A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2007 My butterfly photo featured on gardening123

Hi everyone,

I just had the coolest thing happen to me this week. I have a membership to a website on gardening123, they have a place where you can send in photos ....so I did in October 2006...among other times before and since. Well anyway, I got an e-mail asking if they could use my butterfly photo with an article they are posting on Monday March 19th. I just that was really cool....and it was a real surprise.

The following is the article and My photo to be posted on gardening123 Monday this week.....




Swallowtail butterflies love zinnias. Photo by Charlotte Horsfield.


MANHATTAN, Kan. - A butterfly garden is simply one that encourages butterflies to visit in summer by providing the basics those "fluttering flowers" need.

"The only problem in planning one is the fact that different butterfly species prefer different flowers as food," said Ward Upham, horticulturist with Kansas State University Research and Extension.

Gardeners who hope to attract a certain species usually have to do some study on the Web or in the library to learn the best plants to try. They may end up having to experiment a bit, too, Upham said.

Following the rules below, however, can help lure butterflies to any yard:

plant groups of the same plant variety together. Detecting a single plant is hard for butterflies.
Choose a variety of plants with bloom times that vary by time of day, as well as time of year.
Remember butterflies are cold-blooded. Plan for open areas where they can sun themselves on cool days and shaded zones where they can cool off when the sun is intense.
Upham recommends a simple way for gardeners to maintain a butterfly water supply, without creating a mosquito breeding site: Fill a bucket with gravel and bury it to the rim. As needed, add enough water, sugar water or sweet drinks so that butterflies can land on the gravel, yet also reach the liquid.

"If you´re not fussy about the species who visit, you can just aim for variety or plan your plantings from the lists of known butterfly favorites," the horticulturist added. Those favorites include:

Annuals - ageratum, cosmos, French marigold, petunia, verbena and zinnia.
Early-blooming perennials and shrubs - allium, chive, forget-me-not and lilac.
Mid-season perennials and shrubs - bee balm, butterfly bush, black-eyed Susan, buttonbush, butterfly weed, daisy, daylily, gaillardia, lavender, lily, mint, phlox, privet, sunflower and veronica.
Later bloomers - aster, glossy abelia, and sedum.

Congratulations, Charlotte! It is easy to see why they chose that picture. It is beautiful!

Dianna

Wow.....what a beautiful picture!!!!!!!!!

That's a really good picture. I'm an amature wildlife photographer and have chased many butterflys. For those who have never done it, they can't appreciate how difficult it can be to get close enough to get a really good shot. Congratulations!

&*^%-it! I sent them over 300 photographs WAAAY better than yours and then didn't choose MINE! CONGRATULATIONS! Tiger Swallowtails are one of my favorite butterflies to photograph And that is a fabulous picture! (No, I didn't submit ANY photographs to gardening123. Just thought I'd tease you a bit).

Lol, wawawa.....Thorn with total repect and just kidding
I just thought it was cool.This butterfly played with me for a while, it was almost as if it liked the camera....lol
It would just flutter away and then immediately return to another area......The photos were taken in my back yard last Summer
I have a lot more photos if you would like to see them ....




http://s103.photobucket.com/albums/...ack%20and%20blue%20butterflies/?start=24 or http://s103.photobucket.com/albums/m148/Charlie7_01/critters/black%20and%20blue%20butterflies/

Do you take tons of photos too? I know I do....lol

Those are beautiful....you are really talented

That is so cool Charlotte! Beautiful photo!

Awesome shots!!! No wonder they picked yours!! Got any more???

Here is the best Eastern Tiger Swallowtail picture I've Taken so far.

Oh Thorny.....what a beautiful picture!!!!!!!

Great shot, Birdman!!

Just a great digital camera and very beautiful butterfly...... http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/...%20butterflies/twobutterfliesandabee.jpg[/IMG]

congrats, charlotte!!! that's REALLY terrific!!!

you've got some really wonderful pics there (you too, thornie!!)

What beautiful pictures! Congratulations to you!

My favorite buttefly pic I got was this one.

Durn it! Loz beat BOTH of us, Kratz!

Nah...it's not a competition, and my flutterby is missing part of its wing. You guys have some really fantastic pics!

I have so many photos it's incredible....lol
My husband bought me a Leica digital camera for Christmas 5 years ago. He said I used too much film and then to pay for developing to boot, so since I've gone digital I take even more photos only differance is, now I only print the ones I really want and leave the rest on the hard drive. When I want to print photos I burn them on a disk and take it to Walmart, they are pretty reasonable in price....

I don't even leave to do my pictures... I just upload them to imagestation and have them sent to me. You can usually find good online coupon codes too.

It's a bad obsession eh? I take TONS of pictures all spring/summer/fall long. Getting a digital camera years ago was the best thing I ever did!