This pretty swallowtail butterfly couldn’t get enough of the Fragrant Angel Coneflowers yesterday. I was actually hoping I could get pictures of the Cedar Waxwings that have been eating berries in the park. And while I could hear them, I couldn’t see them. But Ms. Swallowtail was very compliant.
Swallowtails are common butterflies in Michigan, but their size and lovely colors make them a welcomed visitor, nonetheless.
Something else that was unexpected in the Secret Garden is a pink hibiscus (rose mallow). I had completely forgotten that I’d planted it. And, in fact, I dug it up last spring thinking that whatever it was had not survived the winter. Luckily, I forgot to toss the rootball before I went on vacation. When I returned, there were green shoots coming out of the rootball, so I replanted it. I kept thinking that it was some sort of oakleaf hydrangea, but, honestly, I didn’t pay a lot of attention to it. Color me surprised when I saw dinner-plated sized pink blossoms.
The Tardiva Hydrangea is blooming now, a welcome event just as the daylilies fade. I hate to see them go. I’ve been pulling out the flower stalks so that the clumps look tidy. The liatris is doing quite well. I love how it blooms from the top down.
Garden 337 