I've been trying to get a photo of this butterfly all summer but it's been elusive. Today I got lucky and snapped a quick picture before it left again.

I would attempt to maintain it at about 4 feet across and maybe 20 feet long. Rubber wood chips are from the neighbors btw.

I have lurked this sub for a long time as I’ve slowly been transforming my backyard over the last 3 years. It started with removing a ton of Himalayan Blackberry and other invasives. I finally am getting to witness the fruit of my labor!

Too hot to plant now but planning ahead for fall. Any suggestions for what to plant surrounding this pathway + stairs? The soil is heavy clay on a south facing gentle slope with pretty full sun in northeast LA (about 20 miles from the coast)

Am I under or over watering this or maybe doing something else to kill it?

It looked great when I got it from a nursery a few months ago. It flourished for the first month or so. I've been deep watering it every 2 weeks or so. I'm resisting the urge to water it more frequently as I've read that's the most common mistake.

I'm in the Cameron Park area of Zone 9b.

Thanks

Any suggestions of what to plant in these two areas in my courtyard (location: central LA and areas get full sun). I'm open to ground cover and taller plants. Thank you

Hi all,
I also posted this on the insect id Reddit. I have noticed these insects on my CA native Toyon. I am curious what they are and what impact they might have on the plant.

Apologies for sub-optimal picture quality. I will try to get better ones tomorrow.

Thanks for any help!