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Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Slightly Tongue-Tied Tuesday


Eastern Tiger Swallowtail on the 'Ava' agastache

It was so humid when I was taking this photo, the camera lens was fogging up. I grow 'Ava' in a giant ceramic pot bought on the cheap from Home Goods since our clay soil doesn't provide the perfect drainage it needs. It overwinters every year. It is also much loved by the hummingbirds. That's it. Shortest post ever! 
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66 comments:

  1. Kris PetersonAugust 13, 2013 at 12:06 PM

    The butterfly deserves to be the star of the post - perfect picture, fogged lens or not!

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  2. SusanAugust 13, 2013 at 1:50 PM

    Beautiful photo. Love the compostion.
    I'm all of a glow at being honoured in your Garden Love section. Thanks so much. Bloggy hugs. Sue

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  3. Janneke August 13, 2013 at 2:44 PM

    Short but beautiful ! Interesting new butterfly (for me) on the Agastache, what a beauty.

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    1. Casa MariposaAugust 14, 2013 at 4:53 PM

      I think Swallowtails are native to the southeastern US. If they showed up in Holland, they'd be really lost. :o)

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  4. UnknownAugust 13, 2013 at 3:36 PM

    I wish I could capture such a beautiful picture!! worth a thousand words for sure!

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  5. WendyAugust 13, 2013 at 3:54 PM

    A lovely photo of a beautiful butterfly.

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  6. My Garden DiariesAugust 13, 2013 at 4:20 PM

    Well...it doesn't need to be a long one cause that swallowtail says it all! Gorgeous!!!!

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    1. Casa MariposaAugust 14, 2013 at 4:54 PM

      Mother Nature must have been feeling grand when she designed butterflies because these are fabulous. I have a lot of them in my garden.

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  7. Shirley FoxAugust 13, 2013 at 4:37 PM

    Gorgeous butterfly photo and a container is a great idea for agastache which will not grow where I live either. Might try that next year.

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    1. Casa MariposaAugust 14, 2013 at 4:55 PM

      I have a few agastache that do well in my soil but 'Ava' is so happy in a pot I don't want to move her. They don't need very fertile soil so just amending the potting soil in the spring is enough to keep them happy.

      Delete
  8. VirginiaCAugust 13, 2013 at 7:21 PM

    All I can say is WOW....make that a double WOW WOW!!

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  9. outlawgardenerAugust 13, 2013 at 7:38 PM

    Love the happy accident of the lens steaming up! Gorgeous picture!

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    1. Casa MariposaAugust 14, 2013 at 4:57 PM

      Thanks! It was hotter than a hookers underwear the day I took that shot. So steamy!

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  10. NadezdaAugust 14, 2013 at 3:16 AM

    Gorgeous photo, Tammy!

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  11. Sue GarrettAugust 14, 2013 at 5:38 AM

    Beautiful (short comment to match the post.

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  12. AnonymousAugust 14, 2013 at 8:45 AM

    WOW! So worth the visit!

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    1. Casa MariposaAugust 14, 2013 at 4:58 PM

      I am convinced butterflies make everything better. :o)

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  13. JenniferAugust 14, 2013 at 10:05 AM

    I find Swallowtails are hard to photograph. They never seem to rest in my garden and flit about constantly. Great shot Tammy floggy lens and all.

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    1. Casa MariposaAugust 14, 2013 at 5:05 PM

      This one was so intent on sucking the agastache dry, it didn't seem to mind me taking its picture. :o)

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  14. UnknownAugust 14, 2013 at 10:19 AM

    Huzzah!

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  15. Emily SchillerAugust 14, 2013 at 1:19 PM

    Most photographers have to do a ton of post-processing to get that effect! Simply beautiful.

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    1. Casa MariposaAugust 14, 2013 at 5:06 PM

      Hooray for heat, humidity, and just getting lucky! Woo-hoo! :o)

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  16. Sunil PatelAugust 14, 2013 at 4:00 PM

    Wow, that is a stunning shot, how ever did you get the butterfly to stay like that? Whenever I try, they never stay still, they're always fluttering about here and there, folding their wings, flying off etc. I bet you used hairspray to set it? Did you use hair spray? What hair-spray did you use? Tell me now!

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    1. Casa MariposaAugust 14, 2013 at 5:09 PM

      Super Glue! Works every time. :o) Actually, I had just fertilized the agastache and either the nectar was delicious or there was just a ton of it, because that swallowtail spent about an hour - I'm not kidding! - going from flower to flower, sucking them all dry. It was crazy! I have a cheap digital camera with an anti-jiggle setting that I used to take a bunch of pictures. This was the best shot of those beautiful wings. It must have been nectar-drunk because I was really close to it and it ignored me.

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  17. HolleyGardenAugust 14, 2013 at 6:03 PM

    Great photo, and a beautiful agastache. So smart of you to figure out where to grow it in your garden. The butterfly thanks you!

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    1. Casa MariposaAugust 15, 2013 at 5:19 PM

      Anything I can't make happy in the ground goes in a pot. If it's still not happy, I trash it. No time for divas!

      Delete
  18. AnonymousAugust 14, 2013 at 8:11 PM

    You really got a nice pose from that Swallowtail. It is good to see butterflies out your way. We have not been that fortunate. I too have agastache but rarely see much activity on the plant. Lots of bees, but few butterflies.

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    1. Casa MariposaAugust 15, 2013 at 5:21 PM

      I do appreciate cooperative butterflies. :o) The agastache my pollinators like best is Blue Fortune. They go nuts for that plant.

      Delete
  19. L. AmblerAugust 14, 2013 at 11:21 PM

    Swallowtails are beautiful, aren't they? I had a photo of one in a recent post, but sometimes they flit around so much, it's hard to get a decent photo.

