Beth's Patch ~ Sunset over the Delaware bay

Beth's Patch ~ American Snouts

It's been a busy year here for the American Snout butterflies.  They have been here just about everyday since the middle of July laying eggs on the Hackberry tree -turned bush.  The story to that is Hackberry is a soft wood doesn't hold up to our winds and it breaks off easily in a wind so several years ago mid-summer ,I cut it back at bout 3 foot.  Then, it starting growing branches and leafs which brought in the American Snout butterflies and the Question Mark butterflies which laid eggs on many of the leaves.  So, I decided against chopping it totally down to keep it for them each year.  now I trim it back.

American Snout butterfly egg

Beth's Patch ~ Frisky Sachem's

Sachem Skippers

Beth's Patch ~ Brazilian Skipper's

I really haven't been very good in checking the gardens this year like I did last year due to a knee issue. About 2 miles away a Brazilian Skipper was seen last week so I checked out my yard. There was the skipper was posing for me on a day lily blossom. Also found were numerous eggs, and nests that had caterpillars in them on their host plant - cannas.

Brazilian Skipper

Brazilian Skipper egg at top and an empty egg case at the bottom of the canna leaf

The caterpillar uses silk that he makes to close the leaf over to make a nest for it to hide in during the day.  Nights they come out to feed on the canna leaves.

Beth's Patch ~ Gardens

Beth's Patch ~ National Moth Week ~ July 18 - 26, 2020

8 Spotted Forester Moth

Beth's Patch ~ Center Back Garden and the Branch!

Our neighbors were cutting down a tree in late June and since we are always on the lookout for good branches to use in our gardens for interest, Jenny went over to talk to them.  They welcomed us to take any branches we wanted except they weren't sure what they were going to with the branch pictures below.  It's big and heavy.  Jenny & I can't lift it by ourselves.  The neighbors usually use larger branches for their smoker.  We lucked out as not only did they give us the branch, the drove it from their house around the corner to our house.  Then they carried it and left it in our back yard.  SCORE!  Initially, it was in front of the garden.  When a friend came over to pick up some plants, we hijacked her to help us move it to where it is in the garden.

My garden has a creature living in it?  What do you think it is?  We decided it's a Sea Serpent since we live by the water.

Catbird using the branch as a perch.