My Quiescent Butterfly and Hummingbird Garden

Migrating butterflies from our area (USDA Zone 6) have already made their annual trek southward seeking warmer climes where they will overwinter, breed, and live quite comfortably until new generations of them will again return to our area in the spring. Those species that don't migrate are no longer seeking nectar and have no doubt found a safe, comfy winter home either rolled up in a fallen leaf, tucked under an old log or piece of wood, or snuggled up in some other similar safe shelter. Some non-migrant butterflies -- such as the Mourning Cloaks -- overwinter in colder areas as adults. These non-migrants enter a stage of life known as "diapause" and during this time they don't require nectar. Other species of non-migrant butterflies overwinter as eggs, while still others overwinter in the chrysalis (pupa) stage. Whatever their species, they know exactly where to go and what they must do to survive the winter season - another of God's mysterious miracles!

If there's one thing I've learned from observing Nature through gardening, it has to be that when God created butterflies, hummingbirds, sphinx moths, bees, sparrows, wrens, robins, quail, mourning doves, blue jays, goldfinches, flickers, woodpeckers, earthworms, lacewings, dragonflies, and a host of other critters that frequent our gardens - He gave each one of them a unique instinct that far surpasses my human understanding.

And so -- once again my garden has done much preparation for a long winter's nap. But, not without a bit of extra help from my hubby and me. It seems we did a massive amount of pruning just this week. Our perennial flowers, some of which include peonies, astilbe, columbine, penstemon, bellflowers, Echinacea (purple coneflowers), dianthus, hollyhocks, shasta daisies, hostas, and chrysanthemums all got a careful pruning. It was difficult for me to remove the many large round hydrangea blossoms that were so spectacular during the summer months. I left them on as long as I could so I could enjoy their lovely fall colors you see in this photo that I took just before I removed them. However, with the cold winters and heavy snowstorms we usually have here in USDA Zone 6, I've learned from experience that if I don't remove those heavy blossoms the entire bush will collapse from their weight. Since this variety likes to bloom on the old wood, I never prune them very harshly. The butterflies really love to hover around

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