Thank You Little Ladybugs!

One of of the pests that "bug" milkweeds are aphids. These are tiny insects that damage plants by piercing the plant and sucking the plant juices. This causes leaves to curl and flowerbuds to harden. Aphids can transmit harmful plant viruses too.  They are usually about 1/8 inch in size and can be green, yellow, black, brown, pink, blue, or white.

Photo by Eran Finkle, Flickr

So what can you do about these little creatures? Well, I found this beneficial insect on my milkweed yesterday...

Ladybug on Milkweed

Ladybugs eat aphids and I found a trio having a mid morning feast. I find ladybugs so cute and delightful.  I love their vibrant red color and  black polka dots. And of course, they keep those pesky aphids in check for me.

If you do not find ladybugs eating your aphids,  there are a couple of other things you can do. You can blast them off with a stream of water or you can spray them with insecticidal soap. Both of these methods are safe for people and the environment and have worked very well for me.  You can purchase insecticidal soap at your local nursery or make you own.  Mix two tablespoons of dishwashing liquid (without a degreaser ) to a gallon of water. Add this to a spray bottle and apply weekly as needed. 


I'm heading off to my brother's wedding so i'll be out of touch for a short time. 'Til then, happy gardening!

The Butterfly Alphabet Book

I read this charming book with my daughter last night, the Butterfly Alphabet Book. We learned several new facts about butterflies as we went letter by letter through the alphabet. Did you know the Kamehameha is only found in Hawaii and is named after a Hawaiian king?

Did I mention?

I recently taped an episode of Central Florida Gardening with local gardening legend Tom MacCubbin!  I was thrilled to be interviewed by him as I am a big fan of his. I grew up in Orlando watching Tom on TV, reading his articles in The Orlando Sentinel, and cultivating my garden according to his books. Our segment was about Beginning Butterfly Gardening and is scheduled to air this December on Orange TV (Bright House Channels 198 and 199, Comcast Channels 9 and 98, and AT&T U-Verse Channel 99). Exact date and time is not scheduled yet but I will let you know. Hope you will tune in!

On the set of Central Florida Gardening with Tom MacCubbin

Wild about Wildflowers

The Florida Wildflower Foundation's 2010 Symposium was great! I really enjoyed learning about the many native wildflowers that entice butterflies in our area. During his lecture, Dr. Daniels shared some of his favorites like the Sparkleberry, Snow Squarestem, Scorpion-tail, and Narrowleaf Sunflower. He also gave me a large quantity of one of my favorite butterfly brochures, Florida Wildflowers and Butterflies. It describes the butterfly's life cycle, has many pictures of Florida's butterflies and wildflowers, and offers butterfly gardening tips. If you would like one, drop me a line and I'll send one your way!

A new favorite book

The Florida Wildflowers Growers Cooperative was on hand to share advice about growing wildflowers and had a wonderful selection of seeds for sale. I can't wait to grow this Butterfly mix that I purchased!