Bees, Butterflies and Dragonflies

[Garden Group]

I don't know about you folks further south but this has been one strange spring. It got warm WAY too quickly and my daffs and tulips started popping up and then WHAM a cold snap that lasted for days. Most of my tulips got bit and never did flower. Now because it got warm again, we are inundated with bees, butterflies and dragonflies. I only got a few shots of the first two as dragonflies are too quick and beyond my merger skills as a photographer. These were taken this morning. 

Anyone else had a weird spring?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

We also had a very early freakish warm spell- 10 days of temps in the 80s in March, which threw off the blooming times for everything. Now that you mention this, I have noticed that I've been seeing way more butterflies than normal. Lots of bees and dragonflies, too, and the Junebugs showed up early as well.

[F, Calla & Luca]

That on butterfly is beautiful. The insects are hard to capture. All my alliums, except some small yellow ones I must have planted ?last year, seem to have disappeared. We too had some warm times in March, and virtually no rain in April, and now daily rain in May. Getting hot now too. I haven't noticed a big change in the insects though.

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

We haven't had a "normal" spring here for the last 2 or 3 years.  Our springs are normally warm and dry but recently we have been getting so much more rain then usual. Consequently, last year we were inundated with Tent Caterpillars-dropping from the trees and OMD!!  I'm hoping we don't get a repeat of that nightmare!  We planted our tomato plants recently and shortly after the temps dropped into the 30's at night. This made for some very unhappy veggies and we were scrambling to get the tender ones covered for protection!  It's supposed to warm up again now so hopefully it will last this time!

[F, Calla & Luca]

None of that sounds like fun.

[Diane Margetts]

We have a vacation house at Eagle Lake, CA; elevation 5200. I struggled for years to find landscaping that would survive hot, windy summers, 20 below winters, deer, ground squirrels. Last year I managed to get a lot of Poppies to start.This year--they're gone, not a trace . . . My only guess is we had a pretty dry winter and the water wasn't enough to sustain them . . . sigh . . . back to basics . . .

[F, Calla & Luca]

Gorgeous photo. Try looking at High Country Gardens. They have tough perennials that like xeric conditions. I planted some less xeric ones this summer, she says as torrential rain has just started outside : )