Buzzing Blossoms

What’s Buzzing

  • Let Fall Begin (Soon)

    It’s only the first week of August, and anyone who lives in Florida or south Georgia knows, this is NOT fall. When you wake up and make your coffee and… Read more

  • Growing Mexican Sunflower for Monarchs (and More) in Northeast Florida (9B)

    If you want to give a home to butterflies and moths, you have to lay out a spread. It goes beyond just providing native milkweeds for monarchs and some dill or… Read more

  • What the Insects Love About My Garden

    Not all butterflies, wasps, or bees are equally attracted to the same flowers. For example, the Monarch (Danaus plexippus) butterflies in my region are highly attracted to Mexican Sunflower (Tithonia… Read more

  • Removal of Peruvian Primrose, an Invasive Aquatic Plant

    Oh, my back is aching thanks to Ludwigia peruviana, aka Peruvian Primrose. This monstrosity has invaded our pond and made it impossible for me to plant native species of aquatic… Read more

  • A Froggy Day in the Neighborhood

    Before I started work this morning I decided to get some potting soil into some plastic planters. This was to prepare for the transplanting of 3 of my Zinderella Purple… Read more

  • Butterfly and Moth Stats

    In my yard, I have documented 86 species of lepidoptera (butterflies, skippers, moths). I think that we often forget that moths are pollinators just like bees, butterflies, and wasps. Moths just… Read more

  • Collecting vs Photographing Insects

    Insects are like little jewels to me. If I see a pretty or unusual one I instantly feel this twinge, a desire to have. I want it. I feel like… Read more

  • Where did the insects go?

    More than 30 years ago I arrived in Florida, a transplant from rural Maine. I had grown up in a place where mosquitoes were as big as dimes, horseflies would… Read more

  • Pollinators are my jam

    It’s officially spring, and I’m starting to see more pollination activity in the garden and on my trail. My garden is ever so slowly expanding with as many Florida-friendly and… Read more

  • Building a Better Moth Trap

    I’m about to embark on my second moth trap attempt. I built one out of a 5 gallon bucket, a funnel, some egg cartons, and a powerful LED light. This… Read more

  • Blueberry Digger Bee in the Yard

    I’m happy to share that I’ve found a new and interesting bee on our property. I was ambling down our trail that spans the length of the pond, looking for… Read more

Welcome to my blog!

I’m Earline, a gardener and insect lover. My free time is spent experimenting with flowers, shrubs, and trees to find the perfect plants for both the pollinators and myself. I breed zinnias for insect attraction. I do this in a few ways. I cull the blooms that aren’t attracting pollinators and I hand-pollinate crosses of blooms that have specific insect-attracting qualities, such as color, petal size, and floral shape. It’s all fascinating to me and I learn something new about the insects and the flowers around me everyday. My goal is to share this love of insects and the flowers they depend upon with others. Please join me on this exploration of the little things, both buzzing and blossoming.

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