Tag Archives: butterfly

Black Eyed Susan

23 Wednesday Apr 2014

Posted by in Colours, Flowers, gardening tips, Gardens, Growing, Honey Bee, insects, Perennials, South African Endemic

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Thunbergia alata or “Black Eyed Susan”  is a happy fast growing and long flowering vine. It is a favourite here in South Africa, as it is not fussy about the soil and needs only moderate water. It is mostly evergreen and covers ugly places fast.

Ecology
Black-eyed susan is probably pollinated by bees. An insect visiting the flower will touch the stigma first, with its back, and then the anthers, getting a load of pollen that is then carried to another stigma. The flowers reflect ultra violet light in a pattern that is visible to insects but not to humans. This helps insects find the centre of the flower. Seeds are perhaps ejected mechanically when the fruit splits open. A butterfly, Junonia ovithya, or the eyed pansy, and moths also visit these plants to lay eggs, for the larvae eat the leaves. Hence this creeper, being attractive to insects, helps bring birds into a garden. Birds also often nest in the thickly tangled stems.

Caterpillars ?

03 Monday Mar 2014

Posted by in ecology, Garden Creatures, gardening tips

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crinum netting

Do you have a problem with caterpillars on your Crinum and Clivias?

This innovative method was sent to me via Jeremy Taylor from Sydney.

Simply drape netting over your plants, this stops the butterfly from laying her eggs on your plants.

butterfly netting 2

Photo credits Jeremy Taylor

Sweet Scenter – Cape May

02 Monday Sep 2013

Posted by in Aromatherapy, Flowers, gardening tips, Perennials, South African Endemic

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The Cape May, (Klipboegoe – Afrikaans), or Confetti Bush (Coleonema Album) is one of my all time favourite plants in the Spring. It has dainty white flowers which smells of a mixture of Honey and Buchu.  It is wonderful in floral arrangements.

It is an easy grower and withstands dry conditions and harsh coastal winds. The flowers are carried in such profusion that the bush is a cloud of white when in flower and attracts bees and butterflies. It flowers from May to November.

The aromatic leaves containing essential oils are used by fishermen to remove the odour of red-bait (aas) from their hands, hence the common name.
Campers rub the leaves on their bedding to keep ants and mosquitoes away. The leaves are used in potpourri and act as an insect repellent.

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Caterpillars ?

14 Thursday Mar 2013

Posted by in ecology, Garden Creatures, gardening tips

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , ,


crinum netting

Do you have a problem with caterpillars on your Crinum and Clivias?

This innovative method was sent to me via Jeremy Taylor from Sydney.

 

Simply drape netting over your plants, this stops the butterfly from laying her eggs on your plants.

butterfly netting 2

Photo credits Jeremy Taylor