My yard is filled with butterflies!!!!!!

[Barb]

My Butterfly Bushes always grow to enormous heights. This year, even with the drought situation, is no different. And, the butterflies are everywhere! It's incredible! The bushes are swarming with beautiful butterflies. I love just standing there and watching. :)

[Snowwark]

That sounds very cool Barb! :) :) Any chance of getting a picture?

I know Shep has a butterfly bush, and I'm sure some of the other Buds do too. I wonder if their's are as busy as yours? :)

[amid chaos]

Sounds enchanting.....

[cgcw]

Sounds beautiful. I bet my boys would go crazy trying to catch all of those butterflies!

[Glinda]

sounds beautiful and tranquil.

My bush attracts some butterflies but not many. It's a beginner butterfly bush I guess:)
Here's a link to a picture of my beginner butterfly bush.
It's the purple one in the back of the pond
http://home.earthlink.net/~dsilhan/backyard.html

[Snowwark]

Your "beginner" :) butterfly bush looks great Glinda, thank you for the pic! I think I have the same snapdragons as you, and they're bending over just like yours....lol! :) Love the gazebo painted white!

Flutter bye..butterfly....:)

[Barb]

I would love to get a picture for you. I'll see if I can convince my DH to help me with it, using the digital camera.
Glinda, your pictures are beautiful!

[MarkRG]

If you can get a picture and email it to me at gums_one@prodigy.net, I'll host it, if you can't.

I'd love to see that too :D

[shep]

Yes.!!!
The butterfly bush is doing a great job attracting the little beauties..
Question..
I have a little thing flying near it that kinda looks like a bumblebee but isn't and it isn't a hummingbird....
what the heck is it???:confused:

[Snowwark]

Hmmmm......I don't know Shep, it's not a big June bug is it?

Anyone have any ideas?

:)

[olena]

Dunno. It's not a dragonfly, is it?

[Barb]

I know the flying thing you're talking about, Shep. We have that, too. I have no clue what it is, but it's funny looking.
I went out to get pictures and wouldn't you know it, there weren't that many butterflies hanging around. I'll keep trying, though! Thanks for the offer, Mark!

[Snowwark]

Barb, Shep, can you give us a more detailed description? This is very curious!

:)

*glad to see you've got you're icon back Barb! :)

[Barb]

It sort of looks like a bumble bee without the stripes. But it's a little thinner. It actually looks like some kind of moth (it's that color) without big wings. The wings are small. Does this help? LOL ;)

Thanks, Kim. :) :teeth:

[Glinda]

I have the same mystery flying thing. I went out to take pics of the butterflies and wouldn't you know it they left but this guy hung around. It was so interesting to watch. I'll post it later today hopefully. My thought was that it was a moth but it's big and behaves like a hummingbird. Fuzzy and does have a stripe.. well you'll see.

[shep]

I was thinking the same thing Glinda..
It has a stripe like a bumble bee but is very graceful..:)

[Mamu]

Not sure what everyone is talking but there is a moth that loves the butterfly bush. It's called the Hummingbird Moth.

Hummingbird Moth (http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/distr/lepid/moths/ri/1063.htm)

[Snowwark]

.....I'm beginning to think that perhaps it's alien.....:smooth:

[gina2000]

I just love butterfly bushes.......and aliens!!!!

[shep]

that looks like it!!
the wings look different though..
now i will be on a mission to get this little guy on film...

[Mamu]

I think the wings are more translucent then they appear in the photo and they are fluttering which makes them look quite different. If the body is the same I'm sure it's the Hummingbird Moth.

[Barb]

I got up close and personal with the little bugger yesterday. We have one bush right outside my living room window. So I can get very close without scaring anything away. That does look like it, but it seems the body is slimmer and longer when it's flitting around. I did see the stripe which I hadn't noticed before. It sure is a funny little thing, isn't it? You're right, Mamu, the wings are going a mile a minute so it is hard to see what they look like. :)

[Glinda]

Here's a picture of our mystery guest
http://home.earthlink.net/~dsilhan/gardenguests.html
Mind you I was taking a picture of the plant, he just happened to be the frame. You have to look closely, sorry

[shep]

Thats the little guy...:)

[Mamu]

I think the species is a Hummingbird Hawk-Moth.