Butterflies and Blooms

At our home in Cullman, Alabama, my wife planted two flower beds for Stephen & Liz's wedding.  Those flowers have thrived this summer and have become a favorite of butterflies.  This is the new bed beside the garden during late May.

and here it is today.

The flower garden at the front of the house originally began like this

and here it is today.

One of my favorites is a cleome named "sparkler blush".  It has a different look depending on the sky. In daytime it is usually just a pretty white.

In late evening, as the sun sets, a strong pink circle appears around the top.  I didn't get a photo of the blooms open, but here they are closed with their pink showing.

Another of my favorites is the crocosmia 'Lucifer'.  It has been a favorite of the local hummingbirds as well.

The butterflies have loved the flowers as much as we have, probably more, since they have provided  nectar for mealtime.  This is a female eastern tiger swallowtail, the designated butterfly of the State of Alabama.

The male eastern tiger swallowtail looks much different.

Becoming a "butterfly watcher" is pretty easy.  We did a little research and found out how much we didn't know about the beautiful creatures.

Here is a video from "Smarter Every Day" entitled Butterfly Farming is Amazing

And another about the beautiful scales on their wings  The Magic of Butterfly Scales - Part 1

The Internet is full of websites on butterflies.  One where I found a lot of information was The Butterfly Website.  Another good one is Butterflies and Moths of North America.

The Huntsville Botanical Garden has a great 9000 sq. ft butterfly house.  A visit to the Purdy House is well worth the admission price to the gardens.

Most butterflies have a very short lifespan, only 2-4 weeks.  It seems to me in that short time, they should be appreciated and admired.  Why not make a butterfly garden in your backyard and enjoy the visits from one of God's beautiful creations?