So while I was saying to a friend how I needed a bigger magnifying glass to look for hatched cats, He asked me how big they were, like a grain of rice???
So… thus the long grain rice and 1st instar Monarch shoot…
DAILY BUTTERFLIES Page 66
and…
Wow, Marna. Thank you for placing the grain of rice next to the 'lit bitsy instar! Now I know how small those are! How cute!
So much easier to see those white eggs than these little ones!
Marna, those are fantastic shots! Kind of puts things into perspective. They are much easier to find once they are as big as that grain of rice!
Saw a California Sister puddling where I had watered this morning. This summer a few insects will come around looking for moisture or food, but there aren't many butterflies now...usually only two GFs and for some reason I never see their cats anymore. I think that the CS came in with the wind from the cool front. Funny to call it a cool front...but what can you call it? A two degrees lower front?
This message was edited Jul 27, 2009 2:45 PM
More great shotsMarna! ...post that first one on the bugfiles please!
okee dokee Shelia!
Here's a somewhat tattered Red Admiral. I had such a hard time getting them here last year, but they seem to be here quite often now. I guess they like the new garden.
and… this one was all around ovipositing. Here she is on a first year A. tuberosa "Gay Butterflies". I didn't know it would bloom the first year. So is my regular A. tuberosa.
Are there pics of Monarch eggs in the Bug File I can't seem to find them??
yah, there are two. One from Kennedy (http://davesgarden.com/guides/bf/showimage/5759/) and one from DiOhio (http://davesgarden.com/guides/bf/showimage/5691/) . However those are some kinda macro, because they are very detailed.
I really shouldn't make assumptions! It has become obvious that I don't have Texas Powdered Skipper cats on my Velvetleaf Mallow leaves. I've never seen any other kind of skipper cats on that mallow, but it's definitely a skipper. My caterpillar book has a few kinds it might be. Maybe as they get bigger, it'll get easier!
Lindatx...look at these skipper cats and see if they are like your cats.
http://www.pbase.com/tmurray74/butterfly_caterpillars
Thanks Mrs. Ed..wanted to know what I might be looking for!! LOL
well, HOPEFULLY I"ll get to the post office today and send yours out. found 13 more yesterday
Sheila, thanks, but I don't think it's any of those. I was thinking about the checkered-skippers. They do come here and they use mallows, looks something like them. Another pic of my little skipper cat...the "neck" may be the key. If I hadn't been so distracted about something else, I would have noticed earlier that these cats don't resemble the TPS.
Okay, Nanny, here are a couple of Egg pictures I just took. They are on the Swamp Milkweed.
and…
Notice these are on the TOP of the leaf. Most of my others have been on the underside.
WOW ! Please excuse this new BF person for my excitement but have to show photo I took a few minutes ago.
DNP
Another shot of same BF.
Cool DNP!!
Thanks Mrs. Ed!!! I was just out and saw this monarch...
This message was edited Jul 28, 2009 2:49 PM
and found this egg! :0)
Red Admiral???
yay and yes!
Beautiful GST! No problem, we ALL get excited over butterflies! I know I got excited the other day when I saw the California Sister! If it hadn't been so hot that morning I would've jumped up and down.
Woohoo on the eggs, Marna!
WELL! Here's my excitement for the day. I finally saw a Black Swallowtail. Looked like she was ovipositing. I went out to check and it turns out that she was nectaring instead on the larkspur. I didn't have any dill in that area. So I took the opportunity to look for eggs/cats anyway and found three BST cats. 'Bout time! I'm hosting a birthday party on Saturday for my 7-year old nephew. I'm going to see if he wants to take some of these home!
My first Monarch made a chrysalis. I was very surprised at how small it was. DO you think it was worried that there wasn't enough food? This was my first to actually make it that far… so I don't know.
Here's the BST. I see there IS some dill in that area. I'll have to take a look.
So were the BST cats on the larkspur? Enquiring minds need to know! LOL
no, they were on Dill in another bed. Nothing on the parsley or rue.
Great shot DNP! I had one of the GST in my yard this morning also. I think it has been the same one the last three days. Maybe the rain and overcast conditions were too risky to leave the nectar and host plants she had here. She appeared to be oviposting on the lime tree, but I haven't checked yet. The sun came out about 11 or 12 I think it was, and she and some skippers and GFs have been moving around basking and nectaring all over the yard.
GST is just nectaring on the ironweed; right? So there needs to be some host plants for the GST nearby?? Will show my ignorance. Neighbor about quarter mile away has kumquats and persimmons. Are those in citrus family?
DNP
Some info on the GST:
http://www.butterflygardeningandconservation.com/butterfly/st/giant.php
Some butterflies can fly quite a ways, so you can't always assume there are host plants in your neighborhood. But this one is pretty versatile, using a variety of species, so there should be something around.
LindaTX8: Thanks for the link. Great place for me to learn.
And DH said a neighbor a few blocks away has lemon and orange trees. I'll have to show them my photo and see if they've noticed any around their trees.
DNP
Well..... Sheila is going to think I've got the worst memory (and I probably do) ! Just a few days ago we were discussing "tooth ache" trees and I told her DH's father always called them "Tickle tongue" trees. But I had never before known them as Prickly Ash.
In reading the link that LindaTX8 sent, it mentions Prickly Ash trees for the GST. And that is the Tooth Ache aka Tickle Tongue tree - And we have LOTS of those around our place. Always thought they were a big nuisance - and now I want one in my back yard. ROFL. How things change.
DNP
One of their favorite host plants in this area is Hop Tree, Ptelea trifoliata. And after I discovered that those are such a popular host tree, I wanted to grow them! It's also a host for the Two-tailed Tiger Swallowtail.
DNP.... LOL! Yes we were. I was telling you mine were so small and showed you one. You said you had that one, but later found your DH had it cut down but it was coming back. Welcome to my foggy headed world!
This little guy couldn't wait for me to get the Lantana put in the ground.
Sheila, there were lots of Tickle Tongue trees in our pasture fence line that I guess the birds had planted. He cut them all down about 2 months ago. BUT... this past weekend he showed me one about 18 inches tall that has come back already. So no more slaughtering Tickle Tongue aka Prickly Ash trees, he says, even in the fence rows. DH feels awful that he has been destroying the BF's habitat and didn't know it. He also has been at war against the milkweed in our pasture for 29 years but it always came back anyway. LOL.
LindaTX8, looking at the pictures, I think there's also Hop Tree in the "jungle" across the road from us.
It is amazing that we could be 60+ years old and so unaware of BFs and their habitat before. Thanks to this group that's going to change on our place. We know it is only a matter of time before the "jungle" across the road will be bulldozed down and subdivided. Hopefully, we will have our BF garden complete before then.
DNP
I found these on the milkweed this morning. Any ideas on who they are?
and a bigger guy.
Nanny....not sure on that but I would say a species of moth. Most of the fuzzy ones are moths. I would put it somewhere else if it were me. I only grow MW for the Monarchs and Queens!
Nice shot of the skipper Glenna! I am not sure which one it is, you might look at the Dallas Lep. site for an id.
http://www.dallasbutterflies.com/
I found them on the common milkweed growing out by the road. I put them back. There is a whole bunch of them!! I will find me a monarch cat.....
It is amazing what all is living on plants if you really take the time to look!
Okay found this while putting those backout...(picture 53 yr. old woman walking along the road inspecting the "weeds!" LOL)
