Celebrating the ordinary
I was at the Lexington Arboretum recently and saw at least fifteen Red Admiral butterflies (Vanessa atalanta) in the same area. I’ve often seen Red Admirals, but usually only one at a time.
After some reading, I’ve discovered these butterflies often migrate south in autumn and north in spring, and I’m guessing that I was seeing part of their northward migration. This one was basking in the sun on a stone column.
This post is in response to recent questions about my photography equipment. Technology is not my strong suit, so I tend to keep my equipment simple. My primary camera is a Canon Rebel XSi. It’s lightweight, just over a pound, which was a big reason for my choice.
Harry and I recently went to Natural Bridge State Resort Park near Slade, KY, one of our favorite places to hike. Our spicebush (Lindera benzoin) is blooming (read last year’s spicebush post), and I was pleased to find it scattered through the woods as well.
With all of our recent warm weather, plants are a good two weeks ahead of their usual schedules and there were plenty of signs of spring.
We woke yesterday morning to find four inches of snow and a beautiful winter wonderland. This was the view from our dining room window.
The cedar tree is this year’s annual Christmas tree for the birds. I’ve recently discovered a new way of using it as a bird feeder.
Six years ago when we re-landscaped our backyard it was a challenge to decide which native plants to include. Other folks have told me they’ve struggled with this too.
I’ve updated my website and added some resources. I hope they will help folks who are new to native plants or those who want to add some natives to their existing gardens. There are new images of butterflies and plants in the photo galleries, and I’ve added pages about native plants, butterflies, and the story of our backyard.
Finally, I’ve created a chart of twenty-five of my favorite backyard plants. Here’s a sample.
Continue reading “25 Kentucky native plants to attract birds and butterflies”
