Baptisia and the Skipper

Silver Spotted Skipper nectaring on Baptisia sphaerocarpa.

Rita Veneble calls this skipper a Music City butterfly because it has guitars on the wings! I have to agree with her description~Just check out those bright white patches on the hindwings!

Legumes are its host plant, in fact you might find cats on any number of members of the Fabaceae family.  Females lay pumpkin shaped green eggs near host plant leaf tops and the hatched cats have to find their way to the host plant! Young caterpillars live inside of folded leaves, as they age they make a nest of silked together leaves. Chrysalids hibernate and emerge in the spring.

Adults perch upside down on the underside of leaves at night and on hot days

Silver Spotted Skippers aren't the only butterflies in my garden~But, they and other skippers might just be my favorites. Who could be immune to the charms of these big eyed critters that visit our gardens all summer and into the fall. Certainly not me! Skipper is the perfect name for these fast, agile, erratic fliers that seem to skip from flower to flower.

They look more like moths than butterflies, but, they are indeed butterflies. Skippers are small to medium, usually orange, brown, black, white, or gray. Some are brighter or iridescent colored. They all have those large eyes (even their caterpillar has a large head), short antennae (often with hooked clubs), stout bodies, and three pairs of walking legs. Adults of most species have a long proboscis and feed on floral nectar.

Skippers are members of the Superfamily Hesperioidea. We have about 275 in North America, where I live in Middle Tennessee, we have approximately 50 different skippers. I am thrilled to be able to identify three of them!

I'm not too concerned about not being able to identify them. I do know, that I want them in my garden. They are important plant pollinators (although, pollination is incidental); they are part of the garden food chain, as consumers and food; and, because of their sensitivity to environmental toxins they are an important indicator species of ecosystem health. If you have an abundance of skippers and butterflies~you probably have a healthy garden habitat.

Now, I am going to the garden to inspect the legumes for folded leaves and check for cats!

xoxogail

Gail Eichelberger is a gardener and therapist in Middle Tennessee. She loves wildflowers and native plants and thoroughly enjoys writing about the ones she grows at Clay and Limestone. She reminds all that the words and images are the property of the author and cannot be used without written permission.

Peachie's Pick Stokesia

Although, Stokesia laevis is not native to the Central Basin or for that matter to Tennessee, it is one of my favorite wildflowers. I fell in love with 'Peachie's Pick' the first time I saw the fluffy lilac blue flowers in full bloom and it's by far the best Stokes aster for good looks.

It's blooming in my garden right now, just in time to mingle with the day lilies and the phloxes.

Peachie's Pick' Stokesia is an evergreen perennial with a luscious lavender-blue cornflower like flower, that blooms for a long time and mixes well with other wildflowers.

It is also a great plant to attract pollinators and other beneficial insects to your native garden. Studies have shown that Stokes Aster attracted 4 times the number of honeybees; bumblebees; native bees (including Halictid bees); flies; butterflies, moths & skippers; beetles and wasps than other native plants. That's great news for gardeners in Southeastern states who are committed to creating a habitat for native pollinators. It's good news for any of us who are committed to providing a habitat for pollinators and other wildlife. I find that studies like this one conducted in Georgia reinforce how important native plants are to habitat restoration and creation.

 I don't mind mixing a few plants from other regions to the Central mix at Clay and Limestone. Stokesia, unlike some exotics that are merely pretty faces in a garden, is a major butterfly, Bumblebee, hoverfly and beetle attractor.

Skippers love Stokesia!

My dear readers, you don't have to garden in the Southeastern US to grow 'Peachie's Pick'. It will be happy in your Zone5 to Zone9 gardens if you treat it right! Just remember, it needs good drainage, even moisture and a decent amount of sun. Don't even think about planting it in heavy clay soil that hasn't been amended to improve drainage or it will disappear on you in a season. Those of you further north be sure to mulch it for the winter...but remember, wet winters and poor drainage are the kiss of death for this pretty. Trust me, I've lost many a stokesia to winter drowning.

In my book, it's another practically perfect plant for your garden.

xoxogail

PS This beauty was originally found growing in Peachie Saxon's Mississippi garden many years ago and she generously shared it with the gardening world!

