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

  • Caterpillar Count

    Today’s count Black Swallowtails: 11 total ( 5 on dill, 6 on fennel) Gulf Fritillaries: 2 Monarch: 1 ( sitting on Indian Blanket next to a milkweed ) Green Lynx… Read more

  • Hairstreak? Maybe?

    This morning I found a pretty little caterpillar that is rather slug like in shape. It’s a bit fuzzy and seems to have a dark line going down each side… Read more

  • Munch munch – Just a Few More Bites Before Pupating

    My black swallowtail caterpillars are running low on food and they are fat! A couple have decide to pupate. Then there’s this chubby one who won’t give up. Read more

  • Frazzled Fritillary – Dione vanillae Lays Eggs in Stupid Places

    I noticed an anxious looking Gulf Fritillary female, fluttering about seeking a spot to posit her eggs. I guess she didn’t like the passion vine I had planted specifically for… Read more

  • Me-8, Greenbriers-1

    I have spent the morning freeing 9 maples and numerous baby turkey oaks from the suffocation of greenbriers, aka smilax. It’s been a 2 hour battle, with me as victor.… Read more

  • Day 9 of Black Swallowtail Observation

    I’ve got 7 black swallowtail caterpillars on fennel and 6 on dill. I have 1 caterpillar on dill in a butterfly tent so that I can watch closely and take… Read more

  • Day 1 of Black Swallowtail Egg Laying!

    Today my husband noted the first swallowtail to lay eggs on our dill and fennel this year. We’ve both been watching diligently for this. I thought it would be a… Read more

  • Wing Scales of an Emerald Moth

    I like the emerald moths. It’s refreshing to find something not brown in my moth trap. This one in particular was found floating in my swimming pool, not in the… Read more

  • Moth Trapping

    I created a seriously DIY moth trap yesterday out of a 5 gallon bucket, a dog e-collar and a clamp light socket. I also had some cardboard stuffed inside the… Read more

  • Four speckled Hover Fly Pupa

    Watching the stages of the four speckled hover fly in my insect tent has been fascinating. I haven’t seen the eggs, but I’m pretty sure they are nearby and I… 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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