Caterpillar invasion!

 As I was puttering in my yard on June 30, I noticed a large number of Gulf Fritillary caterpillars on my Passion Vine.  It was covered with them.

 Some were already quite large.

 While some were still tiny.

 UMMM. I said caterpillars not cats. Hello Bella.

 Hello Rascal.

 By July 7, the poor vine was leafless!

 I'm  not sure what the remaining caterpillars are going to eat!

 Luckily, there are a number of butterflies already emerging from the Chrysalis stage.

I had dozens of them fluttering around the yard. Sadly, none would perch on anything long enough for a good photo.
Y'all come back,
Lorilee

Sunshine

I'm making progress on the Japanese Flower Garden shawl, but it is slow! I don't get to crochet every day, so I think I am doing pretty well!
Update: The pattern can be found here

I fed my yarn addiction with some yummy yarn. I plan to use this for some dishcloths.

It is definitely starting to look like spring in South Texas. I saw this Eastern Tiger Swallowtail on my Carolina Jasmine.

I'm thrilled with the sunshine. I'm torn between gardening and crafts. Gardening wins when the weather is this nice!

Soon my Cannas will fill this corner. I can't wait. I'm tired of the blahness of winter!

The chickens just want out to taste all the tender green shoots!

Y'all come back,

Lorilee

Hummers and stuff!

It is not easy to catch a hummer with a camera. Those little birds fly really fast.

This is the Passion Vine growing on the old "monkey bars" on my son's playset.

I have had Gulf Fritillary butterflies in my yard all summer. This Passion Vine has been covered with their caterpillars all summer too! It hardly has any leaves left for them to eat.

I finally found a chrysallis!

I have had computer withdrawal today! My laptop had been suddenly shutting down for a few days. We discovered that the fan had quit working, so it was overheating and shutting down. It was cheaper and faster to get a new laptop than replace the fan. (I don't require a laptop with lots of bells and whistles!) My sweety spent the day getting all the stuff from my old laptop transferred to the new one. I spent the day actually getting stuff done since I couldn't sit around on my computer! On Saturday morning, I tilled my garden. I am hoping to plant a small fall garden. I also have to fix some holes in the fence where I saw rabbits getting into the yard this summer.

Ya'll Come Back!

Lorilee

Busy Garden!

My garden is a busy place. Not only are plants producing veggies, but they are nourishing critters. Some are wanted and some are unwanted. The above and below caterpillars are welcome. I don't really use my dill for anything since I don't put up pickles, so I am glad to share it with them.

Bees are definitely welcome in the garden!

The Gulf Fritillary is one of my favorite butterflies. I love the silver markings that are under their wings. They really love my zinnias.

Ya'll Come Back!

Lorilee

Blooms and a Butterfly!

This little plant was a sweet surprise. I bought one last summer and planted it. It must have self-seeded. I know it as Balloon Flower.

The Balloon Flower now opened!

I have had many Black Swallowtail and Gulf Fritillary butterflies in my garden the last few days. I managed to catch this Gulf Fritillary on a zinnia.

I made a trip to our local HEB Plus for some groceries and found this white Canna. I love the pink specks!

Ya'll Come Back!

Lorilee

Butterflies!

Late last fall, I had an unusually large number of butterflies in my garden. Most exciting was the fact that there were some that I had never seen before. I spent hours following them from flower to flower trying to get a good photo! They are fast and hard to photograph! I managed a few decent shots of several of them. Unfortunately, they were not always on the best of the flowers!

This is a Julia Heliconia. I love how it's body is fuzzy and orange too! It is most common in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas.

This is a Zebra Heliconia, also most common in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas.

This is a Gulf Fritillary. It is common in my area. I love the way the photo shows the underside of its wings with the light shining through. I love to sit on my patio and watch them flutter from flower to flower. They are like colorful little fairies!

This butterfly was flying around the yard this weekend! I am not thrilled with the photograph, but it was the best of them! This butterfly was fast, and it didn't spend much time on a flower. It was always moving!

Ya'll Come Back Now!

Lorilee