Still plugging away in the garden.
Still not ready to share the results.
In the interim, here are some photos I’ve taken the past week.
Hope you enjoy.
More Monarchs this year than ever before. Here on Joe Pye Weed.
Enjoying the Allium.
Spread your wings little guys and gals.
Swamp Milkweed attracts them all.
I thought I was photographing a Monarch Caterpillar only. Turns out a Praying Mantis had captured it. I can’t lie, I maneuvered the caterpillar loose. I did not let nature take its course.
Re: Monarch caterpillars – I do that all the time. I had monarch caterpillars for the first time in June this year. I’m in MN so my milkweed was barely up after a later than normal spring, and they had pretty much eaten it down to nubs, so I ran to the garden center and bought more milkweed, planted it, and move them to it.
8/10/18
Hi there Jon,
I just wanted you to know how much I enjoy your photos. You have a great eye.
Dinah Hovey
Gardening in Chautauqua County, WNY
P.S. My gardens are full of weeds. I can never keep up.
Checked all the pictures. You are a great photographer! Loved the pictures. Two cute kids too.
Cool pics John … Question: Was the Praying Mantis trying to devour the Monarch? What is the ‘natural sequence’ food-chain wise. You should buy a Venus Flytrap … if any garden critter pisses you off, into the VT it goes. Kind of like a ‘Garden Disposal Unit’ rather than a ‘Garbage Disposal Unit” if you “DIG” that :o)
Beautiful photos, John. Thanks for saving the caterpillar. I was wondering if you have any garden designer or gardening book that you feel has most influenced your planting ideas?
Beautiful photos
I think these are your best pics yet!
Thanks for sharing!
I always feel better about my own garden’s failures—weeds, plant mortalities, deer damage—by your honest blogs. I didn’t save a moth from a mantis yesterday, but I would have saved a monarch caterpillar. Thanks for the great photos, John.