How neat!
DAILY BUTTERFLIES Page 69
Here's some good info for anyone who wants to raise skippers. All caterpillars have defenses, my favorite being the swallowtails' stinkhorns. Skippers don't have those, but they can be equally obnoxious.
Yesterday, I brought my Long-Tailed Skippers to the museum so they won't eat my beans. I was sorting through the leaves making sure I got everyone safely into their new home. There was one guy that wasn't on a leaf so I was trying to pick him up off the plastic. Suddenly, a gush of green liquid came out. The first time this happened to me, I thought I had injured the cat. Turns out, he just threw up. I guess it's their way of being totally revolting and scaring off predators. I know I sure dropped him in a hurry. Just wanted to let everyone know so if it happens to you, you won't freak out and think you killed the caterpillar. Because normally, caterpillars leaking green liquid is not a good thing.
By the way, while I was cleaning the tank and adding new food to the skippers I've brought in over the last few weeks, I noticed that four of them were Dorantes Skippers. So my boss at the museum should be happy.
Melanie
So cool that you can share the joy and experience with those at the museum; and with us of course!
Hope the rest of your presents are equally beautiful.
I think what surprises me the most is how little people know about science. Kids are often better informed than the adults I talk to. One of the teenage volunteers I talked to this weekend didn't know butterflies laid eggs. Even I remember the four phases of insect development from school. A lot of the kids, on the other hand, are eager to tell me what they've learned in school and I try to give them more related facts. I think everyone who talks to me knows the state butterfly (Zebra Longwing)!
Melanie
Just for the record; I spotted my 1st/2nd instar of Monarch on my milkweed today. The first for the season. I've seen a single Monarch flew around the garden the last few days. Here come the little ones!
Melanie - glad you realized it was the fright or flight reaction of that caterpillar. I've noticed the Swallowtails are really good at upchucking green liquid and sticking out their osmetrium - what a combination!!!
~ Cat
Mellie - I am amazed by how many different butterflies you have there. Today I had the first GST visit.
Here it is in flight.
The Pipevine Swallowtails have been around for a couple of weeks now.
There are little skippers everwhere. They seem to really love this rose lanatana.
The Cloudless Sulphur prefers purple petunias.
Lily.... Yea! Bring on the babies, they will be the adults that migrate south this year, or the next generation will.
Shive.... Great pictures you took there! Keep em coming.
Thanks Sheila. I'll try to get some more photos this weekend. I love looking at all the great photos on this forum.
Debra
Yippee!!! That unknown caterpillar and chrysalis turned out be to an Erichson's Skipper (Heliopetes domicella).
~ Cat
I'm happy for you, Cat! Sweet little thing! Be sure to add to Bug Files.
ooo, how cute is THAT!
Had a Question Mark visit today.
And here's how I know it was a Question Mark, LOL. I can't tell from the open wings.
And lastly, the cabbage whites were crazy here today.
Ooh, Shive you really captured the blue on that Pipevine! How pretty! I've got a Giant ST that's been visiting my pentas every day. Tonight I think he was trying to stuff himself silly before the thunderstorm rolled through.
Yes, we in FL are blessed with a variety of butterflies. I'm lucky to live in the middle of the state (Tampa) so we get a mix of tropical, subtropical, and temperate (?) butterflies. Today after work I stopped by the preserve I drive by on the way home. It's not my favorite place to hike, but it's where I found my first Red-Spotted Purples. None of those today but I found TONS of eggs on the bay trees and camphor trees. Naturally, there were several Spicebushies flying around. I think I saw a Palamedes, too. We usually get a big increase of Palamedes in the fall, and I'm thinking maybe that's why I found more eggs on the bay trees than the camphor. I like to think the butterflies have been listening to my lectures on the benefits of using native host plants, but I doubt it.
