Butterfly and Wildlife Gardening And Photography In Houston Texas
Category Archives: Nectar Plants Our Butterfly Bush is really starting to bloom now with big purple flowers. That has attracted both the Hummingbirds (Ruby Throat) and the Butterflies. This one particular Monarch Butterfly was feasting up a storm on this plant. I think it was also on a bit of a sugar high as this crazy Butterfly was chasing… Is it just me or do the Ruby Throated Hummingbirds seem to be a little late in arriving in the Houston, TX area this year? We saw our first Hummingbird yesterday (March 23rd). We can’t even say for sure it is a Ruby Throat, although Leecy said she did see the bright red throat. Whatever…  I got really lucky the other day when a big flock (is that the correct term?) of Cedar Waxwings decided to make a visit to my Maple Tree. I think we counted at least 17 in this picture below. Cedar Waxwings, for me, are not that uncommon around my backyard as I often hear their…  This might be one of the coolest bird pictures I have taken. I had just set up the new Bluebird House with the hidden BirdCam and I heard the distinctive call of the Eastern Bluebird. I ran inside to get some mealworms as I figured the Bluebirds would be coming to visit soon. Sure enough,…  I think the mystery Hummingbird is solved. My friend Greg Lavaty came by on Friday so that I could help set up his computer, and if we really got lucky, to see the mystery Hummingbird that has been visiting my Coral Honeysuckle. Fortunately the Hummingbird did appear and Greg and I captured several pictures. Greg…  I’m telling you, something strange is going on this year with the birds, at least in my yard. While I’m watching the Eastern Bluebirds, Cedar Waxwings, and the American Goldfinches, Leecy says “hello hummer!” My first thought was it’s too early for the Ruby Throated Hummers to arrive so she’s seeing things, then I saw…  We’re still raising Monarch Butterflies despite it being late January. Of course, this is Houston and today’s temperature was 78 degrees so it’s not like we’re having a lot of cold weather at the moment. I had forgotten how our Maple Tree is a source of nectar for Butterflies and Honeybees until I saw this…  I’ve mentioned previously that we really haven’t seen many Gulf Fritillary Butterflies this year. I still think the drought has something to do with that. However, while I was out photographing the Monarch Butterflies, I noticed a smaller Butterfly chasing the Monarchs. It turns out it was a Gulf Fritillary. I’m assuming this one is…  Three new Monarch Butterflies today (4 if you count the deformed wing Monarch I posted about earlier). One was a returning male Monarch that we had previously tagged. It was feeding in the early morning on the white flowers of the Butterfly Bush. The second one was one that we had not previously tagged and…  Yea! The first Fall migrating Monarch Butterfly of 2011 (at least the first one I’ve seen) has arrived. I might have seen two, but since I only was able to take a picture of one of them, I’ll just say one for now. I spotted the male Monarch on our pink Butterfly Bush (a Hummingbird…  I had quite a few Butterflies in the backyard today, much more so than normal. The Zinnia garden is attracting many insects including Honeybees, Carpenter Bees, and of course, Butterflies. The Lantana also appears to be a Butterfly favorite. This is an American Painted Lady on a Red Zinnia flower. Although I’ve seen them in…  The majority of our Ruby Throated Hummingbirds left last weekend, but we do have 2 females that remain. Honestly, I think they like it without all the males fighting over the feeders. For Fall 2011, we maybe had 10 total Ruby Throats, which has been about average the last couple of years. Back before Hurricane…  I need to get a few things off my chest (actually just one thing). This drought. It’s driving me nuts. This whole weather thing is driving me nuts actually. On the East Coast they’re flooding. Down here in Texas we’re drying up. Is this the effects of global warming? What will this wacky weather mean…  The only Butterflies I’m seeing consistently right now are the Texan Crescent Butterflies. I’ve got to assume this drought is effecting the Butterflies. I’m doing all I can to keep the nectar plants adequately watered. Speaking of nectar plants, we pulled up the Indian Blanket Wildflowers. Most of them had finished blooming, and they were…  If you don’t have a Butterfly Bush, I highly recommend getting one if you want to attract Butterflies. These plants are wonderful nectar plants for Butterflies and Hummingbirds really like them as well. Today there was a large male Eastern Black Swallowtail that just couldn’t get away from this plant. In this particular photo the… |
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