Birds, Bees, and Butterflies

This is my butterfly garden's second summer. In April and May all was well, but then came the June drought. Although the native plants don't usually need water, day after dry day of temperatures in the 100s were getting to be too much for them.

The bright red Bee Balm faded. The daisies gave up hope. So did 4 new Wax Myrtle bushes. The Deer grazed the Turtleheads, Coleas, and several more plants. Three other shrubs are looking iffy.

But the birds, bees, and butterflies are enjoying what's left. We got a quarter of an inch of rain night before last and new flowers bloomed.

The Butterfly Weed is lovely and more so as I watch the Zebra and Spicebush Swallowtails fight for a seat at the nectar bar.

A Pearl Crescent sat on a Black-eyed Susan and was practically boated off by a dragonfly. And the bees love the Coneflowers and Catnip. To top everything off, it was a spectacle to watch as a Goldfinch perched in the Coreopsis and helped himself to a big helping of seed.

And the frog in the pond has the coolest seat for watching and waiting for his lunch to fly by. The water is getting to be slimy and green, but it doesn't seem to bother the fish, frogs, birds, and squirrels that play around its edge.