Butterflies!

 
What a crazy day! The coronavirus mess is nuts. They shut down the entire Women's Expo at 1:30 today. There were very few people in attendance, but over the 250 prescribed by the governmentally imposed shutdowns. With over 300 vendors trying to leave all at once (many of them angry), it took over 2 hours for me to get out of there.

Meanwhile, I had told my friend Robert that I had plans for the evening (I was going to another author's house), but when they cancelled the whole Expo I called him back. It sure is nice to have a friend with a membership at Meijer Gardens! Their famous butterfly exhibit is in full swing. So we have to interrupt the flower show for a flying flower show.

There are 27 species of tropical butterflies loose in the conservatory. We went, of course. I'm pretty sure I saw 14 of them. Getting pictures is another matter! Here's what I did catch in fairly good focus.

There are several species with the common name "Postman." This one is Heliconius melpomene aglaope



The chrysalises are shipped in and kept in a sort of incubator room. Yes, they have been sorted by species. The caterpillars don't arrange themselves so neatly!



This is a Hewitsoni Longwing, Heliconius hewitsoni.



My favorite was the very large Common Morpho, Morpho peleides. Common in Mexico and South America! Almost every time one landed it closed it's wings, and the blue was gone. But this one landed on my back! Robert got a picture. It's getting old- you can see how ragged the wings are.



When they land and close up, they are brown to dark brown with spots on the underwing. This picture also shows one of the ways they were being fed, with trays of fruit placed around the conservatory.



This is the Golden Helicon, Heliconius hecale. Their chrysalises are a metallic gold- which seems very unusual for a biologic color.



Another Postman, a different sub-species.



I'm showing you this even though the picture is crummy. The butterfly is open and flat on the plant. It's a Zebra Mosaic, Colobura dirce, also from Central and South America. Sort of creamy with black stripes.



Finally, the best picture, the Tree Nymph, Idea leuconoe. This one is from Southeast Asia.



After that, we went to Reed's Lake, had sandwiches at a popular restaurant, and walked part way around the lake. Then I drove home.



So, the day was not as planned, and I lost a ton of money (as did everyone), but the ending was pretty nice.

See Pearl Crescent

How Ester and I Spent the Day

 
Ester and I went out for lunch and then ice cream. Then we drove to the Gene Straton Porter estate, Limberlost, to visit again. This time the gardens had flowers in bloom.

Astilbe.



Missouri Primrose, or Sundrops.



And a lovely Japanese Maple.



I was wanting to help Ester get some things done that she needed to accomplish, but she said what she needed most was a day off. Here's the tree that was struck by lightning that started the whole crazy chain of events. See the stripe running the length of it?


But this was the only structural damage. Some of the wall beneath the window and a few floorboards need to be replaced.



The problem is that the whole thing smoldered for two days while she was not home and was unaware, so the entire house had to be emptied and everything professionally cleaned. To bring things up to code and rebuild, everything inside has been or will be taken down to the studs and rebuilt.

She's setting up camp to be nearby and live in relative comfort until its done. It's all going to be great in the end, but what a mess.



Keeping this post short and to the point. Gotta scoot. We have things to talk about, and I have to head home in the morning.

	See Limberlost
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Dow Gardens - Patterns

 
Plants will just surprise you over and over. There are so many variations! These are all leaves, or the coniferous variation called needles. I love how you can just study the patterns and designs.

This one was completely new to me. It's Korean fir, Abies koreana, variety 'Horstman's Silberlocke.' The needles recurve so you can see the white underside. It was stunning. I looked it up and read that it also has large blue-purple erect cones in season. I don't know how you can go wrong if you want an ornamental conifer.



Next up is a Caladium of some variety. That's often called Elephant Ear. This was in the conservatory. It may be the variety 'Black Magic.'



I gravitate toward dark plants. This is another version of coleus. I think the varieties are endless. They had a whole bed of this one with a white flowering plant around the edges.



Finally, here's a spotted angel wing Begonia, Begonia carollina, possibly the variety 'Cecile.' My mother used to have one of these that got huge!


In other news: I did laundry, wrote a chapter, took a walk and tried roasted cauliflower. Let me just say that it was good, but I won't feel the need to do it again. An oily bowl, followed by an oily oven pan, and a lot of chopping. I'm happy enough to just eat the cauliflower raw.

