Deanna
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speedbudget.bsky.social
Deanna
@speedbudget.bsky.social
470 followers 1.4K following 250 posts
Army brat, court reporter, native plant gardener. Create some habitat!
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speedbudget.bsky.social
A bumblebee on a purple coneflower. A cocoon hanging from a stalk of native grass. A large cricket sitting on top of blue aster flower clusters. A bumblebee sleeping by hanging from a field aster bloom.
November 6, 2025 at 8:21 PM
speedbudget.bsky.social
We took the boys to a nearby trail in the marshes.
A wooden boardwalk extends out toward the horizon. On both sides tall phragmites frame the walkway. A view of still water through tall reeds and bushes. My two doofuses, a Chinese crested and a chihuahua, on the side of a trail. A view of the marshland from the boardwalk trail.
November 3, 2025 at 12:10 AM
speedbudget.bsky.social
#GardenReport #NativePollinator #NativeGarden
I found what I think is a buckeye butterfly pupa.
A butterfly pupa disguised to resemble pine tree bark hangs from a branch.
October 4, 2025 at 7:58 PM
speedbudget.bsky.social
#GardenReport #NativeGarden #PollinatorReport #Pollinators
A native praying mantis looks cheekily at the camera over the edge of a pink zinnia bloom. A native hover fly on a field aster. A parasitic fly on a field aster. A praying mantis feasts on a buckeye butterfly.
October 3, 2025 at 7:55 PM
speedbudget.bsky.social
#GardenReport My first native praying mantis sighting! Monarchs are emerging from chrysalises 🥰
A mottled gray praying mantis hunting on boneset. A green chrysalis with gold spots hangs in a crabapple tree. The same chrysalis a few days later. It’s is now transparent and the monarch’s wings are visible. It is partially open at the top. Yours truly with another hatched monarch pumping her wings.
September 20, 2025 at 7:26 PM
speedbudget.bsky.social
#GardenReport #NativeGarden #MonarchButterfly
We had a small tragedy in the chaos garden. One of the monarch caterpillars didn’t make it.
A monarch butterfly pupa or chrysalis with a black substance seeping out of it. The same pupa some time later. There is less of the black substance seeping out. I thought she might make it. The same pupa some time later. Still bright green, so transformation was not complete. There is a large opening in the bottom where the black substance was. The opening is rimmed in the black substance.
September 3, 2025 at 10:18 PM
speedbudget.bsky.social
Here’s a better picture. I think a swallowtail.
Very scarred, tattered, faded butterfly.
August 29, 2025 at 2:05 PM
speedbudget.bsky.social
Here’s a guy I saw in my yard.
A tattered butterfly on some blooms.
August 29, 2025 at 1:55 PM
speedbudget.bsky.social
New camera!
#MacroPhotography
#NativePlants
#Pollinators
A swallowtail butterfly who looks like he had Been Through It. His wings are tattered. A monarch caterpillar munches on milkweed. A ladybug sitting on a black-eyed Susan’s flower petal. A hover fly alights on milkweed.
August 24, 2025 at 3:17 PM
speedbudget.bsky.social
#GardenReport #BloomScrolling #NativePlants #Pollinators
An Eastern tailed-blue butterfly resting on a blade of grass. A ligated burrow bee on a partially open coreopsis bloom. A male monarch drinking from a zinnia. A snowberry clearwing moth rests on a blazing star stalk.
August 23, 2025 at 10:56 PM
speedbudget.bsky.social
Monarch butterflies getting busy in the garden! Great day in the morning! #GardenReport #NativeGarden #PollinatorPower #NSFW #ViewerDiscretion
A female Monarch butterfly drinks from a clover flower. She has a male attached to her rear end. A female Monarch butterfly drinks from a clover flower. She has a male attached to her rear end. A female Monarch butterfly drinks from a clover flower. She has a male attached to her rear end.
August 22, 2025 at 9:28 PM
speedbudget.bsky.social
Today’s friends.
#BugTok #NativeBees #NativeGarden
A carpenter bee drinking from clusters of small purple flowers. A bumblebee resting on a zinnia bloom. Its pollen pouches are very noticeable. A thread-waisted wasp with orange stripes drinks from a bee balm bloom.
August 11, 2025 at 11:07 PM
speedbudget.bsky.social
Finally! Monarch caterpillars 🐛 #GardenReport #PollinatorReport #NativeGarden
Two Monarch caterpillars munching on milkweed. A single Monarch caterpillar munching on milkweed.
