Hummingbird and Butterfly Gardening: DAILY PICTURES # 106, 1 by C_A_Ivy

C_A_Ivy wrote:
Steady, you should have Goatweed Leafwings in your area and some Tropical Leafwing strays. Texas Goatweed, a croton, is a farmer cursed invasive plant in Texas. I have noticed females here oviposting on new or recently emerged plants. Nice and tender for the baby caterpillars.
Goatweed leafwings like nasty stuff like scat as well as sap and rotting fruit. But they are gorgeous butterflies with their bright reddish orange above and leaf pattern below. Preferred habitat is wood edges and scattered trees. The males sit in trees and other high places waiting for a female to come by. So if you see an orange flash by your head. it's usually a male checking you out before heading back to cover.

1. Oviposting at wood edge on seedling croton. 1. Female Goatweed leafwing with dark pattern above. 3.Oviposting on new croton in road edge rocks.

Mrs_Ed, it should be Spring in the Mid West soon. I don't miss the New York and Ohio weather but it was unusual here this winter with cold and several snows and ice storms. Thank goodness hibernation is over.