They're Heeere...

In my recent post entitled Flying Colors I mentioned that we would soon be welcoming some visitors to our gardens this October as they make the long trek down to Mexico on their annual migration.


I went to a garden center today shopping for a client in need of a Japanese Yew (Podocarpus macrophyllus).  I picked out the perfect specimen for the job, but then decided to take a stroll through the perennials -- just to see what they had available.  

I'm banned from buying anything for myself these days because of the gimpy arm thing I've got going on.  But what could it hurt to just look, right?    You never know...

Then I saw them!  

MONARCHS!  

And LOTS of them.  

They were all over the Gregg's Mistflower 

(Eupatorium greggii) 

Having my handy-dandy iPhone with me, I started snapping pics.

Open-winged shots are hard to get!  
Got to be quick with the click :-)

Looks like there might be some Painted Lady 

butterflies sharing the mistflower nectar

Mind if I move in a little closer?

 (Wish I had a super-duper camera about right now!)

There's 5 -- count 'em -- 5 Monarchs in this shot alone.

I could have stood there for hours to watch them float 
from one powdery blue puff to the next...

Now, why did I come here?


Oh, yes, there's a Podocarpus to plant!


(sigh...) duty calls.


Have you seen any Monarchs in your garden this fall?

Hoping you have the "King" of butterflies gracing your garden these days!

Until next time... 
Toni :-)