I have seen more, and more butterflies in my zone -- finally. Today I spotted a Gulf Frit. and then a Monarch! I've seen BST and few other as well. Of Course Sulphers have been around for a while now.
There are so many hostplants in the garden awaiting for these lovelies!
DAILY BUTTERFLIES Page 68
Still having fun with my new camera...came home today to find the butterflies chasing each other around the porterweed. This guy only hung out for a few minutes; why can't I get a girl to lay some eggs?!
Pipevine Swallowtail
And the one who was chasing him was this Zebra Longwing. He was like, "Get away from my porterweed!" FYI, if you look you can see some yellow stuff on the butterfly's proboscis. Zebra Longwings eat pollen as well as nectar. As a result, they live for 6-9 months!
Saw this sulphur and I'm still not 100% sure which one it is. Opinions? I'm between two but I don't want to say it and influence anyone.
And finally, I know I'm the one always saying "if you plant it, they will come". But darnit if I don't get surprised when it actually happens. Mom and I were outside (saw the hummingbird, by the way) and I decided to check my false indigo. Imagine my surprise to find two of these guys! They're Silver Spotted Skippers right? I know they're really common in parts of the country, but I rarely see them here. I've seen two this entire year. I hoped when I planted the indigo they would come, but I'm still surprised to actually see them. Mom got a big kick out of them, too.
Melanie
Now ain't he cute, Mellie. I have the silver spotted skippers.. not sure what the host plant is.
Elaine
Melanie,
Congrats on the butterfly photos and the SSS cats. You've come such a long way with regards to photographing and raising/releasing butterflies!!!
Am glad you have a nice variety going on in Florida - not much flying out here...today it was 107!!! Some parts of town got a wee spot of rain but only enough to crank up the humidity! UGH!!!
Will someone send more rain...preferably a few days' worth!!!
~ Cat
Monarch from friday....
Cabbage White...
Another Tawny Emperor....this one looking a bit worn!
Cat, are many trees and plants dying there? I mean out where nobody waters....here it's getting worse every day. Native trees, shrubby plants, grasses and wildflowerplants are brown and dead...or dying. Hard to see them die, I love plants so much! And many are host plants, so it's doubly hard just to watch them, the butterflies need them. On my property, I'm trying to keep the black cherry trees alive...some are looking pretty bad. Don't know if the few native milkweeds out on my property are still alive...they could just be dormant.
Linda, lots of natives are feeling the heat and drought. Leaves are brown and curled up. The wildflowers in the fields are about non-existent - just tons of native grasses - also brown and dried. We've been under a burn ban for years :o)
I've got a sprinkler system in my yard so my yard is okay but the potted plants along the fence line are hurting - lost several of the non-natives - like some cherry saplings and black willows I was hoping would survive.
Other neighbors don't have sprinker systems and you can see how dried and barren their yards are - not a pretty sight.
Please God some us some rain!!!
~ Cat
I hope you Texans get that much needed rain soon. Here is a Monarch taken today.
Second pic.
I was surprised to see this Giant Swallowtail resting on the side of my house this morning.
Nice photos GP!!! Looking good!
Don't ya just love when butterflies cooperate for those good photo shots?! I find it best to get those photos in the morning as most butterflies will seek out a spot where they can bask in the sun and warm up before hitting the flowers. Trouble with the butterflies in my yard is that they like to bask at the very top of the trees!!! That's what I get for not pruning my trees, shrubs and bushes :o)
~ Cat
Hummer at Gloriosa
Hummingbird Moth
Anybody know what this guy is?
It was on my Corkscrew Vine.
thx
mj
mjs - I don't have my caterpillar book with me at work - but it is definately some type of skipper - by the size of it I'd say one of the big spread wing types. If nobody's ids it I'll try to remember to check the book when I get home.
Can't think of which one uses corkscrew vine but many use legumes and that's part of the legume family. Either way...WAY COOL!!!!
~ Cat
OK, you DG BF ID ers, give this guy a shot.
Let me know if you want another POV.
