Butterfly House and Asters at Brenda's

Had an amazing day at Brenda Dziedzic's house on Monday.  She is all about the butterflies and the plants tthat support them.  She wrote a book called "Learn About Butterflies in the Garden".  She began the SEMBA, the Southeastern Michigan Butterfly Association. She facilitates the birth of many butterflies all year long, like a butterfly midwife.

The monarch needs the swam milkweed to host on...no milkweed: no monarch.  Tell your friends to grow milkweed, The swamp milkweed and Butterfly milkweed are beautiful. The common milkweed is a bit invasive in your backyard. Above is the black swallowtail caterpillar.

She had a lot of visitors this fall day, I have never shot a photo of 3 monarchs before.  The monarch chrysalis is so pretty, it looks like a piece of jewelry with gold detailing.  She was collecting swamp milkweed seeds to put in her new butterfly house that is being built at Barson's Nursery on Merriman in Garden City. Below is a rue plant.

The Rue.....above, and a variety of asters were blooming that day.  Asters are both of our favorite flowers.  They are easy to grow and birds will bring them to you as seeds.  I have 3 kinds, she has many more than that, and they are all native.  We both only try to grow native plants.

The stick has two tiger swallowtail cocoons on it.  I am still learning how to get the terminology right, so please correct me when I am wrong. The leaf above that is also a cocoon.  I can't remember what kind it is. They are all so different.  I learned to be very careful with leaf litter, my wood pile and trimming my plants.  Look before you toss, only one in 100 eggs survive.  They need a little help with protecting their habitat.  Love the Blue Mist Flower below.

Here are her indoor butterfly houses, the monarchs have a little time left before they go to Mexico for the winter.  She has a lot in there.  One had emerged the day I was there. It was an hour old.

Tulip tree is a great host for the swallowtail.....I picked up 2 host plants on the way home from her house.

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