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

  • Winter recedes and insects return

    Winter is not really a “thing” in most of Florida. It’s merely a cool fall. Somehow, though, the insects know it’s a time for dormancy. This winter was rough on… Read more

  • Pumpkin Pollinator!

    Sweat Bee pollinating the pumpkin flowers Read more

  • Termites!!

    Ugh!! I found subterranean termites on my property not long ago. I had an old wood deck in the back yard and I noticed it was getting soft and pliable.… Read more

  • Long-tailed Skipper Overtakes Blue Lake Beans

    I want pumpkins, so I decided to grow some Jack O Lantern pumpkins from seed I got at High Mowing Organic Seeds. We have sandy, nitrogen deficient soil so I… Read more

  • So Many OE-Infested Monarchs

    Well, sadly I have had to euthanize 2 monarchs today. One was from my own tent and the other was wild caught. The OE spores on these butterflies was off… Read more

  • First Giant Swallowtail of the Year

    I’m excited to announce that a Giant Swallowtail has laid eggs on our Meyer Lemon tree. She must’ve been doing this while I wasn’t looking because I have this adorable… Read more

  • Sweat Bee?

    I’m not too familiar with bees. I know the difference between carpenter bees, honeybees and bumble bees. Beyond that, I know little. I found this cute little thing resting on… Read more

  • Elusive Zebra and Monarch Larvae

    Yesterday I finally saw a Zebra Heliconian in my yard, chowing down on some lantana nectar. But she didn’t stay long enough for me to get a picture. Fortunately I… Read more

  • Low Larvae Count: Monarchs, Fritillaries, and Black Swallowtails

    I guess the dead heat of a Florida summer isn’t the best time for raising butterflies. The eggs that I have seen on plants like fennel,dill, and milkweed have looked… Read more

  • The Hairstreak Has Arrived!

    I noticed about a week ago an interesting caterpillar on some verbena in my front yard. I’ve never seen anything like this, so I submitted it to butterfliesandmoths.org for verification.… 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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