Garden Photo of the Day

Beautiful Garden Visitors

Butterflies and other insects

Today we’re in Victoriaville, Quebec, Canada, in Christine Saint-Pierre’s garden. She’s shared pictures of her garden in bloom before (Worth the Wait). But today she’s sharing some images of the most beautiful visitors to her garden, which bring her as much joy as the flowers do.

dragonflyA dragonfly resting on the fuzzy seed heads of a staghorn sumac (Rhus typhina, Zones 3–8).

white admiral butterflyA spectacular white admiral butterfly feeding on a daisy.

oriental poppy bloomSitting on an oriental poppy bloom, a white admiral butterfly shows off the dramatic pattern on its wings. This species of butterfly has two forms. Ones with a broad white band on the wings are found in the North; in the South, they lack the white band. The caterpillars feed on the leaves of birches, aspens, poplars, willows, and cherry trees.

silver-bordered fritillaryA silver-bordered fritillary resting on spirea blooms. The caterpillars of this species feed exclusively on violets, hibernate through winter, then pupate and emerge as adult butterflies in spring.

Another silver-bordered fritillary resting in spirea. This striking specimen has more dark colors, with the typical white edge to the wings.

eastern tiger swallowtail butterflyAn eastern tiger swallowtail butterfly stopping for a sip of nectar from a lilac. While some caterpillars feed on just one or two types of host plants, this one has a wide range of options, usually feeding on members of the magnolia and rose family, but also using willows, poplars, and even lilacs.

Another view of this gorgeous butterfly.

Eastern tiger swallowtails clearly love lilacs, even though they are not native shrubs. Some butterflies can adapt to use nonnatives, while others require a specific native host plant. All need host plants free from insecticides to thrive.

Virginian tiger mothA Virginian tiger moth looking like it is ready for a Canadian winter in a white fur coat. The large, feathery antennae are a clue that this is a male moth. He will use those antennae to help follow the pheromones released by females so he can find them to mate with. The caterpillars feed on low-growing grasses and clovers. Avoid using insecticides on your lawn, and you might just be rewarded with this beautiful moth in your garden.

 

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Comments

  1. nwphillygardener 08/12/2020

    thanks for sharing these photos of the magnificent creatures with whom we share our gardens!

    1. CSPvictoria 08/12/2020

      Thank you for your comments. I really enjoy these little surprise visits 😊

  2. mgol1068 08/12/2020

    Lovely. You clearly have created a haven for your pollinators! beautiful pics!

    1. CSPvictoria 08/12/2020

      I am glad you enjoy the pictures. Every summer I look forward to seeing the butterflies that will « stop by ».

  3. coastalgardener 08/12/2020

    Wow, what a wonderful assortment of flying insects your garden has attracted, some of which I never knew existed! That tiger moth was just fascinating with that fuzzy fur coat of his! Great photos.

    1. CSPvictoria 08/12/2020

      Thank you. My favourite is the dragonfly. I did not know if I would have enough time to take the picture. It wasn’t in any rush. It stayed there for about an hour 😊.

  4. User avater
    treasuresmom 08/12/2020

    Wow! Amazing pics!

    1. CSPvictoria 08/12/2020

      Thank you. I am glad you enjoyed them!

  5. User avater
    user-7007816 08/12/2020

    Beautiful pictures. You have inspired me to get my camera out.

    1. CSPvictoria 08/12/2020

      Thank you for your comment. I missed so many beautiful pictures because I did not have my camera with me...Now, I don’t take any chance, I always bring my camera on my walks around my garden 😊.

  6. btucker9675 08/12/2020

    Thank you for these beautiful photos. The dragonfly looks like a piece of enameled jewelry! I just found the caterpillars of tiger swallow tails on the parsley that I plant near my butterfly weed garden for that very purpose. Love the tiger moth! Last summer we had a luna moth around for a few days - stunning!

    1. CSPvictoria 08/12/2020

      Thank you for your comment. I hope a Luna moth will stop by my garden, they are so beautiful. You are very lucky. That would make a great picture.

  7. Cenepk10 08/12/2020

    I really enjoyed this post. I plant a lot to host the butterflies. They seem to really come out this time of year. I have a lot of swallowtails. Truly beautiful! I’ve seen the white moth before as well.

    1. CSPvictoria 08/12/2020

      Thank you. I am glad you enjoyed my pictures. I am looking forward to the end of the month when the Monarch butterflies and the Painted Lady butterflies will stop by my garden to enjoy the Sedum plants.

  8. sagebird52 08/13/2020

    Great pics. Our gardens can bring more than flowers - thank you for encouraging LESS insecticides - they kill way more than intended.

  9. user-5117752 08/16/2020

    Marvelous, marvelous photos! I've never seen a dragonfly photographed like that!!! Fabulous!!!

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