice Morsels

 Actually getting this written on Wednesday this week! Swallowtail Butterfly Caterpillar on Parsley: It's not been a good year for butterfly caterpillars over-all. I've seen numerous eggs and tiny infant caterpillars, only to find them completely gone. I think wasps or spiders or something pick them them. But I managed to save this one---I covered the container with fine netting to keep away insect predators.  He or she is full size now, so I removed the netting today. Soon he'll wish to depart to cocoon and I didn't want the net to interfere. I love the striped and spotted pattern. A Flower Mix Out Front: I thought the Purple Shamrock leaves mingled with the Dusty Miller, plus a Shamrock flower and the orange buds from the Hen & Chicks was really pretty.  The Dusty Miller and Shamrocks surround a strawberry terra cotta pot of Hen & Chicks.

  The Garden Pic today is my Mexican Milkweed.  Monarch's have tried leaving eggs several times, but something snatched all the baby caterpillars away--probably wasps or Assassin bugs. (Though Assassin bugs are beneficial garden insects, they catch and eat anything.) It also attracts aphids. A couple stems have them, though a heavy rain washes them off easily. But with aphids come Lady Bugs that love to dine on them! So I now I see Lady Bugs a bit more often in my garden. Milkweed also attracts Spicebush Swallowtails. I saw one of these today! I was very excited. They are common throughout the Southeastern U.S. They like Zinnias, too. They are black and blue, though the female is the bluest blue on the lower wings. So it was a female I saw. This is my young fall Garden: Just mulched it with newspaper and grass clippings this week.  4 Broccoli plants down the middle; Cabbage on either side, 3 each side.   In the naked dirt are 3 half rows of seeds: Pad Choi, Spinach & Lettuce

The Garden Pic for today is a nice shot of sunset lit Chocolate Elephant Ears. I've had them for years and when the ones planted in the ground seemed to be dwindling, I rescued as many roots as I could and moved them to this pot where they've been doing well ever since.     Today, I also planted Broccoli & Cabbage plants in one of my raised garden beds for my winter garden.  I didn't do so well with my spring garden---my seeds were old and I wasn't properly prepared. The only thing that grew well was the pickle cucumbers that I dined on all summer and the self-seeded basil in the other raised bed, which is now a huge clump. So I'm going to try and do more for winter. I still have French lettuce & a spinach seed I plan on planting plus I still have two Bell Pepper plants that didn't really produce anything in the heat, but will probably make a ton as weather cools. Plus, I'm going to prepare better for next spring by picking out and ordering my seeds