Gail Eichelberger is a gardener and therapist in Middle Tennessee. She loves wildflowers and native plants and thoroughly enjoys writing about the ones she grows at Clay and Limestone. She reminds all that the words and images are the property of the author and cannot be used without written permission.

GBBD: I Love Autumn

 The cool mornings and crisp air are a welcome relief after a long season of droughts, heat, humidity and mosquitoes! 

Ulmus rubra

It's an absolute joy to be outside, to dig in soil that has been softened by fall rains and to watch the color change begin overhead. 

It's an active time in the garden. Wildflowers welcome the foraging bees, the nectaring butterflies and a host of other pollinators as they make a mad dash to mate, to provide for offspring or to prepare themselves for migration.  

The shrubs are festooned with seeds, drupes and berries that are quickly stripped by mammals and birds or carried away on the wind. (The Gardens Not Seedy, Those Are Seed Heads)

It's the best time to photograph the critters, they're slower and I like to think they're savoring the last of the pollen and nectar. So if you don't mind, I offer these wildflowers with their humble bumble and skipper visitors for Garden Bloggers Bloom Day, hosted by the always delightful Carol of May Dreams Gardens!

Pollinators congregate on the Goldenrod.

They cling to the salvia.

Yellow-collared Scape Moth has a beautiful iridescent blue/black body

They nectar upon the ex-asters and carry a dusting of pollen to the next flower they visit.

Even the grasses get into the show as they begin to bronze and go to seed, making food for dozens of birds, including a pair of Mourning Doves that nest in the garden.

Helianthus salicifolius replaces the Susans and hides small crab spiders that grab bees and other unsuspecting visitors.

 Skippers are every where flitting about...

On the Blue Mistflower,

On the New England ex-asters

On the Goldenrod.

Back on the asters...chasing one another, perching on flowers and trying to catch the big eye of a mate!

I love my garden in Autumn. I love the critters who visit and live in the garden. I love the changing colors. I love the fresh smell that blows in as the weather changes. I love the rain. I love the blue October skies. Autumn is just beginning at Clay and Limestone and if we're really lucky it will last until almost December!

xoxogail

PS. As a friendly reminder...If you want pollinators to visit and live in your garden, you must, never, ever, ever, ever use pesticides. They are a lot of other alternatives.

From the top:

Photo 1~A mixture of oaks, elms, ash and shagbark hickories
Photo 2~Slippery Elm against the October sky
Photo 3~Dogwood and Oakleaf hydrangea
Photo 4~Joe-Pye weed in seed
Photo 5~Ex-aster~Symphyotrichum shortii
Photo 6~Unknown solidago
Photo 7~Salvia azurea
Photo 8~S shortii with moth
Photo 9~Panicum virgatum
Photo 10~Helianthus salicifolius
Photo 11~Aster tataricus
Photo 12~Conoclinium coelestinum
Photo 13~Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
Photo 14~Goldenrod
Photo 15~Aster tataricus
Photo 15~The Susans bed with Hibiscus 'Kopper King',  ex-asters, Goldenrods, mist flowers, and lots of other treasures


Gail Eichelberger is a gardener and therapist in Middle Tennessee. She loves wildflowers and native plants and thoroughly enjoys writing about the ones she grows at Clay and Limestone. She reminds all that the words and images are the property of the author and cannot be used without written permission.

Clay and Limestone's Very Own Fascinators

Fascinators are all the rage these days.

The denizens of Clay and Limestone did not want to be left out of the excitement or the limelight.

The house photographer has been busy keeping up with the changing styles and ever changing look.

Although a few of the showier plants sported a flashier look,

Most wore colors that coordinated beautifully with their natural coloring.

A few member of the 'flowers of a certain age' weren't at all shy about strutting their stuff.

I greatly admired the graciousness of the Grand Dames when others showed up wearing the same look.

The younger set seemed to not care at all~

They just wanted to be seen and dance in the sunshine...

Like all beautiful creatures who reside at C and L.

