The Spicebush

If you have a spicebush in your yard and it looks like its leaves get eaten, don't despair. That is actually good news. It means that a spicebush swallowtail laid its eggs under the leaves of the spicebush. As the caterpillar emerges from the egg it folds a leaf around it to protect it from predators. They feed on the leaves, which is why your spicebush might look like a giant insect took big bites out of it.
For the last few weeks I've been inspecting our spicebush for signs of larvae. Today, I spotted this teeny fellow:

Failures of the Gardening Year

While the successes outweigh the failures, we had a few duds in our garden:

Annuals
We purchased salvia for the first time this summer and, while they added a splash of red to our flower island, they did not attract any insects at all.

Perennials/Shrubs
A spicebush had been on our wish list for years. This year we finally found one at a local nursery and planted it in our backyard. Here it receives shade in the morning and then full sun. Its leaves are now black around the tips and edges and the whole shrub looks sickly. We don't know whether it is getting too much sun in this location and are considering to replant it in a shadier spot. Or perhaps it needs some nutrients and a dose of fertilizer would help. Or--it has just been too dry this summer to support a newly planted shrub.

A New Plant in our Yard

The nurseries are finally open and we made a trip to Reilly's Summer Seat Farm to see what native plants we could find. We bought a spicebush, which had been on our wish list for several reasons: birds like to eat their red berries in the fall; they attract spicebush swallowtails; they are compact; and their yellow flowers add a new color to our yard in mid-spring. What's not to like?
I plan on photographing this shrub in several seasons and will keep you posted how the birds and insects take to the spicebush.