Thursday, September 13, 2012

Afternoon Delight

Day 212
The Daily DuBrule

I came home from work yesterday afternoon ready to drop. I had been all over the place, to three garden sites as well as doing a stint in the office cranking out estimates and designs. Fall is a busy time. As I walked out of the garage, my yard smelled oh so sweet. Ah, the Cimicifuga ramosa 'Atropurpurea' I thought. Then I rounded the corner and realized it was my Heptacodium tree in full bloom. It was covered, top to bottom, with honeybees, bumblebees, and more monarch butterflies than I could count. The tree was practically humming.
Honeybees love my Heptacodium

I quickly deposited my briefcase in the house and grabbed my camera. Of course, since I don't have a telephoto lense, I wasn't able to completely capture the magnificence of this site.

The monarchs have been quite amazing this week. At Natureworks, they have been everywhere, especially on the Echinaceas. I work very hard to have lots of native asters and other plants in my yard to attract the monarchs when they gather up to migrate. Heptacodium is not a native tree, but it seemed to be the nectar source of choice yesterday afternoon. 
Eventually, I joined the cat lounging on the deck and sat in the sun and simply watched the show. She stretched and I smiled. What a delightful way to end the day. Could these be the babies that fed on my butterfly weed last month? I will never know. But it sure feels like I am being rewarded by the monarch butterflies I've taken so much care to encourage in my little patch of paradise.

 

4 comments:

  1. Wonderful!!!!! I'd so love to have a Heptacodium here but don't know where I'd squeeze it in... fabulous!

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    1. Deanne, They bloom on new wood so you can cut them as hard as you want every year. That is what I like about this late blooming trees, so manageable.

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  2. Today (Thursday) I came home and there were THREE TIMES as many monarchs on my tree! AND, monarchs everywhere on the butterfly bushes, globe amaranth, you name it. This is like the Middletown rest stop and I think they might stay a while. SO much to eat! I am happy. :)

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  3. I love the last photo of the butterfly in flight! I am determined to watch my heptacodium later today. It is full of blooms-some starting to turn to the calyxes but mostly blooms. I love this tree!

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