I was working outside and saw this male pipevine swallowtail nectaring on a stoke's aster -

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It's hard to get a good picture of pipevine swallowtails nectaring, because they flutter their wings so furiously.

Speaking of asters, my New England asters are blooming now. I thought all real asters bloomed in the fall. I don't think stoke's asters are that closely related to regular asters, because their flowers are much bigger, and their leaves look nothing like other aster leaves. I'd say stoke's asters are more closely related to coneflowers and sunflowers than fall blooming asters.

I found another cluster of PVS eggs on some new growth on a pipevine growing in a gardenia in my garden. These eggs are very dark red, nearly burgundy. The eggs that the caterpillars I'm now raising came from were paler, more reddish orange. I'm thinking more than one female is out there laying eggs!

Sherry