Golden meadow
It has been a varied week, cool and dry earlier, now hot and humid with thunderstorms predicted later to hopefully cool things down.
Monarch (Danaus plexippus)
Yesterday, a Monarch (Danaus plexippus) visited my zinnias, elevating zinnias to a ‘must-have’ in my garden from now on. I actually got a shot of this one, as I missed ‘capturing’ the last one. My second sighting here this year, and both times it was zinnias upon which they fed. Doesn’t she look fine? (Males have a black dot on their hindwing). Probably freshly emerged from her chrysalis and fattening up for her 5000-mile journey to Mexico. What a marvel this insect is. I hope this is a good sign that this imperiled species is making a comeback. Fingers crossed!
Viceroy (Limenitis archippus)
On Sunday, I spotted what I thought was a Monarch, but it turned out to be a Viceroy (Limenitis archippus), however, it was just as beautiful. To tell the difference, a Viceroy has a black band across its hindwing and only one row of white spots.
Great Spangled Fritillary (Speyeria cybele)
Another confusing butterfly is a Fritillary, of which, there are many varieties. The most common one in my garden is the Great Spangled Fritillary (Speyeria cybele).
Here are just a few of the floral highlights in my garden this week :
Zinnias (Z. elegans ‘County Fair’) are continuing to please with or without butterflies.
Spider Flowers (Cleome hasslieriana) are charming me with their shape and color. See the little visitor above and another below?
Carpenter Bee (Xylocopa virginica) on Phlox (P. paniculata)
Hedge False Bindweed (Calystegia sepium)
Radiating
Left: I like how the leaf veining in the Nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus) echoes that of the Cleome.
Zinnia, Calendula & Flowering Tobacco
What’s happening this week in your garden?
It’s been two weeks since I last posted the Tuesday View as Cathy was away, which gave me the excuse to take a week off!
The annuals are the biggest stars in the garden right now and I am happy with their exuberance.
Along the back, purple, pink and white cleome (C. hassleriana) mix with white, dark and light pink cosmos (C. bipinnatus ‘Sensation Mix’), and dots of zinnias (Z. elegans ‘County Fair Mix’).
With the abundance of flowers in my gardens and fields right now, I have plenty to fill this large, hand-crafted glass vase that I bought in Poland many years ago. It measures roughly 14″ x 6″ with a fluted top. I hand-carried it on the plane home in a large box, as there was no way it would survive shipping or in baggage.
From my main garden, I cut gold and orange zinnias (Z. elegans ‘County Fair Mix’) and white phlox (P. paniculata). Putting it all together was a lot of fun!
Thanks to Cathy at 
I decided on a pink and green theme this week, using my late mother’s wine-colored, etched glass vase, presumably from the 1940s or 50s, with grapes and vines twirling around it in a decorative pattern.
I’ve used dark and light pink cosmos (C. bipinnatus ‘Sensation Mix’), pink zinnias (Z. elegans ‘County Fair Mix’), pink and white phlox (P. paniculata), 
and white spider flower (Cleome hassleriana).
along with green foliage of lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) and zebra mallow (Malva sylvestris ‘Zebrina’) provide the greenery. For accent, I added panicles of fountain grass (Pennisetum alopecuroides).
Thanks to Cathy at 
At the rear, pink and white cleome (C. hassleriana) mix with a smattering of pink cosmos (C. bipinnatus ‘Sensation Mix’), and a patch of zinnias (Z. elegans ‘County Fair Mix’).
At the far left, the calendulas (C. officinalis) are mixed with zinnias. In the back, more cleome and cosmos, a giant sunflower that continues to grow higher and higher, and a huge mound of ivy-leaved morning glory (Ipomoea hederacea) that has finally begun to bloom, but unfortunately, the dense foliage masks the blossoms.
However, this plant does gets high points for texture. It would be great to screen an undesirable view or to create privacy. The Japanese beetles leave it alone, while just in front of it, they’ve devoured the mallow (Malva sylvestris ‘Zebrina’) leaves. Thankfully, they leave the blossoms alone.
Eliza Waters 