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Saturday, August 30, 2014

Continuing Bloom Plus Critters, August 30, 2014

Today I an linking with-

Saturday's Critters hosted by Eileen

Today's Flowers hosted by Denise

I Heart Macro hosted by Laura

Macro Monday 2 hosted by Gemma Wiseman and Magical Mystical Teacher

Blue Monday hosted by Smiling Sally

These are my conspicuous, easily found moth caterpillars, Tiger caterpillars of the lovely delicate Cinnabar Moth, Tyria jacobaeae, which I see rarely flitting around the garden but have not succeeded in photographing, here is a great photo.  The Cinnabar moth has been imported from Europe to here and various parts of the world like Australia as a biological control for Tansy Ragwort, which can poison cattle.   Sometimes there is a population explosion and they will be quite thick on the plants, so that they totally defoliate them and are left hanging on blackened dead stalks, so I take them and find a fresh plant for them.  This year was not a very populous year for them, but I did find new plants for a few.  Tansy Ragwort gets tall and has bright yellow flowers for most of the summer, I allow them to grow for their sake, but remove the seed heads to keep them from spreading too much.  Later I noticed a tiny hostile visitor over the lower caterpillar's head.  They are so bright, relaxed, abundant, and conspicuous because they are poisonous-



In honor of Blue Monday, hue modified, clothifiy, cartoon, in Gimp

Some roses are reblooming, the golden Julia Child with myrrh fragrance-

A surprise, Vernonia verticilata started to bloom, I had grown it from seed last year and forgotten about it; it took me a while to figure out what it was, I hope it will develope into a clump-


A flower that has been blooming and wafting its sweet perfume all summer is Daphne 'Summer Ice', can you see the tiny skulking predator-

It is a nicely rounded and evergreen shrub, and blooms continually from spring to fall-

A star of the fall bloomers is Anemone japonica, for carefree growing adapted to our wet and dry season, and for dependable bloom from late summer through fall-

And Anemone tomentosa-

Another square from the quilt from the fair, I didn't make it-

A wonderful performer in my garden, a dark red seedless grape, Vanessa-

Backlit-

I hope you are experiencing the fruitfulness of late summer, we had a little rain last night so it has cooled down here delightfully.  What's fruiting in your garden?    -Hannah

or cameras are macro

©Weeding on the Wild Side, all rights reserved.  I would like to visit your blogs and comment but can't do so if Google+ is the only option, I will comment here or could use an email link.




87 comments:

  1. Hannah ~ Exquisite macro shots of the caterpillars and gorgeous floral shots too and the iighting in the grape shot is divine! ~ Happy Weekend to you!

    artmusedog and carol (A Creative Harbor)

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    1. Thanks, Carol, I enjoy having the caterpillars in my yard every year, and the grape harvest is marvelous this year.

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  2. Pretty pictures! Love those yellow caterpillars and good job turning it blue!

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    1. Thanks, they are wonderful, I just wish the lovely moths were as bold. It's fun to play around with photos to see what happens.

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  3. Those caterpillars are amazing and the flowers beautiful! Pumpkins, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, and okra are all that's left in out garden.

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  4. Oh, I wish okra grew well here. I do have a few in pots, it is usually not hot enough here in the ground, but we did have a hot summer so maybe they would have. I have some beans going on until frost, tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, and lots of greens and radishes coming up this fall.

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  5. you have some beautiful blooms! love those bright caterpillars, too!

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    1. Thanks, Tex, it's a fun time of the year, with fall flowers just getting going. The caterpillers are about gone, they make a brown shiny chrysalis and overwinter in the soil, which I suppose is usually a safe place for them but I occasionally dig them up when I am planting vegetables in the spring.

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  6. Thanks, Tex. I'm glad to see flowers still blooming after lots of hot weather. The caterpillars are fun to watch every year.

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  7. Your back lit grapes made me oooo and ahhh!


    ALOHA from Honolulu
    ComfortSpiral
    =^..^= . <3 . >< } } (°>

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    1. Thanks, Cloudia, the grapes are phenomenal this year, they keep exceeding their bounds and growing across fences but at least then I can access the grape clusters.

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  8. I've never seen caterpillars like that! They're cool. Things have cooled down here too, and we're getting waves of torrential rain today. The garden is loving it. I hope those grapes are as delicious as they look. I need to make some tomato jam this weekend, now that it's cooler I can cope with a hot stove.

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    1. Cute caterpillars are one benefit from having weeds in my yard. I suppose if you grow Tansy Ragwort they will come! The rain was more sprinkles here, it's too bad since the dry ground and plants could really use some. I need to make more applesauce, I also tried baking apples and pears wtih butter and cinnamon, they were really good. Have fun with your jam!

