Sunny days and butterflies
At this time of year Austinites reap their reward for having survived another summer. Bright blue skies washed clean by periodic cold fronts top a burnished landscape of evergreen live oaks, yaupon hollies, junipers, agaves, and evergreen salvias like the one favored by a sulphur butterfly’s visit this afternoon.
Mild 75-degree temperatures and lots of sunshine drew me outside around lunchtime today. I should be working, but I couldn’t resist putting up a little fall color, Austin style.
The ‘Radrazz’ Knock Out rose I brought along from my old garden is knocking me out with a handful of bright blooms.
Its blue undertones play well with the blue-green agave behind it.
The new ‘Marilyn’s Choice’ abutilon is still going strong.
The ‘Pams’ Pink’ turk’s cap, which I’d thought was done for the season, opened one more soft-pink flower today.
And the sempervivum is doing what it does—just sitting there and looking beautiful.
These garlic chive seedheads—chock full of black seeds—look autumnal next to a golden glazed pot. Bonnie of Kiss of Sun kindly gave me a division from her garden. I haven’t planted them yet, but they seem happy enough in their temporary container. Thanks, Bonnie!
All material © 2006-2008 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.
Ohhh my those butterfly pics are amazing! What a beautiful little creature!
Hi Pam, you have outdone yourself with these, especially the sulpher. Each grain of powder can be counted on the wings. Magnificent! The knock out does make a friendly companion for the agave too. Your weather sounds delightful. We are in the thirties here, but sunny.
Frances
Beautiful, clear colors. What a combo-agave and rose! I guess the gardening equivalent of leather and lace?
Now you have Stevie Nicks going through my head, Nicole. 😉 —Pam
Pam … what gorgeous pictures you have taken .. I love the butterfly … but my favorite is the sempervivum .. those little guys are the best ! : )
Joy
Pam, Excellent photos, so beautiful…! I know where I will be all winter to get my butterfly fix! The sulphur is spectacular nose to nose with the salvia! Gail
As always, beautiful photos. I went out and looked for a hen and chicks plant. Seems to be out of stock this time of year, as Xmas trees are on everyone’s mind. I’m so happy to see that the blue-green agave, for which you are infamous, has withstood the move well, it seems.
Brenda
Uh-oh, I’m infamous? Must be because I was crazy enough to move that bad boy. It’s annoying when the garden centers are turned over to Xmas trees when you want to plant something, isn’t it? —Pam
Those butterfly shots are super fantastic! Ours have flown away with the recent cold weather….hate it, but winter is here.
Macro-tastic. The seeding chive shot is the best…super sexy texture, and the gold pot in the background…mwah! More shots from the reef posted today, still trying to figure out if it’s a good proposal for a public project. Any help would be welcome.
You Austinites are very deserving of some mild weather after your hot, dry summer Pam. Beautiful butterflies, blooms, and foliage – they all seem to be enjoying your milder temps.
What yummy colors Pam. I miss our butterflies and bees. I won’t see them until next spring. Sigh~~ I will be content as long as I can see some beautiful flowers and bugs on southern blogs now.
I took a very similar picture of a garlic chive seed head! Well, no intro to winter this year just all of a sudden coldness. It is 22 F right now and quite a change from 66 F on Friday. The plants hate that don’t they!
The agave looks so happy in its new home! Great pictures, Pam.
You’re so welcome! Can’t wait to see them added to your garden.
We’ve had gray skies and dreary weather for so many days now; you’re making me long for sunny days and blue skies. I’m really missing the butterflies, yours are beautiful!
Pam, one gift I give myself as often as I can is coming over and looking at your blog. Those photos. The colors are wonderful.
One note: I love garlic chives, but they’re invasive here. I’ve had to mow all of mine down. I hope they will work just right for you. I would suggest getting rid of the pretty seedheads before planting though.~~Dee
Dee, you are so sweet. I’m glad you visit often and only wish you could visit again in person. I will keep your advice about the garlic chives in mind. Thanks! —Pam
Beautiful photos, especially of the Sulphur yellow on the red salvia. I think thats one butterfly with an artist’s heart, choosing the perfect colour to complement her own.
November’s weather has been as close to perfect as it gets! My only real quibble is with the mosquitoes … I hope they’re not as bad in Austin as they are here on my corner of Katy!
