Black Swallowtail Butterfly

Hello everyone, 

We're having a little rain here today. It's Saturday and the weather is just perfect for keeping all the roses and new plants moist. 

I have a native California Dutchman's Pipevine in my garden. The Dutchman's Pipevine is the host plant for the Pipevine Swallowtail Caterpillar. The plant is so unique. It's a perennial and the blooms look like a Dutchman's pipe. 

The other day I was looking out the back screen door and saw a butterfly on the vine. I quickly ran for my camera with my telephoto lens. I was very quiet and took this photo of a female Swallowtail Butterfly.

After taking a closer look I saw the butterfly laying eggs. 

The female butterfly is laying the rust-colored eggs on the under side of a leaf. 

I found a couple of caterpillars eating the leaves. Once full-grown. these rather unattractive caterpillars move away from the host plant and form a cocoon, only to emerge again in a few weeks as a beautiful butterfly and start the cycle all over again by mating.

Yum!

Some butterflies have evolved a survival strategy that enables their caterpillars to feed on a wide variety of plants, but others, like the Pipevine Swallowtail, have chosen to specialize on a small number of plants that give them a particular advantage.  To protect itself from being eaten, Dutchman’s Pipevine has evolved with chemicals that are at minimum distasteful to those who would eat it, and if a sufficient amount is ingested, they are toxic.  Pipevine Swallowtail caterpillars are among the few creatures who are able to process these chemicals without harm to themselves, then store them in their bodies in such a way that they are toxic to their potential predators.  This chemical protection even survives metamorphosis and extends to the adult butterfly.  It is so effective that other butterflies mimic the appearance of the Pipevine Swallowtail, since this is often enough to warn off predators.

Wonderful things going on @ My Cozy Corner.
Thanks for visiting and thank you for your wonderful comments.
Joyously,
Betty
Linking to:

Met Monday at Between Naps on the Porch  

Mosaic Monday at Little Red House  

Make It Pretty Monday at The Dedicated House

Inspire Me at A Stroll Thru Life
Amaze Me Monday at Dwellings-The Heart of Your Home

The Scoop at Cedar Hill Farmhouse 

Outdoor Wednesday at A Southern Daydreamer

Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style

Fishtail Cottage for Garden Party

 Katherines Corner for Favorite Things, 

The Vintage Farmhouse for Creative Things 

 A Delightsome Life for Home and Garden,

Love of Family & Home for Inspire Me Please  

  From My Front Porch To Yours for Treasure Hunt Thursday

Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage
Be Inspired at Common Ground

Home Sweet Home at The Charm of Home
Show and Tell at  My Romantic Home

Have a great week!♥

Lupins and Roses

Hello everyone,

Busy in the garden today. My friend from the Rose society came today and helped me landscape a new planter with ferns, wax begonias and a beautiful Sarah Bernhardt peony.

Today I have some photos of the pergola garden. The lupins are in full bloom and I love them so much. I've wanted to grow lupins for years and this year is the first year I have been successful with Lupins.

'Secret'

This hybrid tea rose has fragrant blooms. Defined in its patents as a bicolor bloom of Naples Yellow and Venetian Pink, in the garden most of these blooms are tricolored, with a tinge at the base of the petals of Naples Yellow that quickly blends to cream and turns to Venetian Pink (or when I was a kid- bubble-gum pink) near the edge of every true tea shaped petal. Amazing -- like a multi-tiered divine pink cake with a lemon butter fillings, and endless butter cream!

'Garden Party'

The color is basically ivory white, turning into cream with a hint of pink as they age. These cool shades look soothing among brighter colored roses, whether they are for a flower arrangement or used for bedding roses in the garden.

It is a very free- flowering rose that repeat blooms all season long. There is a pleasant sweet tea rose fragrance.

'Secret' 

The rose is planted next to the lupins.

My favorite Lupins and Secret Rose
Linking to:
Fishtail Cottage for Garden Party

 Katherines Corner for Favorite Things, 

The Vintage Farmhouse for Creative Things 

 A Delightsome Life for Home and Garden,

Love of Family & Home for Inspire Me Please  

  From My Front Porch To Yours for Treasure Hunt Thursday
Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage
Be Inspired at Common Ground
Home Sweet Home at The Charm of Home
Show and Tell at  My Romantic Home
Show and Tell Saturday at Cheerios and Lattes
How Sweet the Sound for Pink Saturday
Seasonal Sunday at The Tablescaper
Inspired Sunday at Sunday View
Thanks for visiting
Joyously,
Betty 

Old Camellia Tree

Welcome everyone, 

The weather was beautiful today. As you can see my 

'Old Camellia Tree'

is blooming overtime...This camellia was planted in 1973.

'Pink Perfection' 

I have a bouquet of Camellias in the 

'Angel~Tea Cups~Cloche' post HERE

I will be cleaning the flowers on the ground before the Garden Tour on May 3, 2014.

Working in the pergola area today. We're putting down fresh sand and planting another flower bed. We bought a new patio table and chairs for the patio, which I've wanted for over 20 years...