	See Dow Gardens - Texture
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Dow Gardens - Texture

 
You know I love textures! Here are four from the Dow Gardens. First is an ornamental, columnar white cedar (also called arborvitae). They are all Thuja occidentalis, but there are a number of varieties. I think this one with the "dancing" sprays of needles may be 'Hetz Wintergreen.'



This is a Japanese Forest Grass, Hakonechloa macra, variety 'All Gold.' I'll bet in a slight breeze this just flows like water.



Begonias always catch my eye. There are SO many varieties and colors and leaf shapes. I have no idea what this one is. It was in their small conservatory. Almost nothing in there was labeled. It was more like just a storage space for plants that aren't hardy. But the texture of this one is fantastic.



Finally, this is not anything rare at all, except it was in bloom. It's a foxtail asparagus fern, Asparagus densiflorus 'Myersii'. These began showing up in city planters a few years ago, and they are definitely a worthy addition to streetscapes.



I'm beginning to find some other things I might want to put in the blog, but there is still so much good stuff from Dow Gardens. I guess you'll have to come back to see what I pick next.

In other news: I spent the morning editing The Bigg Boss (15 chapters done), and then went out to distribute flyers and posters for our author event in the afternoon. Not my favorite activity by a long shot, but I got it done.

	See Yellow Begonia See Dow Gardens - Color
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Dow Gardens - Color

 
There are so many beautiful individual plants I could show you! Dow Gardens is like a big flower show... the good stuff just keeps coming.

But I can't move away from it just yet. Today I'll show you some of my favorite pictures that exemplify COLOR. It's no surprise that several of them are coleus (now broken into two genera, so I didn't capitalize it). We probably all know coleus... it's that great planter specimen that features beautifully variegated leaves. They are a relative of mint, but without the minty smell. They are great for showy gardens because if you pinch off the blossoms, the gorgeous leaves just keep their beauty all season long.

Here are two varieties side by side in a planter. Everything from bright and splotchy to dark and geometric



How about the 'stripe-me-pink' oyster plant? This is a variety of my Moses-in-a-boat with colored leaves. Technically Rhoeo discolor or Tradescantia discolor (names are changing faster than one can keep up).



Back to coleus for an interesting salmon color variety.



I debated whether to show you this one under "color" or hold it for "design," but you get it today. This is some variety of Clematis.



Finally, we're back to another display of coleus. This one is in the colors I was trying to pair in my own flower garden, maroon and yellow. So I particularly like this.



In other news: My writing workshop ended today. Great stuff! I'll be doing a post about it on the other blog.

	See Philadelphia Flower Show 2011 Coleus See Oyster Plant
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Dow Gardens- Naturalistic Landscapes

 
One of the things that amazed me most at Dow Gardens is the emphasis on trees. Designing with trees means being able to see at least 50 years into the future and imagine what those shapes and textures and tones are going to look like. I suppose there is software now that would allow you to do this. But when Dow Gardens was created, the designer had to see it in his mind. Maybe he would sketch his vision.

Today, I want to show you some naturalistic landscapes. I'm not calling them natural because they are all planted and manipulated. I'm not even sure the waterways are natural. Certainly the smaller ones on the property were created artificially.



Some, like the one above include manicured lawns. Others, like the one below just beckon you to come find a trail through the woods.



Hard to believe this is all designed and created for the effect, isn't it?



Here's another that looks completely "wild."



The textures alone make this one yummy!



I'm working hard and having a blast at the writer workshop. Tomorrow is the last day.

	See Dow Gardens- Branches
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Dow Gardens - Architecture

 
There are still a couple of days of my seminar, and time for blogging is limited. I'll give you another quick look at Dow Gardens today. Herbert Dow is the man who founded Dow Chemical Company. His home is in the center of the Gardens. It's basically a Craftsman bungalow style, but huge. Tours are possible, but not the day I was there.



One of his sons, Alden, grew up and became an architect. He also liked to experiment with creating new materials. Apparently he invented the tiles that form the siding for his house, near one of the edges of the Garden. Yes, the water is right up there practically level with the patio. Or do you call it a dock in this case? At any rate, the lines of the roof are interesting.



Here's another view of Alden's home.



Now I have to scoot and do my writing assignment for tomorrow.

	See Dow Gardens
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