Butterfly on Flower

by Dena
(Taymouth, NB, Canada)

Wavy horned monarch

by Moni
(southeast Iowa)

This monarch caterpillar had developed wavy tentacles sometime in its molting. The milkweed plants that I left around the yard attracted lots of monarch butterflies to lay eggs, so there were several monarch larva to watch this year.

Newly Emerged Swallowtail on Sedum

by Deborah Sanders
(Lewisberry, PA US)

We found the pupae of this swallowtail and my son kept it in his bug habitat. We came home the evening that it emerged and let it go on our sedum...she was absolutely gorgeous and it was an experience that my son will never forget.

Unidentified insect but

by Tina J
(Parry Sound)

Not sure about this one, I think its a Flower fly MORPHED?

Praying mantids are all over my garden

by Moni
(Southeast Iowa)

It has been fun watching the many types and sizes of mantids around my garden this summer and trying to photograph them. This particular guy was poised on a container planting on the front porch one night. He was quite the model...posing for me while I took his picture at different angles. His dark eyes really give the portraits more character (some mantids have brown or green eyes).

Grasshopper on Cosmos

by Chris
(Guernsey County, Ohio)

I couldn't believe the wind died down enough to get this picture! And that the grasshopper sat still long enough! The cosmos hadn't done well until after half of it was blown apart. Suddenly the remaining part took off and looks better than ever! I'll never figure out this gardening stuff...

The Fly and The Flower

by Ted
(Bracebridge)

a wasp mimic fly on a False Sunflower

Three in a row...Milkweed Tussock caterpillars line up

by Moni
(Southeast Iowa)

Milkweed Tussock moth larva stay together on milkweeds as they feed. A group of three like these seemed to be a common number found together on various plants in my garden. It is interesting to see how they line up to eat. Sometimes I found dozens of caterpillars lined up eating on one leaf!

Yellow next to Yellow milkweed bug

by Moni
(Southeast Iowa)

Having many milkweed plants in the garden to attract Monarch butterfies has provided other colorful critters to the garden. Here a large milkweed bug really stands out with a background of Black-eyed Susan's.

Tobacco Hornworm

by Brandi
(Berwick, PA)

Not exactly a garden shot, but I did find him in my garden, munchin' down on some of my tomatoes.

Lady bug in a hot place

by Kathy
(Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada)

This ladybug likes it spicy! Found this ladybug on my super chilis.

Monarch Butterfly on Native Ontario Sunflower

by Erica
(Guelph, Ontario)

In our garden is a huge stand of Maximilliani Sunflowers (Ontario native?)Every fall we have our Monarch butterflies that come through on their way Southward. This little guy was on the shrub for over an hour going from flower to flower and enjoying the abundance of flower nectar.

White Butterfly on Wild Flower

by Dena
(Taymouth, NB, Canada)

This tiny gorgeous white butterfly floats from flower bud to flower bud with a looping motion. It stays around all summer and our garden beds received many return visits from it - I'm sure it set up house keeping in one of them! This particular flower though is a wild one that grew in our southwest garden - it was just too pretty to pull out.

Red Damselfly

by Barbara
(Streetsboro, Ohio, USA)

This beauty showed up in my garden in late September in Ohio. She's feeding on a Rose Campion. I've never seen a red damsel fly before.

Swallowtail Butterfly on Coneflower

by Chris
(Guernsey County, Ohio)

The grace and beauty of butterflies and flowers always amazes me, no matter how many times I see them, no matter how many pictures I take. I'm much more a photographer than a gardener, but the combination is becoming quite rewarding.

BUTTERFLY

by Denise
(Stoughton WI)

I had ALOT of Butterflies and Hummingbirds this year.