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  9. Oh wow, how cool to see all those caterpillars. And the flowers are so pretty.. Beautiful photos. Thank you so much for sharing your post with my critter party.. Have a happy weekend!

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    1. Thanks, Eileen, it's great to photograph something that actually holds still.:-) Thanks for hosting!

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  10. Beautiful blooms and those caterpillars are extraordinary. I enjoyed your other photos also. Great shots, all of them :)

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    1. Thanks, Denise, I don't have many exotic critters to photograph so I'm grateful for the insects. I did get a (poor) shot of my Pileated woodpecker yesterday! Thanks for hosting.

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  11. Nice pictures, I love those flowers and the caterpillars!

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    1. Thanks, Leovi, the caterpillars are fun to watch.

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  12. Hannah, a superb series, but my favourite, grapes with the light behind, that is lovely. Cheers,Jean.

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    1. Thanks, Jean, usually I don't like backlighting.

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  13. The caterpillars are so pretty. I like the anemones and the grapes look delicious.

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    1. Thanks, Gunilla, the caterpillars are about gone but the Anemones will hang on all fall. The grapes are seedless and very tasty, and such a good crop this year.

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    1. Thanks, I still have a lot of weeds and scruffy dry grass I don't share!

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  15. Wonderful sequence of shots. I love the ones of the caterpillar.

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    1. Thanks, Carver, I like your Southern garden photos since I'm from Houston, and South Carolina briefly.

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  16. Hi Hannah
    I love your caterpillars and the fact that you are so welcoming of them in your garden, within limits! They have photographed really well, love the contrast and of course the blue one for Blue Monday!
    We have nothing more exotic than lemons galore in the garden at the moment!
    Thanks for your visit my e-mail :)
    Wren x

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    1. Thanks, Wren, the Cinnabar moths are so beautiful, even though I just catch little glimpses of them, so I feel honored to be able to host the wonderful caterpillars that only eat a weed flower, Tansy Ragwort, which is a nice blooming yellow flower in my garden most of the summer. Lemons in the garden sounds exotic to me, I love citrus fruit and trees, but only have a little lemon I grew from seed, since it's too cold here for them. Hugs!

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  17. The caterpillars are wonderful and the butterflies will also be beautiful.

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    1. I found a wonderful photo of the Cinnabar moth here-

      http://www.arkive.org/cinnabar-moth/tyria-jacobaeae/image-A13879.html

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  18. Unusual caterpillars. I like them...and I wish my grapes would grow more and produce fruit.

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    1. Thanks, Donna, they have been released in other parts of the world to be a biological control on Tansy Ragwort. My grapes have been there for nearly 20 years, every year they get a little bigger so they are like a jungle.

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  19. Thanks, Felicia, I love it that being poisonous, they don't have to hide and I can enjoy seeing them.

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  20. Fabulous captures Hannah. I especially like the caterpillars!

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    1. Thanks, Valerie, one of the perks of having weeds!

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  21. Your grapes are wonderful! Love the flowers...especially that Julia Child bloom! Interesting caterpillar!

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    1. Thanks, Marie, I'm amazed at all the bunches of grapes hanging out there this year. Julia Child is such a pretty golden color. I get tired of just pink and white roses.

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  22. Enjoying your shots -the flowers, grapes and colorful caterpillars.
    Thanks for stopping by.
    www.1sthappyfamily.com/2014/08/two-moms.html

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    1. Thanks, Lina, I'm enjoying what's left of the fruitfulness of summer. Lots of apples and pears as well.

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  23. Nice looking caterpillar - I think we used to find lots of these are ragweed when I was a kid in the UK.

    Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne

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    1. Yes, that's where they originated. They are really good at destroying the plants, too.

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  24. Thant Veronica is awesome Hannah! Will try that seed.

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    1. Thanks, Randy, it was a surprise to see it bloom.

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  25. Love the 'backlit' grapes!!! And the quilt piece, even tho you didn't stitch it, is pretty. Your flower images are great and even the 'creepy critter'!!!

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    1. Thanks, Anni, I like the bird on the quilt. The caterpillars are really fun to watch. And when they roll up they look like a peppermint candy with the stripes!

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  27. Hi Hannah,

    I wonder if the caterpillar turned blue is still dangerous--surely not. LOL Thanks for sharing this interesting blue.

    Have a Happy Blue Monday!

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    1. Perhaps the caterpillar would no longer be safe and would have to hide! Happy Blue Monday!

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  28. What a beautiful garden you have. So colorfull.

