It’s the Insects That Make It Interesting

 

People often tell me that my garden must be amazing and beautiful because I am so passionate about growing native plants. I do have flowers throughout the 3 growing seasons, but deer pressure can make them short-lived or stunted. And some of the plants that I love often grow exuberantly in their season, especially the white asters and annuals, and that makes the garden a bit wild in the fall season especially.

Newly emerged oakworm moth adult

So I guess pretty is in the eye of the beholder … and in the eyes of the many insects that visit my garden. While I love the flowers, it’s the insects that make it interesting. I love to go outside, my phone in my pocket, to see what insects or critters I can find, almost like a treasure hunt.

Gulf fritillary fueling up before laying eggs on passionvine

For the last month or more, I have enjoyed watching the annual jewelweed (Impatiens capensis) grow tall, swaying gently as a hummingbird makes her rounds to each of the flowers. No matter how early I go outside, the bumble bees are already visiting another annual: the partridge pea (Chamaecrista fasiculata). Their soft buzzing is the perfect morning song before humans start their engines.

Bee on partridge pea (Chamaecrista fasiculata)

Late summer is a great time to spot caterpillars, the larval form of butterflies and moths. Several weeks ago, I noticed that my false indigo bush (Amorpha fruticosa) had been stripped of leaves thanks to the larvae of the silver-spotted skipper (you can see photos of both in this earlier blog post). The last two caterpillars were resting on a nearby plant, perhaps hoping that leaves would grow back (and they have now).

The caterpillars ate the leaves but left the seeds; new growth starting

Other interesting finds are the many beetles, flies, wasps, and bees that come and go over the seasons, often demonstrating how specialized they are in what they want (and need). Insects like the elephant mosquito, the handsome trig bush cricket, and the many and varied caterpillars demonstrate that my garden is contributing to the ecosystem and that makes it beautiful to me.

Plants come and go, but the insects are living their best life.