Photo of the Week: Colorful Lilliput Zinnias

Surrounded by green leaves in shadow and sunlight, small electric pink pom-pom shaped flowers with yellow centers stand out.

When I visited our local farm nursery last summer to order some compost to be delivered, the owner saw me browsing through their seed packets.

And told me to take one of the packets home with me, free of charge.

I had already planted my vegetables and many flowers (other than native plants going in the new composted beds), so I picked a packet of zinnias I never heard of before: Lilliput zinnias.

And they’ve become one of my favorite flowers to grow!

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Photo of the Week: Monarch Butterfly on Butterfly Milkweed

Bright orange monarch butterfly with black veins, a black border with white spots and black body has its wings outstretched as it perches on a cluster of small orange florets of a butterfly milkweed.

I was thrilled to find a monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) on butterfly milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa) in my garden yesterday afternoon!

First monarch I’ve seen on the butterfly milkweed this year.

Butterfly milkweed is the host plant for the endangered monarch butterfly as well as a nectar source for other butterflies and bees.

Continue reading Photo of the Week: Monarch Butterfly on Butterfly Milkweed