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    1. Thanks, Riet, I enjoyed your Stockholm photos of the lovely uncrowded houses.

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  29. Those are quite striking catarpillers -- but I bet he enjoys his blue clothes!! Your flowers are lovely and those grapes -- oh my, what beauties!

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    1. Thanks, Sarah, I wonder what the birds would think if the caterpillars were blue.

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  30. Great composition in the last of the grapes backlit, full power, excellent use of light!

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  31. Your grapes look wonderful. I like the shots of the colorful caterpillars.

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  32. Thanks, Leovi, I usually hate dealing with backlight, but in this case it accentuates the grapes' transparency.

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  33. Gorgeous shots, Hannah! Love close-ups of flowers :)
    Happy Blue Monday from Australia♥ ~Pernilla

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    1. Thanks, Pernilla, I really enjoy finding flowers to photograph every week.

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  34. Beautiful garden specimens... a talented green thumb nurtured these beauties.

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    1. Thanks, Daniel, I do what I can with the moles, voles, rabbits, deer, squirrels, and bugs doing theirs.

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  35. Hi Hannah, wonderful photos and interesting info. I wish I could replace some of my weeds. In fact I was weeding today and I spotted a discarded snake skin. Yikes.

    Happy blue Monday.

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    1. Thanks, Jeanne, I wish so much of my gardening was not spent on weed control. I am trying a more involved mulching program this fall to see if I can really cut weeding that way. As for snakes, I am a biologist and always was fascinated with nature, so I like to see snakes around to eat pests, as long as they are not poisonous.

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  36. Your garden is beautiful Hannah! I hope those caterpillars became beautiful butterflies. I am trying to learn what flowers and shrubs that my backyard visitor deers will not eat --they seems to like eating many!

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  37. Great pics, I love the caterpillars!

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  38. Thanks, Pat, the caterpillars become beautiful moths, you can see them at the link. The name Cinnabar comes from a red color from a mineral by that name. Deer don't bother highly scented leaves like Oregano, Marjoram, Rosemary, Agrimony, and Lavender. Here they don't bother daylilies but do in other areas of the country. They don't bother my Hypericum, Daphne, Santolina, Echinacea, Lamb's Ear, Monarda, Coreopsis, Dahlias, Iris, Gladiolus, Canna, Daffodils, etc. There are online deer resistant plant lists you can find on google.

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  39. You did some really stunning shots!
    Thank you so much for stopping by all the time and leaving words!
    Have a happy week ... Frauke

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    1. Thanks, Frauke, I enjoy looking at your garden photos.

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  40. Thanks for the tip on Anemone japonica. I'm always looking for Fall flowers.

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    1. Anemone japonica and tomentosa are wonderful, but mine do get very tall so I should probably have a program to cut them back so they would be shorter at some point, but I have to spend so much time dealing with weeds on 2 acres that much garden finesse doesn't get done, sadly.

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  41. Wonderful captures!!! I love the caterpillars - they're full of contrast!
    I want to invite you to the new home of Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday) at http://image-in-ing.blogspot.com/ each week at midnight Tuesday, EST. And you're welcome to share your blog button for your recurring link-up at the page devoted to Wordless linkups - just remember to use your main blog url rather than a link to an individual post.

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    1. The caterpillers are entertaining. I will take a look at Wordless Wednesday, it takes a lot of time just to visit all the links from the other Bloghops I'm doing.

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  42. Outstanding shot of backlite grapes.

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    1. Thanks, Janice, it came out well. I liked your photo and video of the Assassin bug, they are good predators.

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  43. What gorgeous blossoms and summer fare. Your little critter is so cute!

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    1. Thanks, Betty, I can't believe how many grapes there are this year. Your traveling adventures are interesting.

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  44. Lucky you to have Roses reblooming! And Grapes! Beautiful photographs, Hannah. Happy autumn!

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  45. Thanks, Beth, I'm thinking about your lessons learned meme. I wish I could have some Monarch cats in my garden, but I'd have to grow some big milkweeds to feed them.

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  46. awesome detail in these beautiful close-ups!! pretty purple bloom!!!!

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    1. Thanks, Debbie, I aspire to being a purple lady. I enjoyed your cardinal photos and butterflies.

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  47. Wonderful photos Hannah! Those caterpillars look so attractive, not like the furry brown ones I get in my garden :-/ .

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    1. Thanks, Paula, they are so delightful. I liked your shade garden ideas.

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  48. Wonderful photos Hannah! Thank you for visit my blog on www.fotobyandy.de.

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  49. Thanks, Andy, I like your nature photography as well.

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