In other news, I actually found some sulphurs in the wild! First time ever - not that I usually look for them. But the partridge peas http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/51669/ are blooming like crazy which makes them stand out so I had to stop and pick up a few cats. There were spiders on those plants, too! I was just rescuing the cats, honest! Oh, and I either saw a Queen or a Viceroy masquerading as a Queen (they do that in FL). I could see the color and the black lines but it was so high up I couldn't be sure. Based on the plants in the area, I'd bet it was a Viceroy.
The skippers have gone bonkers on my beans and the beggarweed so I'll have tons of cats to take to the museum this week. Other than that, Mom freed a Gulf Frit today and my assortment of cats continue to munch, munch, munch.
Oh, and did I mention I got a butterfly net from www.monarchwatch.org for my birthday? Now the neighbors will know I'm crazy!
Melanie (who is looking forward to a long weekend full of butterflies)
Cat - Erichson's Skipper has such striking markings! Thanks for sharing that photo!
Melanie - Thanks for the compliment on my Pipevine photo! The swallowtails and the skippers are putting quite a show here this week. I look forward to seeing your photos from the weekend.
Debra
Here's one of several Black Swallowtails that were in my gardens today
Giant Swallowtail on pentas.
Took this one the other day. Tiger Swallowtail and Gulf Frit Cat. The GF cats are all over my passion vine.
TPP..... sweet little one! Hope my unknown skipper I took in is half as pretty.
Nice shots everyone else....things are looking up here too.
Still very few butterflies here. Today I saw two GFs and this hairstreak...a pretty little Juniper Hairstreak. The Snow-on-the-Mountain are fairly few this year and have been slow to grow and bloom. The heat and drought has affected just about everything. We had a rare cloudy day today and even a very small amount of rain.
that is a beauty!
I had a Monarch on my butterfly bushes this afternoon. Its wings looked pretty worn.
Wow...so many pretty ones today!!
Well my last 2 BST cat purged today. They are on their sticks making their lilttle slings right now. I really. really wish at least 1 would eclose! I don't know where I will put these 4 if I have to overwinter them.......may not do this next year if I can't get them sooner. *sigh*
Debra, I think your "Black Swallowtail" is actually a Spicebush.
Love the Juniper Hairstreak. There's a Sweadner's Hairstreak that is endemic to FL that is also green. It's very uncommon and of conservation concern. It's host plant is the Red Cedar and you know we have to get those out of the way so we can make room for another strip mall. When we pulled out the palm trees in front of our house I put a wild cherry on one side and a cedar on the other. The cherry has already pulled in its share of butterflies and cats; the cedar needs to grow some, but I hope I can help provide habitat for a rare hairstreak. Never have seen one; according to my book they have a very small range and I might be a bit south for them. But like I always say - don't trust the books, trust your own experience!
My first Orange-Barred Sulphur (of this batch, anyway) is wandering around trying to find a place to make a chrysalis. It's kind of fun watching him annoy the other caterpillars by crawling over and on them. Oh, I also picked four Monarch cats off the milkweed last week and put them in the butterfly house. After stripping four of my potted milkweed plants, they have now settled down and made their chrysalises. It's like they know when the keg has run dry and it's time to leave the party.
Melanie
Melanie - I think you're right about the Spicebush ID. Thanks for help with the identification!
Debra
Got several photos and short movies of a Giant Swallowtail "puddling" today. The rain we got last week washed some of my compost out of a new lasagna bed I'm working on and there's also a faucet dripping there, so it was a mess I was planning on cleaning up. But now that the GST is enjoying it so much, I guess I'll leave it for a while.
This guy has spent probably an hour on this puddle. He flies and circles around every little while and then back to the puddle.
Glenna
aww, nice!
With the drought, things are so much in need of water in many parts of Texas. When I do have butterflies, there's more puddling now than I've ever seen before! And I have to refill the critter water containers so often, I try but can't keep them full all the time! A couple of birds were having so much fun on Friday playing in one shallow water pan, I was wishing so much I could get them on video! I should get a bird bath!
Still seems slow here. What a disappointing year.
Can always count on the Monarchs
Lots and lots of Pearl Crescents.
another…
Eastern-tailed Blue
Clouded Sulphur
and…
