tasty nectar | Winged Beauty Butterflies

Silverspotted skipper butterflies photographed by Jeffrey Zablow at Raccoon Creek S.P., PA

We saw many Silver Spotted Skippers yesterday, as we went ‘shopping’ for perrenials at Nikki’s Dig and Design Nursery in rural Lizella, just east of Macon, Georgia. Nikki’s nursery featured thousands of perrenials, almost all nurtured and grown by her and her staff. Strong, healthy and robust plants that would do a fine job of bringing butterflies to your garden. I kept thinking yesterday, that YOU would find much that you are looking for, these last months, right there on Causey Road.

What’d we buy? Bronze Fennel. Turtlehead, Cardinal Flower, an Agasatache, Coneflowers, Blue Lobelia, Black and Blue Salvia and an Orchid (a houseplant). She had mature plants in the nursery beds that you would Love, and that would bring exquisite butterflies to you.

These 2 Silver-Spotted Skippers are where they want to be, perched on blooms (Teasel) that pump out tasty nectar, both compelled to fulfill their responsibility to produce a new, vital generation. They were at Raccoon Creek State Park in southwestern Pennsylvania. Living in Georgia now, I miss that state park, where I’d seen Goatweed Leafwing, Leonard’s Skipper, White-M Hairstreaks, Meadow Fritillaries, Compton’Tortoiseshell, Hickory and Banded Hairstreaks, Northern Pearly-Eye Butterflies and . . . .

Jeff

It’s July 22nd in Raccoon Creek State Park’s Nichol field. Some 90 or 100 acres of that rare habitat is an open field. Monarda Fistulosa prefers dry fields. That contrasts with closely related Bee balm (Monarda Didyma) which we find in moist habitats. Two related species but they live two different habitats.

Wild Bergamot is open for business mid-mornings, attracting fritillaries and swallowtail butterflies. Their nectar must be tasty, because these butterflies hover over these blooms for many minutes at a time. This behavior continues for several weeks, until there are few blooms and there is no use in the butterfly making a stop there.

At 4 feet tall or more, wild Bergamot presents a great subject for photographing. It’s the right place and time. It’s time to slow down, savor and reflect on native wildflowers.

Jeff