Thursday, July 22, 2010

Pretty in Pink

Prairie in Pink would have been a good alternative name for this post, as these species are frequently found in prairies, some wet, some dry.


Queen-of-the-Prairie, Filipendula rubra seems like a logical place to start! This plant was introduced to a Master Gardener's Convention in 2005- and wowed the socks off the landscape crowd. I had to have one, or three. And to think it is an Ohio Native, easily found in wet prairies like Cedar Bog (and my backyard)!


Native plant- Purple coneflower, Echinacea purpurea - slightly obscured by a Giant Swallowtail butterfly. They seem to prefer nectaring on the coneflowers in my yard. In fact, I was not a big fan of the coneflower until I saw the Giant Swallowtails. Mark me as a "BIG FAN" now.

Oh, the Phlox of it all... this is probably some garden species from my past "landscaper" life, but I have several varieties of natives too. Spotted phlox, and Blue phlox .. any phlox is a good phlox in my book, as the butterflies love it!
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This lovely female Tiger Swallowtail (note the blue on the hind wings) was just making a spectacle of herself today. How could I not post her for the world to see? Shameless!
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We silly humans cannot begin to compete with the beauty of nature.

4 comments:

  1. I like the shot of the Giant Swallowtail. I've never had one stay still long enough for me to get a good picture.

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  2. Cheryl...your title is so funny because yesterday I was walking in the prairie, which is covered with Rose Pink. I took some pics to post on my blog and was going to call it Prairie in Pink. (Un)Fortunately, we only have slow dial-up here at Prairie Pond Woods...so I'll post on Monday but you beat me to it!

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  3. Thanks Steve- they like to fly high and wide, so photography can a challenge.

    Cindy- Post away! I will look forward to reading about Rose Pink. It is one of my favorite prairie plants, but I don't have any... yet! :)

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  4. Swallowtails are thick this year. I've swerved a few times to miss a flutter in the road.

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