Spring Again

Well, I have almost had the garden a full year.  Winter lasted a long time here in Florida..I suppose it did everywhere else in the country as well but I was not happy a couple weeks ago even when we were still in the 50s.  Today is a gorgeous day to be outside.  I found an umbrella side table on clearance at Bed, Bath and Beyond during the after Christmas sales which I finally put together last month and have really enjoyed just sitting outside on the plastic Adirondack chairs watching the buzzing activity in my garden.

I saw my first Red Admiral butterfly this Spring.  I think it was just visiting because I have not seen it since.  I was able to get a good picture of it before it fluttered away. 

The passionflower vines were the first to explode with growth and blossoms.  I have several different varieties.  A batwing is planted in the front bromeliad garden.  In the back yard I have a red passion flower, a Maypop and another variety - I don't even remember the name but the flowers look different. 

At the time I am finishing this post, it is no longer Spring and really the start of Summer but it took me forever to finish this post and I really wanted to track the transitions of the garden.  After the passionflower's profuse blooms, the Gulf Fritillaries slowly but surely started making their way back to the garden.  Their return initially seemed so slow that I was worried something was wrong, but inevitably they have returned.  I put together a habitat for my son's classroom again and harvested about ten caterpillars to put in the container for the kids to watch until school's out.  I have released about 5 butterflies so far. 

For a short while we had some colorful visitors aka goldfinches.  Initially they were quite dull but as the weeks wore on, their color really started to come in.  They have left us now, went back North I believe.  My daily visitors now include cardinals, blue jays, mockingbirds and mourning doves.  We also get the red finches.  

Now that it has been months since I finally finished this post the garden has grown leaps and bounds even since then.  The top prize would have to go to the sweet almond bush, which started as a 24 in plant in a gallon? sized pot.  I planted it in the ground and it is currently at a height just over the top of the back wall which is 8 feet.