Yarrow

Yarrow (Achillea millefolium). The temperate areas of the Northern Hemisphere in Asia and Europe and North America claim Yarrow as a native herbaceous perennial flowering plant.

It’s blooming right now in this area, looking a bit like Queen Anne’s Lace because of the large clusters of flowers atop the plant’s stems. But those clusters of flowers on Yarrow are quite an irregular grouping while the clusters of flowers on Queen Anne’s Lace is an impressive near perfect circle of blooms.

Sometimes in the autumn a Yarrow leaf will turn beautiful reds and yellows but all season long it has a lovely feather-like appearance. The plant is called the Spanish word for little feather, Plumajillo, in New Mexico and southern Colorado because of the feathery look of leaves.

The blossoms of the Yarrow are popular with butterflies, wasps, flies, and bees. 

I often see Crab Spiders on Yarrow too, waiting and watching for their next meal to come along.

I don’t usually notice the scent of flowers that only have a subtle fragrance. It takes a knockout aroma like Japanese Honeysuckle (Mmmmm!) for me to notice but I understand Yarrow has a nice, sweet aroma, much like Chrysanthemums. I don’t usually notice their fragrance either!

Giant Swallowtail

Giant Swallowtail, dorsal side

Having a wingspan up to seven inches, this butterfly certainly earns the name Giant Swallowtail (Papilio cresphontes). It also holds the title of largest butterfly in North America.

Giant Swallowtail, ventral side

The larval host plants of Giant Swallowtails consist of many trees in the citrus family including, here in Virginia, the Common Hop Tree (Ptelea trifoliata). These caterpillars have a clever camouflage, mimicking bird droppings. They live as caterpillars three to four weeks.

Giant Swallowtails will take part in an activity known as puddling, taking salts and minerals from moist soil or sand, and manure. They only live as adult butterflies six to fourteen days. During that time they seek nectar from flowers such as Azalea, Bougainvillea, Japanese Honeysuckle, Goldenrod, Dame’s Rocket, Bouncing Bet, and Red Clover.