If you want anything done around the yard, have a garden tour. 

Oh my gosh!

Thanks for visiting My Cozy Corner

Linking to: 

Make It Pretty Monday at The Dedicated House

Inspire Me at A Stroll Thru Life
Amaze Me Monday at Dwellings-The Heart of Your Home

The Scoop at Cedar Hill Farmhouse 

Outdoor Wednesday at A Southern Daydreamer

Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style

See you soon,

Joyously

Betty 

Story of My Kneeler

Hello everyone,

Easter is only a couple of days away. I will be busy this weekend, since I'm on the Altar Guild.  If some of you are not familiar with the duties of the Altar Guild this is our purpose.

It is the ministry of the Altar Guild to care for the altar and the sanctuary of the church and to prepare the altar and sanctuary for any services that are to take place. In addition to preparing for weekly services, our responsibilities include caring for the altar linens and vestments, caring for the vessels, candles, offering plates, etc., ordering and maintaining supplies, preparing sanctuary for church related services, holidays and events. Our work as the Altar Guild is a quiet, behind-the-scenes way to serve the church; no previous Altar Guild experience in necessary.

While visiting England in 2011, we visited  St.Peter's, Monkwearmouth built in 674 AD by Benedict Biscop. St. Peter's is one of the oldest churches in Britain, where Christians have gathered for more than 1300 years.This is a place of worship and prayer, pilgrimage and mission. To see complete post:   Go Here

I was so captivated by the beauty of the church kneelers I wanted to make one myself. Now a few years later I'm making  a kneeler  in memory of my Mom and Dad. 

My kneeler will be one of 20 used at the altar rail.  
My favorite kneelers in this photo are the poppies and St. Peter's Church

My middle name is Cecilia and I love St. Cecilia the patron saint of Music. 

The kneeler is cross-stitch in wool yarn. This is a pre-made kit ordered from England. 

Wool, needle, foam pad and backing are included.

The stitches go in one direction to the left and turn the corner and cross over the stitch going to the right. There are five stitches to an inch. The piece is started with the darkest color and worked to the lightest color.

As you can see I haven't gotten very far...Two rows. Being out in the yard is very tiring and I need good daylight to see the dark yarn. I will be busy after the Garden Tour finishing my kneeler.

When I finish the kneeler I will do a post on the complete project.

This is the inside of St. Peter's Church. You can see the kneelers hanging the back of the pews. 

One more look at the amazing work of the women of the church.

I was so enamored by the beauty of the beautiful kneelers.
I just had to make one.

Thank you for visiting and please come back soon.
I'm linking to:
 Craftberry Bush for Inspiration Gallery Thursday
  The Shabby Creek Cottage for Transformation Thursday Posed Perfection for All Things Thursday Hop  Katherines Corner for Favorite Things,   A Delightsome Life for Home and Garden, Love of Family & Home for Inspire Me Please     From My Front Porch To Yours for Treasure Hunt Thursday
 The 36th Avenue for 36th Avenue Party  Imparting Grace for Grace at Home,  My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Fri French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday   Common Ground for Be Inspired Fri The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home ,  Chic On A Shoestring Decorating for Flaunt It Fri  Finding Fabulous for Frugalicious Fri, Rooted In Thyme for Simple & Sweet Fri.  Jennifer Rizzo for Fabulously Creative Linky Party  Redoux Interiors for Friday Party,

The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sunday

Joyously,

Betty 

April Garden Journal

Good Morning all, 

I'm sitting here this fine Sunday morning watching the Master's Golf final round and writing this post. My body is in GREAT (LOL) Pain from all the yard work I've been doing these past few weeks. The reward is worth every weed pulled. 

This is a combination of photos from late March and early April.

To see the difference since posting February Garden Journal 

Go HERE

Joseph's Coat and Iris

The roses are growing a foot a minute.

Daffodils are amazing

I love Iris mixed with daffodils.

I have a little artichoke on my plant and the day lilies and lambs ear are filling in nicely...

Poppies, Don Juan and Grape vines all growing fast.

Hopefully something will be blooming for my 

Garden Tour. 

Inside the patio, I've brought the tender plants out and added some annuals to the pots. The boxwood are new this year and the little violets are added for interest and filler.

Jade plants are a wonderful addition to the patio. 

I bought these Jade plants at the grocery store HERE

Fuschia, Coleus and Alyssum

Queen Elizabeth Climbing Rose

Just Joey

Ingrid Bergman

Lupins

Sally Holmes Climbing Rose

Just a little fun planter with some purple petunias and pansies the most fragrant alyssum.

Thanks for visiting. I hope you've enjoyed your tour.
Joyously,
Betty
Linking to:

Met Monday at Between Naps on the Porch  

Mosaic Monday at Little Red House  

Make It Pretty Monday at The Dedicated House

Inspire Me at A Stroll Thru Life
Amaze Me Monday at Dwellings-The Heart of Your Home

The Scoop at Cedar Hill Farmhouse 

Outdoor Wednesday at A Southern Daydreamer

Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style

Have a great week!