A sweat Bee enjoying some Florida fall with a visit to my swamp sunflowers. Florida, USA

No hurricanes this year means that my swamp sunflowers didn't get knocked over! Also something about the lighting made this bee look silver even though it's really metallic green. Florida, Zone 9b

Despite being nowhere near Ohio, Spiderwort (Tradescantia ohiensis) still love growing here. They only bloom in the morning because the afternoon sun causes the flowers to shrivel up, but no worries because there will be a whole new batch the next day! Florida, USA

Here are last year's swamp sunflowers (Helianthus angustifolius) in bloom. A hurricane knocked them all over a week before blooming so I'm hoping this year they will get to bloom upright! Florida, USA

A gray hairstreak caterpillar on my false indigo bush (amorpha fruticosa). It took a little while to identify it because they turn the color of whatever they eat and are normally green. This little guy is purple because it was only really eating the flowers. Florida, USA

Also a shout out to the kind people who maintain the Alabama butterfly atlas for helping identify this caterpillar.

Shiny leaf coffee (Psychotria nervosa) is my favorite native plant and it is also a favorite of the local bees! Zone 9b, Florida, USA

Swamp Milkweed with what I believe is a mason bee. Zone 9b, Florida, USA.

A mantis hanging out on some swamp sunflower. Florida, USA.

One of my caterpillars successfully made it to adulthood and was drying out it's wings on my Stokes aster.

Gulf fritillary caterpillars on my passion vine. Around two dozen of them made it to butterflies this year! Florida, USA

My passion vine blooming earlier this year before all the caterpillars ate it. Zone 9b, Florida, USA

Here's my sweetbay (Magnolia virginiana) blooming earlier this year. Smells like lemons! Zone 9b, Florida, USA