The Fascinators:

1. Silvery Checkerspot

2. Horace's Dustywing

3. Gulf Fritillary

4. Eastern Swallowtail

5. Silvery Checkerspot

6. Dustywing

7. Silvery Checkerspot

8. Silvery Checkerspot

9. Dustywing

10. Eastern Tailed Blue

xoxogail


This post was written by Gail Eichelberger for my blog Clay and Limestone Copyright 2011.This work protected under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Please contact me for permission to copy, reproduce, scrape, etc.

Wildflower Wednesday~Phacelia bipinnatifida

Sometimes you meet a wildflower and know instantly that it's a keeper. That's how I felt about Purple Phacelia when I made its acquaintance many years ago. I was standing at the top of a hill and there they were, completely covering the slope with a blanket of purple flowers and buzzing bees. It was dazzling.

I couldn't duplicate the moist sunny hillside, but, I moved my gift plant to a little wildflower garden I had started a few years before. Lucky for me the container had blooming plants along with a few seedlings. A perfect start for a biennial like Phacelia.

Purple Phacelia, Scorpionweed, Fernleaf Phacelia and Forest Phacelia are all names for Phacelia bipinnatifida.

When it comes to biennials, some years are better then others. When you are trying to get a biennial established it's important to remember: One year from seed, second year to flower, then it dies. To have flowers every year you have to get a colony started. I really was lucky to be given several plants in bloom and many first year seedlings. Those first flowers were fertilized, set seed and then died. A year later their seeds germinated and grew; meanwhile, the original first year seedlings bloomed; their flowers were fertilized, set seed, then died. Starting an absolutely brilliant cycle that I make sure doesn't get interrupted.

tightly coiled inflorescence in bud

This was a lean year. Not many blooms, but, there are first year plants ready and I am pretty sure the flowers were fertilized so the cycle will continue. To insure my little colony will make it through the deluge/drought pattern Middle Tennessee has settled into, I'll hand water them during the severely dry times. There's also a few first year seedlings growing in the path (seedlings love paths) that will go back into the bed. I sure hope the bees did their job and fertilized those flowers!

Aside from their adorable cuteness or their interesting musky odor when you brush the leaves and flowers; I grow phacelia for it's wildlife value! Bees love Phacelia! They want the nectar and pollen. Occasionally skippers and small butterflies will visit. But, really, Phacelia is all about the bees! I've read that the honey from honey bees visiting Phacelia colonies is quite tasty~I would love to try it. Now, does anyone know where can we find it?

Phacelia bipinnatifida is a gem of a plant. I hope you can locate it for your garden.

Where in the US Purple Phacelia is native

If you can't grow P bipinnatifida, don't worry. There's a Phacelia species in every state, except for Florida, Vermont and New Hampshire. They love Canada, too. For a complete A (Phacelia adenophora) to W (Phacelia welshii) listing go here. Sorry, there's no Phacelia X, Y or Z! Check with native plant nurseries in your state or online to buy plants. Remember, only collect plants if you have permission to and never, never, ever in the local, state or US Parks.

xxoogail

Welcome to Clay and Limestone's Wildflower Wednesday celebration. WW is about sharing and celebrating wildflowers from all over this great big, beautiful world. Join us on the fourth Wednesday of each month. Remember, it doesn't matter if they are in bloom or not; and, it doesn't matter if we all share the same plants. It's all about celebrating wildflowers. Please add your url to Mr Linky, he's on the sidebar today, as we continue to celebrate wildflowers today and all week. Please leave a comment.

This post was written by Gail Eichelberger for my blog Clay and Limestone Copyright 2011.This work protected under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Please contact me for permission to copy, reproduce, scrape, etc.

Eye, Eye, Skipper~A Big Eyed Pollinator

Nectaring on a late season ex-aster

Who could be immune to the charms of the big eyed skippers that visit our gardens all summer and into the fall. Certainly not me! Skipper is the perfect name for these fast, agile, erratic fliers and seem to skip from flower to flower.

Can you see the clubbed antenna?

They look more like moths then butterflies, but, they are indeed butterflies. Skippers are small to medium, usually orange, brown, black, white, or gray. Some are brighter or iridescent colored. They all have those large eyes (even their caterpillar has a large head), short antennae (often with hooked clubs), stout bodies, and three pairs of walking legs. Adults of most species have long probicscises and feed on floral nectar.

