Butterflies, Weeds and the Odd Flower

Anyone who lives in South East Queensland would probably have noticed the increased numbers of Caper White Butterflies in their region. I first noticed them when I was sitting on the balcony at the beach but didn't think too much about it until we paid a visit to the Green Harvest nursery and the girl who was serving us mentioned them. Then I read this article online about the November migration

According to what I have read they are associated with caper plants that grow in the northern parts of inland New South Wales and in Queensland. They normally fly inland in spring to where the caper shrubs and creepers are more common west of the Great Dividing Range which is the third longest stretch of mountains in the world. There they lay their eggs. However a westerly wind may blow them off course and they may then be seen along the coastline. It is thought that the substantial amount of rainfall out West had increased the number of butterflies and a migration of this scale only occurs every six to ten years. Apparently the winter rain combined with warm conditions had enabled them to travel further than usual. 

For those who are interested here is a video of them Millions of butterflies flutter through South East Queensland Skies.

When I arrived home from the beach and saw my veggie patch I thought perhaps that the butterflies had been laying eggs there and then caterpillars had been getting stuck into my lettuce, cucumbers etc. However they aren't the culprits though if they only lay their eggs on the caper bushes so I am not sure what pests are responsible but the garden isn't looking too good at the moment. I guess the lettuce just went to seed with the hot days we had and perhaps the chooks didn't help either.   

All is not lost though I guess as there are a few zucchinis that survived. Anyway the only plants that seem to be really thriving are the weeds and some of them have grown so high I had to look really hard to find a few flowers in amongst them. 

I think this is called a Euphorbia Milii. I brought it back from Mt.Isa last year. It grows really well in the heat up there of course.

The Day Lillies are coming into their own now. They always remind me of the Christmas holidays as I took a photo of my eldest granddaughter when as a toddler she arrived from a long trip from the Outback and walked through the gate and put her face in one of the flowers to smell it :-) It's funny the little precious moments you always remember.

I'm not sure which colour I like best. 

The Cactus Orchids have almost finished and I got a few surprises this year as there were some colours I hadn't seen before including the yellow one.

Considering they aren't looked after at all they certainly do put on a good show.

On the Down to Earth Forum we are currently having our 'Something for Christmas' swap and my swap items arrived yesterday. Such a lovely assortment don't you agree? We have many talented members there and it is so encouraging to see a lot of young people joining in and learning new skills like sewing, knitting and crochet that will hold them in good stead in the future. Unfortunately they don't learn these skills at school or are taught by their family members anymore.

The hot days of last week have been replaced by cooler ones which suits me just fine and I actually have a jumper on at the moment...something I haven't worn for a few weeks. I hope it stays cool long enough for me to tackle the jungle outside before Tarzan starts flying through the treetops thinking this is his place. LOL!