Butterfly Magnet

Day 254: The Philadephus buds are just beginning to open, and already the Swallowtails are flocking in dozens to nectar at the blossoms. This highly fragrant type (Philadelphus lewisii) grows as a leggy cluster of trunks and may reach heights of 15' or more. It is native to the Northwest, as opposed to the popular shrub P. coronarius. Both are known commonly as "Mock Orange" for their heady scent. Mine towers above the garage roof, serving birds and butterflies alike. At peak bloom, its perfume fills the neighbourhood for a quarter mile radius, particularly on warm afternoons. Although the tree itself is not particularly lovely, the scent more than makes up for its shortfalls. Its ability to draw Swallowtails and Parnassians is a bonus.

The Philadelphus Story

Day 272: While I may take taxonomists to task for shattering families and sowing discord between species, I wish someone would sit down with their little DNA-sampling equipment and sort out the mess in Philadelphus. It was a bone of contention between my mother and me; she had a Mock Orange in her yard which was a bush six feet around, heavily laden with flowers along each branch. In my yard, the term referred to a fifteen-foot tall sprangly shrub which, although abundantly floral, bore clusters more widely separated. In point of fact (at least according to current taxonomy,) both belonged to the genus Philadelphus. There are at least sixty-five species and subspecies of Philadelphus, and not all are fragrant. They range in height from 3-20 feet, and their growth habit is sufficiently diverse that one could be fit into almost any landscaping theme. Mine (Philadelphus lewisii) fills the whole neighbourhood with its fragrance on warm afternoons and is much loved by the Swallowtail butterflies who flock 'round it by dozens.