those that devour coneflower

The bee balm is starting to fade, and it's a shame because it draws so...many...insects.  One of my favorites is the hummingbird moth.

Like hummingbirds, they can hover, and they are fast...up to 35 mph!

I love seeing them in the bee balm.

Of course, there's still plenty of bees there...

Butterflies, like this pipevine swallowtail...

Really, the only other flower that comes close is the coneflower.  Now, I planted a few coneflowers when we moved here, but they have spread...

...and spread.

I think our huge population of goldfinches helped to spread the seeds.  Before they really got going, I counted over one hundred plants!

Butterflies love 'em.

Great Spangled Fritillary

Eastern Swallowtail

Of course, we have lots of other personalities...

Damselfly

Ladybug

Japanese beetles

red milkweed beetle

so many bees!

I've also been delighted to find lacewing eggs around the garden, suspended by a stiff stalk.  The eggs are tiny, like a little poppy seed.

After a bit of searching, sure enough...I found the lacewing.

Lacewings are great to have around because they eat aphids...something we have in abundance here.  I'd been fretting about our milkweed in the back, covered with sugarcane aphids.  I didn't want to rinse the leaves with soap and water, for fear of destroying any monarch eggs.  However, nature balanced it out.

This is a ladybug nymph:

In the few weeks before he pupates, he will eat hundreds and hundreds of aphids.  They are voracious!  They're all over my milkweed, and the aphid population is looking decidedly thin.

snacking on an aphid

What a relief!  Now to keep an eye out for those monarchs!

So much to do in these mid-summer days, but still seeking out those quiet, peaceful moments when I can find them.

Have a great week!