Fall Butterfly

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Ever since I started my container garden on my 3rd floor balcony, I have loved the idea of birds and bees and butterflies visiting. To entice the birds I got a birdfeeder, and now usually get chickadees and pigeons…though what with the financial crisis and all I bought them cheaper seed, and the amount of birds have slackened off! Picky birds, like they can tell it’s not as fancy! LOL

The bees have been harder to come by, though I plant mostly flowers and I live close by to a big park. I would expect to see more, but I hardly ever see any. It makes me sad when I think how decimated the honey bee population has become. The butterfly situation was not much better. This was not for lack of trying on my part. I tried planting some of the plants that were touted as “perfect for a butterfly garden”, except for the butterfly bush, which I considered too big for a container and for me to handle. I tried echinacea, sweet alyssum, and deep purple petunias. No butterflies. Not even a moth!
Until this past Sunday, when one came to visit the lantanas and stayed for a long time! It surprised me that it kept coming back, and that it stood still long enough for me to take these pictures. The butterfly arrives:

Here is a second shot, I dared to get a closer look, still fearing it would fly away:

And the nicest shot of all, the butterfly with its wings spread out.

It seemed to know it was Halloween, or at least Fall, because it had a gorgeous orange coloring!

I deduced that the red lantanas did indeed live up to the hype that they attract butterflies! I only saw that one though (and a small bee!) It was interesting to me, that the butterfly kept coming back, even very close to me, and landed several times quite close so I could see it clearly, it didn’t seem shy of me. It made me a little nervous because in El Salvador there is a folk myth (belief) that moths and/or butterflies announce deaths, and that butterflies transport the souls to heaven. So while it was beautiful, I kind of wanted the butterfly to leave quickly, but it did not. The thing with folk tradition is that even though you might consider yourself a rational person and not superstitious, the ideas are a part of you and make you wonder. No one in my family died or has died, thank goodness. But my friend Kevin’s father (you might have seen Kevin among my pictures) succumbed to lung cancer on Monday, Nov 1. All Souls Day to boot. Like I said, it makes you wonder.

Here are some other shots of the lantana, which is just gorgeous right now, only the red one is blooming though the yellow one has buds:

Leaves don’t turn color in Houston, and I do miss the Fall colors, but the depth and brilliance of the reds of this lantana make up for it! Hope all of you are having a happy Autumn!

• 5 Nov, 2010
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