Lantana - Colour Bonus

Day 292: I love Lantana for its ability to give you multiple colours on the same plant. It comes in several combinations: red/orange/yellow, lavender/pink/yellow, pink/yellow/white the most common among others, and occasionally you may find some solid-colour varieties for sale. In this varietal, the flowers open yellow. As they age, anthocyanoids begin to develop and combine with the photosensitive carotinoids to turn the flowers orange and then red. A full changeover can occur within 24 hours, giving your garden a whole new look between today and tomorrow. My first experience with Lantana was sufficient to put me off it for several years, though. The plants I bought initially came with a built-in infestation of whitefly (a common pest on Lantana) which spread to other susceptible species in my flower beds as well, including both fuchsias and heliotrope. However, since that first catastrophic planting, I've learned to check nursery stock before buying it and have not had a problem since.

Mylitta Crescent, Phycoides Mylitta

 

Day 306: It's always exciting when something new shows up in my yard, and although I think I may have seen Mylitta Crescents here before, I have never been able to get a photo to confirm the ID. That said, I may be wrong. I'm not good with butterflies and I know it, but although some of the fritillaries have similar markings, there are differences apparent even to my untrained eye. Phycoides mylitta purportedly nectars on several species of thistle, and there's certainly no shortage of those around here! If they were a cash crop, the pasture across the road would be a gold mine. However, like most of the butterflies which have visited my yard this summer, this winged beauty went straight for the lantana, and hung out in the flowers for a good five minutes or more. Overall, the butterfly population has been unusually abundant this year, with a flush of swallowtails unlike any I've ever seen. Like Mylitta, they seemed to favour the lantana even over the delphiniums which usually provide the greatest draw. Is it the colour? This is the first time I've grown lantana here, and I chose a red one to please my own eye without a thought to its lepidopteral appeal.

Lantana

Day 238: Although some species of Lantana are considered invasive in the warmer climates of the southern states, they do not survive the winters of the northern regions and are popular raised as annuals in the summer garden. There are many cultivars on the market, in just about every colour of the rainbow. This one is trademarked as "Hot-Blooded Red." The umbels often exhibit several shades in their specific colour range, the flowers changing hue with age. While most animals avoid eating them, it should be noted that they are poisonous to dogs, cats and ruminants. However, butterflies and other insects are drawn to them, and birds enjoy the small fruits when they are mature. This solitary plant has been given a task. I am growing it in a pot adjacent to my hardy kiwi vines in the hopes of drawing pollinators to the hundreds of kiwi flowers almost ready to burst open.