Friday, May 16, 2008

goodbye bees

well, the bee swarm was gone the next time i checked on it, maybe two days after i first saw it. i have no idea what happened to them, hopefully someone came and gathered them up and put them somewhere safe. i wonder if this one visiting my larkspur was part of that crowd?
i really never tire of watching the monarch caterpillars munching away at the milkweed, i have yet to discover any chrysallis though--still looking for those.

this iris, that i have had for at least 2 years now is finally blooming. i believe i got it at our folsom native plant society booth but i honestly am not sure.... it's very similar to our native louisiana iris except the leaves are different and the blooms are all clustered down around the bottom of the plant instead of shooting up and out of the leaves. i haven't tried looking it up yet to see what it really is. it was exciting though, to finally see it in bloom.



7 comments:

Mr. McGregor's Daughter said...

Very pretty iris! I think the bees were on their way to form a new colony with a new queeen. They'll probably set up shop somewhere nearby. I am so envious of your caterpillars. I keep checking my Asclepias every summer, but I never have any.

kate smudges said...

The monarch looks well fed and happy consuming the Milkweed. That is a wonderful photo. Your Iris is a lovely colour. Hopefully the bees haven't gone too far away.

Unknown said...

Gorgeous iris. Did you see the pictures of the LA iris that I took at my parents house? Of course, theirs are in the mud in a creek so they just love the conditions and have spread like mad.

Gail said...

I just planted some common milkweed, tell me the caterpillars are worth the aggressive nature of this plant!!!

The Iris is a beauty....

Gail

Unknown said...

Wow!!! Your blog is full of wonderful photos: bees, worms, and growing things. Thank you for adding some greenery to my dry desert eyes.

Aki said...

Very wonderful place!

Anonymous said...

Hi. You iris photos are beautiful. That looks like the species I. brevicaulis, one of the natives. It is the shortest Louisiana and the flowers bloom down in the foliage. The other species and the hybrids have taller flower stalks. Brevicaulis is a little beauty, though.

Patrick
www.zydecoirises.com