August 9, 2025 at 6:14 PM
speedbudget.bsky.social
If you’ve only seen the invasive Japanese beetle, meet the native green June beetle. This beetle is integral to our native habitats. All it needs is longer grass to hide in from its bird predators. Not cutting your grass as often or as short can do wonders for #NativeBugs
August 7, 2025 at 6:01 PM
speedbudget.bsky.social
#PollinatorReport #NativeGarden #NativeBees I’ve identified a bunch of new pollinator species that are new to my garden. I’m only three years into native chaos gardening! I can’t wait to see what else shows up!
A tiny ligated furrow bee on mountain mint. A blue-winged scoliid wasp. These lay their eggs in Japanese beetle grubs. A fiery skipper butterfly. A golden northern bumblebee on a zinnia. The species is threatened.
August 6, 2025 at 5:40 PM
speedbudget.bsky.social
#PollinatorReport Another new moth today in the #NativeGarden! Snowberry clearwing moths are active in the day. Their larvae feed on honeysuckle. Terrible pictures but he was fast!
A large yellow-and-black striped moth with clear black lined wings. A large yellow-and-black striped moth with clear black lined wings.
July 23, 2025 at 5:49 PM
speedbudget.bsky.social
Half the fun of #NativePlants is the bugs! Virginia creeper moth make its first appearance this year!
July 23, 2025 at 12:23 PM
speedbudget.bsky.social
#GardenReport I planted this obedient plant earlier this season. It’s already been colonized by native white-margined burrower bugs. Unusual for bugs, The female deposits 120-150 eggs in shallow burrows and watches over the eggs and even feeds the hatchlings for a few days. #NativeGarden
July 19, 2025 at 5:06 PM
speedbudget.bsky.social
#PollinatorReport #PollinatorGarden #Butterfly The tiger swallowtail made its return!
A white and black striped butterfly with long tails on its wings on a purple flower. A white and black striped butterfly with long tails on its wings on a purple flower. There is a stripe of red on its wings visible from this angle.
July 12, 2025 at 10:03 PM
speedbudget.bsky.social
#GardenReport #BloomScrolling #NativeFlowers
A new species of butterfly identified today: Sleepy orange. Full hibiscus drama happened overnight.
A smallish yellow-orange butterfly on a ORANGE orange Mexican sunflower bloom. A hibiscus bloom about the size of a dinner plate. It’s pale pink with a dark pink center and veins of the dark pink streaking the petals.
July 11, 2025 at 6:55 PM
speedbudget.bsky.social
#GardenReport #BloomScrolling #NativeFlowers A lovely sunflower, honeysuckle still going strong, self-seeded zinnias in my brush pile, hibiscus drama soon.
A yellow sunflower. Pink-and-coral honeysuckle flower with a bonus bumblebee. Four different zinnia plants flowering in shades of orange and pink. Baby zinnias are also growing. A pale pink hibiscus flower is 75% open.
July 10, 2025 at 10:19 PM
speedbudget.bsky.social
#BloomScrolling #NativeFlowers #GardenReport
A half-risen sunflower and the honeysuckle is absolutely going bonkers still.
A small sunflower that only has petals on 3/4 of the flower. A closeup of the same sunflower. The seeds are in a half-circle “sunrise” arrangement. A climbing plant covered in pink-and-orange flowers.
July 8, 2025 at 10:32 PM
speedbudget.bsky.social
#GardenReport #PollinatorReport #BloomScrolling
First swallowtail of the season!
A butterfly with yellow and black stripes and bright blue “eyes” at the bottom of its wings. A butterfly with yellow and black stripes and bright blue “eyes” at the bottom of its wings.
July 7, 2025 at 4:38 PM
speedbudget.bsky.social
#GardenReport #BloomScrolling #NativePlants The liatris is blooming which means the Monarchs aren’t far behind. A surprise pollinator favorite is the oregano you see behind the bee balm. Mexican sunflower is a crowd pleaser. Someone built a nest in the Virginia creeper. 👀
The tip of a stalk of liatris. At the end are fluffy open purple flowers. Below them are tight purple buds ready to open soon. Two bumblebees are on it. Light purple bee balm with oregano in bloom in the background. Bright orange 8-petal flowers with fluffy orange centers on large green foliage. A nest tucked into the Virginia creeper vine growing up the side of a house.
July 5, 2025 at 8:51 PM
speedbudget.bsky.social
#GardenReport #NativeFlowers #BloomScrolling First monarch of the year and chaos garden going strong.
A monarch butterfly on butterfly weed having a drink. Just utter garden chaos. A native hover fly on Culver’s root. A monarch butterfly on pink bee balm in front of black-eyed Susans.
June 28, 2025 at 3:07 PM