Auction Action

This weekend I went to an auction of plants. This was a first for me. I have been to many auctions but an auction selling nursery stock was a first for me. I only came home with a couple of items. Mainly because they weren't selling things I particularly needed. However I didn't come home empty handed of course.

Below is one of those contorted blue spruces. I am not sure of the name of it because the nursery had removed all the tags from the plants. I have a suspesion that there was more than one nursery involved and they removed their tags to protect their identity. Anyway, I have always admired these contorted spruces. They look like they should be underwater or on another planet. This one landed in a pot at the center of my knot garden for now. I want it as a focal point someplace and can't find decide where that might be. The other purchase I made was a buckeye shrub. It has some pretty blooms. I had the perfect spot for it at the end of the patio. It is a fairly large shrub already. I am pleased that it will stop the eye at this end of the paito.

I hope that you all had a fun weekend too. I also got some pots planted that will have to wait for another post... Have a good work week.

Out of the Garden

I don't have any idea what this wild flower is but when we were out birding yesterday we drove through a sea of this white fluffy stuff. Not only was it pretty but it was like a world of butterflies and insects. I took this picture hoping to capture all the Buckeyes and Red Admirals that flew up out of the flowers. Obviously it didn't work but I thought I could show you how tall the flowers were and thick.

Does anyone know what this wildflower is? It is quite tall as you can see in the photo. It would be a good one to have if you are wanting to attract butterflies.

I had never seen such a large amount of Buckeyes in one place. There were also lots of these caterpillars. I have no idea what kind they are. They aren't Buckeyes or Red Admirals I know for sure. This one looks like one of the Wooly family.
There were also a few Red Admirals flitting around with the Buckeyes.It seems that no matter where you are at this time of year there will be some type of grasshopper. This one had reddish legs.On a bird note we had a couple of Ruddy Turnstones. They are in inbetween (breeding/winter) plummage. They are very interesting birds in that they are named so because they indeed turn over stones where ever they hunt for food. These stones are too large for the bird to turn them over but they love to pick through the crevices looking for bugs.
For another interesting look at what is found under stones you can go to Nina's blog Nature Remains and see what she found onInternational Rock Turning Day. I am sure the Ruddy Turnstones would approve. I want to thank my Dearly Beloved for taking most of these pictures and allowing me to use them.