Dear Gardening Friends,
This past week I gave my Monarch butterfly program to the very interested and very interesting women of the Cape Ann Garden Club; next week I am presenting a simplified version to a group of pre-school children. It comes as no surprise to me that the beautiful life story of the Monarch is as equally enthralling to the young as it is to the young at heart!
Yellow–the color of summer–of sunlight, warmth, and joy. Did you know that yellow daylilies can be fragrant? If you are interested in creating a border of sequentially blooming species daylilies, read Chapter 16 in my book Oh Garden of Fresh Possibilities! where you will find the most comprehensive list of different species of highly fragrant yellow daylilies. I leave you with this photo of the fabulously scented–of honeysuckle and citrus–yellow daylily ‘Hyperion.’
Happy Summer!
Hemerocallis ‘Hyperion’
From Susie in Ipswich–Thank you, Kim. I adore the scented yellow daylily – it is my favorite and the most true yellow. Happy summer and thank you for your emails.
From Linda in Gloucester-Yesterday I saw a black butterfly about the same size as a monarch. I didn’t see day other colors on it, but of course it was fluttering around and I was on my second floor porch and the butterfly was between 25 and 50 feet away. What is a common black butterfly in this area. I looked on the web and most seem to have more color than I could spy at this distance and the fluttering, of course. Lots of butterflies around this year. We have milkweed and oregano–tons of it. All the insects love it. Thanks, Linda
Hi Linda–The first butterflies that come to mind are the Spicebush and Black Swallowtails. Could you tell from the distance if it had tails? The Red Spotted Purple can look black from a distance. Much too early in the season in our region for Pipevine Swallowtails (and they are much rarer). Also, there is a black form of the female Eastern Tiger Swallowtail; it, along with the afore mentioned, have evolved to mimic the highly toxic Pipevine Swallowtail. You may not have seen much color in your sighting because, as the butterflies age, they lose their wing scales and often becomes faded and tattered.
xoKim