Characteristic double V stationary pattern

Although, not as efficient as bees, skippers and other butterflies, play a role in pollinating day blooming flowers. Some skippers are specialist, but, the ones that frequent my garden will visit every flower in bloom. Butterflies in general, tend to favor big, fragrant, colorful flowers with someplace for them to land. Skippers seem to land on the flat composites and even the tubular False Dragonheads and other flowers with perfect ease.

Pollination is incidental! Skippers are there for the nectar. While they're sipping nectar a few pollen grains will stick to their legs and be carried to the next flower on the plant-resulting in pollination! Lucky for those of us who like our plants to go to seed and spread their offspring around the garden. That’s one reason large swaths of flower make sense ~Pollination will be more successful then if you have a plant here and there. All pollinators need to find plenty of food in one area from a wide array of flowers that are in bloom during the spring, summer, and autumn.

Horace Dusty Wing (?)

Skippers are members of the Superfamily Hesperioidea. We have about 275 in North America; many of which are found only in Arizona and Texas. Middle Tennessee, where I live, has approximately 50 different skippers~ and I am thrilled to be able to identify three of them! Thrilled also to be in the company of experts who admit that they have trouble id-ing them~Except in the lab and we aren't going to harm any skippers to get an id!

Male Skippers are often found perching in the sun

I'm not too concerned about not being able to identify them. I do know, that I want them in my garden. They are important plant pollinators; they are part of the garden food chain, as consumers and food; and, because of their sensitivity to environmental toxins they are an important indicator species of ecosystem health. If you have an abundance of skippers and butterflies~you probably have a healthy garden habitat.

characteristic clubbed antenna with hook

Since they are almost all plant generalists and many of them share the same host plants~planning a habitat that will attract butterfly/skippers is not difficult. Almost all of the plants we plant in our garden to attract native bees, are just as attractive to butterflies. In fact, any well designed wildlife habitat will be a perfect environment for bees, butterflies, flies, moths and other pollinators.

Nectaring on Caryopteris-See the proboscis, its long, flexible "tongue."

My favorite plants for attracting pollinators to my Zone 7, Nearly neutral clay soil garden are: Asters/symphyotrichum, Penstemon, Monardas, Liatris, Veronicastrum, Agastache, Solidago, Vernonia, Eupatorium, Lobelia, Asclepias, Pycnanthemum, Ecinacea, Silphium, Tradescantia, Baptisia, Verbesina, Zinnias and Clover
Native grasses and sedges-little bluestem, descampsias, panicums, bottle grass, Carex platyphylla, Danthonia spicata (poverty grass)
Native shrubs- hydrangeas, iteas and hamamelis
Native trees-oak, locust, hickory, cercis, celtis, elm

Epargyreus clarus -- Silver-spotted Skipper on False Dragonhead

You can visit any number of sites on the internet to find out which plants make sense for your garden. I recommend you visit the Pollinator Partnership or the Xercis Society for even more information about pollinators. You can also get my newest 'go to book', Attracting Native Pollinators. It's a fantastic resource, but, you don't have to take my word for it. As Douglas Tallamy says, this book "belongs on the bookshelf of everyone who values the future of the natural world."

Skipper enjoying Verbena bonariensis

Of course, you already know what I am going to say here! If you want to attract pollinators~Never, never, never, ever, use pesticides in your garden.

xxoogail

This post is part of a series on native pollinators in the garden~ Earlier posts and their links are listed below for your convenience.

Part I~Now Is The Time To Bee-gin Thinking About Bees ( here)
This Is The Place To Bee ( here)
If You Could Plant Only One Plant In Your Garden~Don't (here)
Must Bee The Season of The Witch (here)
Go Bare In Your Garden (here)

We can't All be pretty Pollinators (here)

Other bee posts you might want to read~
Count Yourself Lucky To Have Hoverflies (here)
Bumblebee Hotel (here)
Still Taking Care Of Bzzness (here)
My Sweet Embraceable You (here)


This post was written by Gail Eichelberger for my blog Clay and Limestone Copyright 2011.This work protected under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Please contact me for permission to copy, reproduce, scrape, etc.