Skipping months ahead, June, and Lavender will be blooming. Ah that scent! I love it. Most people enjoy it too but many insects, including fleas, ticks, flies, and moths are repelled by the scent. As you can see, apparently not Cabbage White butterflies (Pieris rapae). Along with other butterflies, bees are attracted to Lavender, who feed on the pollen and nectar.
As summer arrives the Cabbage White (Pieris rapae) Butterfly is ubiquitous. A medium sized butterfly with a wingspan of 1.5 to 2 inches.
Not a native to this continent but of Europe, Asia, and North Africa. Cabbage White Butterfly larvae are a pest for anyone growing cruciferous plants in their vegetable garden. So, like a weed, in the form of a butterfly.
It’s not native, which often means, “Do I really want this plant?” But this one brings with it such a charming color. A color that just twinkles with delight.
This is a Deptford Pink (Dianthus armeria). And that is an itty bitty Crab Spider perched on one of its five white speckled petals. This flower is just one half inch across. Really an minuscule spider!
Deptford Pink is not an invasive. The word invasive would be inappropriate for this dainty flower. It just shows up from time to time, not in an offensive sort of way, but in a timid, cautious way.
Right now on April 23, small plants of Deptford Pink are just beginning to come up. Opposite leaves that are long and quite narrow. When I see one coming up I cheer it on. Welcome it wherever it is found. It’s a tall slender plant growing up to two feet tall though I rarely see any that tall. Often I’ll only see one bloom at a time. An annual, biennial or short-lived perennial.
Both the Cabbage White Butterfly and the Deptford Pink are native to Europe. The flowers bloom from June to September. Opening in the morning and closing in the late afternoon. Dots rich in pink sprinkled across the landscape. Something to look forward to.
