The heat finally backed off a bit yesterday, peaking at 81F (27C), so I elected to move my usual daily walk from my own neighborhood to the local botanic garden. I booked my second and probably last visit to the SOAR butterfly exhibit for the summer season for 10am but took a quick and fairly haphazard spin around the garden before the exhibit opened.
I'll share just a few highlights.
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| This Brazilian orchid tree (Bauhinia forficata) has clearly been in the garden for a long time but it's the first time I can recall seeing it in full bloom |
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| The garden's sea squill (Drimia maritima) were putting on a great show, much more impressive than the 5 bulbs that've already bloomed out on my back slope |
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| I had to hunt down the name of this massive tree covered in yellow flowers. It appears to be a golden raintree (Koelreuteria paniculata). It's reportedly native to China, Korea, and parts of Mongolia and Russia. |
Before heading into the SOAR exhibit, I checked out the Fuchsia Garden.
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| I couldn't find a name for this floriferous Fuchsia but a gulf fritillary butterfly (Dione vanillea) was busy showing its appreciation |
In prior years, the occupants of the SOAR butterfly exhibit changed over the course of its May through September run but there were fewer noticeable changes this year with a lot of the species present in May still prominent in late August.
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| I checked the board included in my June post and found that the late August board showed many, albeit not all, of the same butterflies |
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| While many of the plants geared to appeal to butterflies and other pollinators outside the enclosure have largely finished their bloom cycles, a few new arrivals were trying to make up for the shortfall. The plant on the left may be an Anisacanthus. The one in the middle is some kind of Senna and the third looks like an aster (Symphyotrichum) of some kind. |
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| There were still a lot of plants to appeal to the tropical butterflies inside the SOAR enclosure too |
I'm sure I missed some of the butterflies but I did my best to profile those that I was able to catch with my camera. There were far fewer humans to skirt around than there were back in May but then the early time slot for my visit may have played a role there. The IDs are my best guesses based on the garden's list at the entrance to the exhibit and my own research.
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| Catonephele numilia (aka blue frosted banner) |
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| Dryas julia (aka Julia butterfly) |
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| Heliconius charithonia (aka zebra longwing) |
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| Heliconius doris (aka doris longwing) |
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| Heliconius hecale (aka tiger longwing) |
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| Heliconius ismenius (aka Ismenius tiger) |
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| Heliconius melpomene (aka red postman) |
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| The large Morpho peleides (aka blue Morpho) |
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| The Morphos liked to hang out at the feeders with their wings closed, occsionally including other butterflies |
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| This is the best photo I managed of Parides childrenae (aka green celled cattleheart) |
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| Siproeta epaphus (aka rusty tipped page) |
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| Siproeta stelenes (aka malachite butterfly) |
I walked by the plant kiosk area on my way out.
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| No deals to be found |
However, I was glad I didn't miss seeing the orange flame vine as I crossed through the parking lot back to my car.
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| Combretum farionsum |
There's still no obvious action on the Children & Family Garden that had originally been slated to open in 2024, which was disappointing. As far as I could tell nothing at all has happened for months. However, the garden is advertising a new animatronic dinosaur exhibit planned to launch in November and another visit from the giant Trolls in March but I haven't heard a word about the status of the new children's garden, much less any plans for a fall plant sale.
All material © 2012-2025 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
Great idea to change up your walk, and to see all those butterflies! I love (both) big groupings of Sea squill, makes me want to add to mine. That orange flame vine is glorious.
ReplyDeleteI was thinking about moving my Drimia bulbs (partly because I forget about them while ignoring my back slope during the summer months) but maybe I'd be better off just adding more in that area and marking my calendar to check on them in August! I love that orange flame vine too. If the botanic garden was ever to restore its volunteer propagation unit and fall plant sales, I'd be looking for it even if I've no idea where I'd put it.
DeleteThat Drimia maritima is fantastic!
ReplyDeleteIt was a truly impressive display of Drimia blooms. The foliage, which emerges during our rainy season and dies down at the start of summer, is attractive too. It's an underused bulb. They're expensive and huge in size but definitely worth it.
DeleteYou found some nice gems there this visit! Drimia flowering now in my garden, they do make quite a show planted en masse. Excellent butterfly pics as well.
ReplyDeleteIt's very hard to get a decent photo of the Blue Morpho butterflies with their wings open, despite the sheet numbers of them in the exhibit!
DeleteJoining the choir admiring the sea squill show: it's fantastic. I bet those are very expensive bulbs. Do they naturalize?
ReplyDeleteThe more I lear about the butterflies, the more I admire them. Delicate and tough and oh so gorgeous. You've snapped gorgeous photos of those amazing creatures.
Chavli
I think the Drimia bulbs will naturalize but I suspect that takes time. My second purchase of the bulbs were smaller specimens (at a somewhat reduced price) and they took awhile to bloom. Although they all reliably produced foliage each year, this was the first year all 5 of my bulbs bloomed.
DeleteAn animatronic dinosaur exhibit? Sounds like the garden is becoming more of an amusement park. You photographed quite a variety of butterflies this year - amazing! I wonder why the blue morpho butterflies and other blue objects seem so hard to photograph. I had a devil of a time trying to get decent photos of delphiniums, for example. Must be some optical thing with our cameras that I should look up, but probably won't. The morpho butterflies are so shiny too, that can't help.
ReplyDeleteThe amusement park theme you noted is definitely now core to their operation. I don't think SCBG's alone in taking that direction and I don't even blame them for raising money that way - I just wish they'd also support some of the activities I consider basic to their mission, like propagating plants (especially those that aren't available elsewhere) and holding regular plant sales. It also bothers me that action on the new children's garden has stalled (after reportedly collecting $15M in donations) and that large sections of the garden remain closed off as a result. Their most recent newsletter promoted a pumpkin-themed light show supported by an outside contractor to start next month with the dinosaur exhibit up next and the troll exhibit to follow that.
DeleteThe Morpho butterflies close their wings as soon as they land and they move so rapidly in flight that catching them that way is very difficult!
Tropical butterflies are beautiful to see, esp. the blue Morpho and the Malachite, two favorites. We have a butterfly house nearby, which I usually visit in winter when I want a cheap tropical fix. :)
ReplyDeleteI looked up Koelreuteria paniculata and found the seed pods even better than the flowers! I also think the orange flame vine is very cool. :) Eliza
I SO wish the garden still sold propagated specimens of the plants it has. There was a large group of volunteers that ran the propagation unit in the pre-pandemic days and the garden held annual sales every spring and fall offering those plants.
DeleteTo capture the butterfly, you must become the butterfly, Grasshopper.
ReplyDeleteHa! I can be flighty at times but I'm incapable of flitting about to the degree a Morpho does. I may be able to channel the Heliconius species, though ;)
DeleteCombretum farinosum, where have you been all my life?
ReplyDeleteThe plant sale table is so sparse! You'd think they can find a few more plants?
I love that vine too! It's apparently native to Central and south America.
DeleteThe sale table was pitiful and the few prices I checked were on par with the local garden center or higher. I don't think many of the plants, if any, were propagated onsite.