Thanks for your generous comments, everyone. Tonight we’re getting a cold front and near freeze, so I hope the butterflies find a warm place to spend the night. —Pam
Oh gosh. Any time you want garlic chives come by with your shovel.
LOVE the butterfly photo! And I hope that the butterflies did indeed find a warm spot to spend the night… 🙂
Send some of that sunshine up this way, will ya! LOL GREAT shots!
These deep colors are certainly indicative of cooler fall temperatures but how do you manage to capture the true color of Radazz. I find this rose impossible to photo.
Jenny, I’m not camera-savvy enough to explain how my camera settings do what they do, but the Custom setting on my point-and-shoot takes cooler images than my Foliage setting. I normally use the Foliage setting when shooting the garden because it captures the golden and deep-green tones of the foliage and does a nice job with most flowers. But when I shoot a flower that’s deep red, bright white, or bright yellow I switch over to the Custom setting because it adds a blue undertone (instead of golden) and doesn’t blow them out into a solid blur of color. I don’t know enough to know why it works, but it does. Maybe you have different settings you can play around with too. I recommend shooting your Radrazz with all your different settings, keeping track of the order in which you tried them, and then see which one works best. —Pam
Pam, we were at Zilker Park for the Dinosaurs last weekend and saw an area of the butterfly garden totally planted in ‘Pam’s Pink’ Wax mallow/Turkscap … thought of you, of course! And also thought about planting one next spring!
Annie at the Transplantable Rose
Ha! I have got to get down there with the kids before the exhibit ends. We want to see the dinosaurs! —Pam
We northern gardeners just love to drink in your photos during our flower starved winter months 🙂 The colours are just fantastic, especially that bright pink bloom with the yellow butterfly.
Hi Pam,
I love all the photos, but my favorite is the Radazz rose against the agave. I have never been to Austin, but this has the feeling I love in parts of Mexico or the American southwest. It also reminds me of California mission gardens. All so evocative of many things and places, but only found in your wonderful garden.
Best regards,
Philip
Such beautiful photography, it’s always a learning venture popping onto your blog and ooooooh that fall color is lucious!
Wonderful Sulphurs Pam!
Not an easy bird to capture.
ESP.
Hi, Pam, Happy Thanksgiving in your new home! You are doing beautifully creating your new garden! Love that yellow butterfly. I don’t think we have them here. I don’t recall seeing any. Thanks for sharing him with us. 🙂 Kathryn xox
You know, Pam, it might be my imagination, but I can almost tell from your photos that you’ve got cooler temps than in the summer. You’ve got summery blooms, but they’re somehow different! Love that Knockout rose – the color is luscious! They yellow sulphurs were some of the latest to be seen in the garden this fall – even into November, which I think is rather unusual, but we did have warmer temperatures than normal, too. Not now, though!
Pam,
When I visited you the last time, I meant to comment on your yellow ‘sulpher’ butterfly. I have a photo with one like it on my blog…and I called it a ‘yellow butterfly’. I suppose I should go in and correct it. It’s interesting that we have the same one as you, here in Virginia. Butterflies are my favorite insect, for sure!! Jan
I just popped over, and your butterfly does look like a sulphur. They are quick darting and hard to capture, so nice shot. —Pam
Hi Pam!
Thanks for the comment on the painting I did for Sue. Actually, fine art was my major in college; photography was a sideline that just grew leaps and bounds during college. I do still love to paint when I finally make the time for it.
Love the shots of your sulphur butterfly!
I’m in Texas until the end of December, visiting my folks in San Antonio (doing my design work, too—gotta pay the bills, you know!). I do plan to go up to Austin sometime in the next couple of weeks to visit some friends…would love to stop by and see your garden (and I just know something is blooming—stuff I planted for Mom & Dad in their gardens is still in bloom…amazing!). No, I don’t expect it to look like it does in spring and summer, but if it’s anything like my folk’s garden, there will be color! Or meet up for a soda! Are you up for a brief visit if I can get up there this month? E-mail me at dyerdesign@aol.com
Cindy, http://www.cindydyer.wordpress.com
I’d love to meet you, Cindy. Just drop me a line when you plan to be in town. —Pam
I’m drinking in the beauty of your colors, Pam. The Sulphur on the salvia is gorgeous! Great photos! Love the abutilon, Pam’s Pink, the sempervivum, knock outs….all beautiful!