25 July 2008

Butterfly Garden Plant #3





Purple Coneflower
Perennial

This plant grows abundantly and the butterflies love it. Check out my First Butterfly Blog. Also known as Echinacea purpurea this beauty will grow about 3 feet and will multiply itself. Once established you can transplant throughout your yard and your neighbors yard for that matter.
Plant in full sun.

21 July 2008

Butterfly Garden Plant #2




A Butterfly Bush is staple in a Butterfly Garden. This variety has reached about 8 feet in height by 3 feet across, I have 3 other butterfly bushes but are much smaller still. I prune back early spring and patiently wait for spring growth. The purple flowers bloomed less than a week ago. This perennial loves a sunny area and will thrive year after year.

The Butterflies and Hummingbirds absolutely love this plant so be sure to plant one that you can see from an indoor window.

18 July 2008

Butterfly Garden Plant #1




Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) 'Camelot Cream' attracts hummingbirds blooms early summer grows 3 to 5 feet.
These flowers bloomed early June and were here for a few weeks. Very nice attractive white bloom with red speckles, very pretty. I planted three separate plants about 4 feet from each other. It will take a couple summers for them to multiply and fill out.

13 July 2008

First Butterfly!






I spotted my first Butterfly of the summer Sunday morning on my Purple Coneflowers in my Butterfly Garden. This butterfly is called a Great Spangled Fritillary (Speyeria cybele.)

Although there is a flower petal shadow on him you can still see some great detail.

I have been working on my Butterfly Garden since I moved into my home 6 years ago. I have planted mainly perennials that attract Butterflies and Hummingbirds. I believe this will be my best summer yet, for observing Butterflies!

12 July 2008

Presque Isle Evacuation

I was at the beach yesterday, a.k.a. Presque Isle State Park and it began to rain and everyone at the beaches started to evacuate the area.


I'd like to share some shortcuts that helped me get out quicker.

One key shortcut is when you are leaving the park and if there is lots of traffic near the Stull Interpretive Center (a.k.a. The Nature Center Beach) you can make a right and follow the beach road out towards the entrance of the park.

Another is if you are exiting Pettinato Beach (a.k.a. Beach 8) you can exit left to the main park road, which is quicker than following the one lane road towards the Parks Playground and towards the Lifeguard Center.

I recently visited some relatives in Maine who owned roosters , they said that the roosters feasted on the deer ticks. Why don't park rangers get some roosters in the Peninsula to eat all the deer ticks that could carry Lyme Disease?

03 July 2008

Cheap Luggage

Airline employees see many styles, brands and makes of suitcases. We see a lot of broken zippers, lost wheels and broken handles.

My best advice to those searching for a new piece of luggage is to first check out Rynn's Luggage website, the company is based in Pittsburgh, PA.

This is where we send our passengers luggage to get repaired or replaced. They have the best luggage for your money and always have great deals on quality luggage for your next trip.

Also, be sure to put your name and phone number on all your luggage INSIDE and OUT, when you are traveling. This will eliminate any mix-ups with the unfortunate case that your luggage does not arrive with you at your destination. You will be guaranteed to be reunited with your dirty underwear if your baggage gets lost in transit.