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    1. Casa MariposaAugust 15, 2013 at 5:22 PM

      I think this one was nectar-drunk because it was moving fairly slowly. :o)

      Delete
  20. Beth at PlantPostingsAugust 14, 2013 at 11:56 PM

    Beautiful shot, and your short post is refreshing!

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    1. Casa MariposaAugust 15, 2013 at 5:23 PM

      Thanks! I should probably make all my posts this short. I can be a bit wordy. :o)

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  21. RebeccaAugust 15, 2013 at 12:00 AM

    Beautiful photo! I think the fact that your lens was fogging up made the shot even better. :)
    I'm not having very many butterfly visits this year. No Monarch and few of other types...

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    1. Casa MariposaAugust 15, 2013 at 5:24 PM

      Thanks! A lack of butterflies seems to be a theme this year. It must be the weather. I really hope it's not a continuing trend.

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  22. annAugust 15, 2013 at 12:22 AM

    With a gorgeous butterfly, you don't need many words.

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  23. Sunray GardensAugust 15, 2013 at 5:29 AM

    You caught a really great photo of a perfect butterfly.
    Cher Sunray Gardens

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  24. KrisAugust 15, 2013 at 9:12 AM

    Ava? I do not have that. I WANT that! Care to swap some seeds? I'll be saving "Cotton Candy" agastache this Fall if you'd like some. Also Golden Jubilee and Blue Fortune. Lemmee know. My swallowtails frequent my butterfly bushes and don't mind the camera.

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    1. Casa MariposaAugust 15, 2013 at 10:03 AM

      I'll save some seeds this fall. If it appears I've forgotten, shoot me a reminder. It's a big plant. It can grow up to 4 ft tall and wide but is a beauty. It needs lean, well drained soil but loves a weekly shot of organic liquid fertilizer such as kelp or anything from Urban Farm. It's very different than Blue Fortune or Golden Jubilee, which like moister, fertile soil. 'Ava' doesn't want wet feet or she'll die.

      Delete
    2. KrisAugust 16, 2013 at 1:17 PM

      Thanks! As for my Golden Jubilee and Blue Fortune - if Mom Nature doesn't water 'em, they don't get any - same with fert. Ava sounds like it would fit right in. I also have seeds for an unknown white agastache - just as tall as Blue Fortune and same growing habit. Shall I send you seeds for any of these? Send me an e.... Hey, have you seen any Monarchs? I've not seen ANY this year. :-(

      Delete
  25. DavidAugust 15, 2013 at 11:39 AM

    I am so jealous. I have yet to see a tiger swallowtail in my garden. I have three other kinds of swallowtails, but I still think the tiger is the most beautiful. I even have agastache for them. Do you see them every summer or are they rare for your area?
    David/:0)

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    1. Casa MariposaAugust 15, 2013 at 4:43 PM

      I see them everyday. :o)I think this is their native range. I saw a giant swallowtail the other day and see the dark form variety often, too. But I haven't seen as many of the other species such as queens, mourning cloaks, etc, as I normally do.

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  26. KelliAugust 16, 2013 at 5:09 AM

    What a fantastic photo! Well done.

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  27. dorothyAugust 16, 2013 at 8:13 PM

    It looks magical!

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  28. HELENEAugust 16, 2013 at 8:57 PM

    Oh, that must be the shortest post I have ever seen from you!!
    But who needs more words when the pictures says a thousand?
    Beautiful!

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    1. Casa MariposaAugust 18, 2013 at 11:35 PM

      Thanks! Do you have swallowtails in the UK? They are huge, amazing butterflies.

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    2. HELENEAugust 19, 2013 at 12:52 AM

      Apparently we do, but I can't say I have seen any in my garden, I probably haven't got the right kind of flowers :-)

      Delete
  29. AnonymousAugust 16, 2013 at 11:15 PM

    I haven't seen a single tiger swallowtail this year, and just one black swallowtail. Grrr. Not fair. Nice picture, though.

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    1. Casa MariposaAugust 18, 2013 at 11:36 PM

      I think VA is their native habitat. We have tons of them. But the mourning cloaks and several others have been conspicuously absent in the garden this year.

      Delete
  30. rochefleuriegardenAugust 17, 2013 at 9:44 PM

    Beautiful picture. You are right, butterflies seem scarce this year. I keep a large patch of milkweed specially for the Monarchs and this year I have seen 2! (Usually there are a great many).

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    1. Casa MariposaAugust 18, 2013 at 11:38 PM

      Maybe it's too early for monarchs. I usually don't see them until late August or early September. I need to start looking for eggs and caterpillars in my milkweed.

      Delete
  31. DonnaAugust 18, 2013 at 8:09 AM

    I love this agastache and its scent maybe as much as the butterfly.

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  32. Curbstone Valley FarmAugust 20, 2013 at 8:26 PM

    It may be short, but it's beautiful! Our Swallowtails never, ever, EVER, let me get that close. Gorgeous shot!

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  33. Janet, The Queen of SeafordAugust 20, 2013 at 9:18 PM

    I lost most of my Agastache this summer to all the rain. The few that are still around are butterfly magnets.

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  34. UnknownAugust 22, 2013 at 7:09 AM

    A short but sweet post and the wonderful image says it all. Remember, there's an adage which says that "A picture is worth a thousand words".

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  35. KLAugust 22, 2013 at 8:31 AM

    What a beautiful shot. They are all the time flying in my garden, but I could never catch them as they never sit still. The previous post was hilarious :-)

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  36. debsgardenAugust 22, 2013 at 5:11 PM

    Beautiful butterfly photo! I have planted agastache twice and lost it both times. Now you inspire me to try a pot!

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