GD
Cat,
Thanks that's what I thought some kind of Skipper, but my book is really not very complete, but the "nose' gives it away as a skipper.
I've got the Blue Butterfly Pea vine also and somethings nibbling on it also.
Mjs...I looked through the Allen/Brock/Glassberg Caterpillars in the Field and Garden guide book - it looks like the Long-tailed Skipper (urbanus proteus) caterpillar. The photo in the book shows that orange blotch on the rear end like yours.
http://www.dallasbutterflies.com/Butterflies/LARVA/proteuslarva.htm
http://entomology.ifas.ufl.edu/creatures/veg/bean/BL_larva.htm
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/IN127
GD - your butterfly looks like a Silver-Spotted Skipper (Epargyreus clarus) but don't hold me to that - we don't get that one this far south :o)
http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species?l=1905
~ Cat
This message was edited Aug 26, 2009 7:47 PM
Cat,
I think your right. Here's a side by side.
yay long-tailed skipper.
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!! I can't believe all the butterflies and caterpillars that are showing up everywhere but here!!! Criminy! Our normal temps out here are 105 daily!!! I wish our fall season would hurry up and get here!!! We need rain...and cooler weather!!!
Oh and on a good note - our upcoming Texas Butterfly Festival 2009 is online. Anyone interested in coming to south Texas for it can check out the website for seminars and tours that will be offered. I'll be co-leading a couple of the trips for our local parks. Hope some of ya'll can make it. Ya know we love to show off all the species we get - so we hope Mother Nature and all the butterflies will cooperate!!! We're due for a couple of new records so this fall season might bring them!!!
www.texasbutterfly.com
~ Cat
Thanks TPP.
angele,
Wish I could EXPORT some Gulf Frit's to you. We have them in droves here.
Monarch population for me still is light. Their here, just not alot as I have had in the past.
Oh Cat, I'm with you. I hardly am seeing any butterflies this year. I hope September will be better for me.
Yesterday I saw my first ETS of the year...so it has been bad here too.
I have another BST getting ready to pupate. Just 2 smaller ones to go and they both look like they are going to shed today into the next instar.
awesome!
The only thing that seems to have been steady are the Monarchs and Cabbage Whites. The park that I go to even has had less. I think I'm going to try and get out to the grasslands this weekend. we'll see.
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
Checkered Skipper??
A Painted Lady....should be getting lots of these this time of year. But have seen very few.
Getting lots of Gulf Frits, Black Swallowtails, and ETS. We haven't had a whole lot of rain until this week and have had a couple of showers. Sure hope you get some in Texas. Got a new lens for my camera.. so excited. Took some pics last evening right at dark. Here is a pretty good ETS. Need to practice.
I won't mention all the butterflies I've been seeing lately. I'm just going to confirm that the cat is a Long-Tailed Skipper. The yellow line that turns to orange at the end is one way I can tell them from the Dorantes. And the skipper butterfly up there with the orange is a Silver-Spotted Skipper. We get them here occasionally and I'm raising two cats for the first time ever! Actually had one of my Long-Tailed Skippers emerge the other day but by the time I got home he was ready to fly. It was almost dark and drizzling so he took off straight for the trees.
Picked up a few Monarch cats off the milkweed yesterday. Still trying to decide exactly where to plant the sassafras Dad brought me from WV. I'll get those Spicebushes one way or another (I already have a Red Bay and a Spicebush). I've had one flying around all week but it must be a boy because all he does is nectar. The Palamedes should be increasing soon; I usually see them more in the fall. Have to go hunting when it cools down just a bit!
Melanie
Can you tell me if one or both of these is a Palamedes? They cavorted around the Pentas for a good long while but didn't sit still long enough for me to get a good pic. Thanks for the help.
Our first BF "foster child" finally eclosed yesterday. Very exciting for us and just barely got a photo before it flew off. This is the one that about ate us out of house and home, 3 pots of Italian parsley, so I definitely plan on planting a lot of that next spring.
We have one Giant Swallowtail has been chrysalis for 3 weeks now. Is that normal?
Glenna
Monarch - the only one I knew.
