Elizabeth's Secret Garden

Ladybugs lives are full of adventures. These two twirling ladybugs used my milkweed as a tightrope. After watching this video you will see why my ladybugs should join the circus. Have you ever wondered how a ladybug starts its life? Ladybugs have similar life cycles to butterflies because they start out as tiny eggs, hatch as larva, make a pupa, and emerge as an adult with wings. The orange ladybug eggs are oval shaped and laid in clusters. It takes 2 to 5 days after eggs are laid for the ladybug larvae to hatch. The eggs above hatched into tiny ladybug larvae. Ladybug larvae look different then their parents. During the larvae stage they have no wings and crawl over plants in search for aphids.   The ladybug above is sucking juices out of a aphid. One ladybug larva can eat 400 aphids before reaching the pupa stage. Each time the ladybug larva outgrows its skin it will molt. Ladybug larvae molt four times and with each molt they become bigger. After the ...

  While out in “Elizabeth's Secret Garden” Detective Joshua noticed that butterflies don't have a mouth like people. Instead the butterflies were using a long straw to drink nectar. Detective Joshua learned that a butterfly's drinking straw is called a proboscis. When not in use the proboscis is kept curled up.   As the butterfly flies to each flower it inserts its proboscis into the flower (or fruit). Bees pollinate flowers by caring pollen on their bodies, but butterflies pollinate by collecting pollen on their proboscis and moving it as they fly to each new flower. Butterflies drink from other sources besides flowers. Detective Joshua was surprised to learn that butterflies drink from rotting fruit, dead animals, and animal waste. A few butterfly species prefer rotting fruit to flower nectar. Red Admirals , Red-spotted Purples, Commas, and Mourning Cloaks are the butterflies who often feast on fruit. Fermenting fruit actually contains a natural alcohol. If to ...

This week I was interviewed By Amy Tobik from The Seminole Chronicle. I was very excited to show her my “Secret Garden”. Today Ed Rjping took professional photographs of my garden  and a Gulf Fritillary butterfly resting on my arm.  I will let you know when the article is published. After catching a giant wasp in my hand made butterfly net, the photo shoot was able to continue. That wasp had been killing my innocent caterpillars and it was time to put a stop to it!

When my five White Peacocks emerged from their chrysalises, I placed them inside my butterfly pavilion that my parents built me. To see the measurements for my butterfly pavilion and how it was built visit http://elizabethssecretgarden.blogspot.com/2009/09/my-new-portable-butterfly-pavilion.html . I created this video about my pavilion so you can see the butterflies I am breeding inside. My butterfly breeding was successful! I discovered a cluster of eggs inside my pavilion laid by my White Peacocks. Now I will wait and see if they hatch. My Butterfly Poem “Heavenly Wings”   Heavenly Wings Up to heaven a butterfly flies Carrying with it silent cries Flapping wings to dry the tears And bring hope to those so dear On its wings it carries love As a gift to those up above Now that its journey is done Healing hearts has just begun Author: Elizabeth Mann See my poem on Shady Oaks web site. http://www.butterflyfunfacts.com/poemcont...

  Giant Swallowtail     Detective Joshua wonders how butterflies and caterpillars protect themselves from predators. What keeps them so well hidden? Grab your detective gear and we will take a closer look. The first creature Detective Joshua has discovered is a Giant Swallowtail caterpillar hiding on a Rue plant. It has the appearance of a large bird dropping. This disguise has protected it from becoming lunch for a bird or other creature. When creatures blend in with their surroundings we call it camouflage. Spicebush Swallowtail caterpillar While searching for more hiding caterpillars and butterflies Detective Joshua found a strange snake. After a closer look he realized it was the caterpillar of the Spicebush Swallowtail butterfly. When small the Spicebush caterpillar looks like a small bird dropping, but when it gets bigger it molts (sheds skin) to reveal a new snake like skin. The large snake eyes are fake and are used only as camouflage.   Buckeye but...

  In my last posting I showed you pictures of my tour of BrookGreen gardens http://www.brookgreen.org/ . Now I will show  you my journey through the Lowcountry trail and then the Lowcountry Zoo in BrookGreen gardens.     The land that BrookGreen Gardens resides today housed 2,000 slaves on four plantations. The trees were cleared by hand in the swamp areas to grow rice. African slaves were forced to work on the plantations. Imagine what they suffered as the sun beat down on them and the mosquitoes. The canal in the distance was hand dug for irrigation and to transport the rice by boat. The Lowcountry Zoo in BrookGreen Gardens The following are some of the animals I saw during my visit. Canada Goose River Otter Bald Eagle Barred Owl At the end of the trail I came across this gentleman reading The Costa Rica News. He was reading my article about the Blue Morpho butterfly. http://thec...

  BrookGreen Gardens are located near Myrtle Beach, SC. http://www.brookgreen.org/   They are open to the public throughout the year. BrookGreen  is one of the top 10 gardens in America. It is the home of beautiful sculptures, fountains, and gardens of flowers. Please join me as I search for different species of butterflies and look for me posing among the sculptures.    BrookGreen Garden has a large collection of sculptures placed though out the gardens. Can you find me in the picture?   This small Long-tailed Skipper was drawn out of the sky when it spotted these yellow zinnias. While searching for the next garden we came to this “Secret Courtyard” entrance. Beyond these archways is a fountain flowing with water. After walking through the mysterious archways we entered a sanctuary for butterflies. These gardens are a butterfly paradise of nectar rich plants used for nourishment. This Palamedes Swallowtail is enjoying the c...