It has been a good week for bees and butterflies in my garden. My absurdly overgrown Firebush has started flowering prolifically and I am enjoying all the insect life. Above is a Gulf Fritillary butterfly diving into the flower of an Heirloom Penta. They also enjoy the Firebush. Here is the gigantic Firebush. I read the record Firebush is 13 feet tall. This one may be approaching record height.
The Firebush was planted 6 or 7 years ago to screen the well. This is the Firebush at time of installation; I was told it was Dwarf and would get 4 feet tall! I have tree formed it as I enjoy watching the butterflies. And the well, currently dead is certainly screened.
Firebush Hamelia patens
Fiona the Greyhound enjoys snapping up a bee now and again.
A bee that is out of Fiona’s reach.
Another part of my good butterfly week – I had an article published in The American Gardener about the Atala Butterflies in my garden. Below is the link.
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The American Gardener:
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Happy Gardening!! For more Six on Saturday posts visit http://www.thepropagatorblog.wordpress.com.
The Shrub Queen 
That bush is huge, it must be buzzing. Your dog eats bees?
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It is buzzing and the dog eats bees, I do not get it.
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Beautiful photos again
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Thank you.
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A fabulous shrub, the flowers are gorgeous. The butterfly is new to me, what a beauty.
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Thanks, Liz.
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Some gorgeous colours….
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Wow, congrats on the publication! Very exciting.
Doesn’t it annoy you when plants are mislabeled? In the front garden, I have a 3′ ‘dwarf’ thread leaf cypress that is about 12′ tall now. 😦 Sigh. However, the birds do love it and nest in it, so it stays.
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Thanks, Eliza. I planted one of those dwarf threadleaf cypress in front of a clients bay window in Atlanta, fortunately he sold the house..they are beautiful and nice for holiday arrangements.
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Congratulations!
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Thank you
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What a great article about that unique and beautiful butterfly, congrats! I love how bees bury themselves in flowers! Shileau used to love snapping at bumblebees…she left the wasps alone!
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Thank you, Chris. I hope Fiona stays away from the wasps…
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Well done! Gorgeous butterfly and bush. My fave is Fiona, bee eating indeed.
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Thank you, Fiona has gotten into some trouble eating things…
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What is that palm in the background?!
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Sabal or Cabbage Palm native
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of course!
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