That’s what we love about butterflies, each year brings its own surprises and disappointments. Butterflies you looked forward to seeing in any given year sometimes don’t show up, and each year butterflies you have given up thinking about visit and bring a smile.
This year, just 6 months in our new home, in North Macon, Georgia, we aggressively planted perrenials, trees and shrubs in our back garden. The list is fun for us to recall: Hackberry trees, Swamp milkweed, Linden trees, Bear oak trees, Passionflower, Coneflower, Oak trees (post oak), Hercules Club bushes/trees, Liatris, Brickellia ( rare, rare), Hickory trees (Pignut, Shagbark, Nutmeg (rare, rare), Cardinal flower, Cosmos, Hibiscus, Iris (Blue flag), Spicebush, Crocosmia (Lucifer), Joe Pye, Ironweed, Lobelia, Basil, Black & Blue salvia, Oakleaf Hydrangea, Asters (Several Varieties), Buttonbush, Turtlehead, Atlantic White Cedar, Sassafras, . . . and more. Really, more.
The payoff for all the work that we did? Excellent butterfly visits and fulfilling caterpillar numbers. The Big Surprise? This 2020 season brought lots of Zebra Heliconian butterflies to our 800 Garden. Lots. Heliconius charithonia flies with the flight of a ballerina, and just stops you in your tracks, you watching that graceful flight with awe, me thinking where are we in the Amazon or in tropical Africa? Then I smile, thankful that no, we are here in Georgia, and this butterfly is real and inspiring.
So for us, 2020 brought Zebra Longwings. What butterflies will be plentiful in 2021? Ma’am, I have no idea.
Which butterflies would you like to see more of in 2021?
(This one was seen in the Butterflies & Blooms Briar Patch Habitat in Eatonton, Georgia).
Jeff
Winged Beauty Butterflies 
Hello! Love the photo. So beautiful. I meet you and your wife at the market. I will have to tell. irvin is about your story with Zebra butterfly as she has been creating a section for Zebra butterfly in the garden in Eatonton. She will be thrilled to hear your story. Thank you for sharing and blessing to you and your wife, trees, plants, flowers and butterflies 🌈
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We too enjoyed meeting you at the Market. Zebras flew in our 800 Garden today, and if you’d like, we’d love to enjoy your visit here to see our garden. Coffee & cake of course! Let us know if you’d like to tour our 800 Garden, here in North Macon?
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Hello! Must say, I will have to tell Virginia about yiu and your wife bringing Zebra Heliconian here locally. Virginia is in the process of planting trees and plants to bring in Zebra family butterflies to the garden since she loves them. Thank you for sharing your world to us and blessing to you and your wife, trees, flowers, plants and butterflies!
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Thank you. We await your response, and look forward to meeting again, perhaps in our 800 garden. Let us know, won’t you?
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I love this image-the contrast, composition and colors. Beautifully done!
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Here in coastal Georgia we had a Zebra Longwing in our garden for the first time.
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