DAILY BUTTERFLIES Page 71

If ya'll aren't familiar with Snouts - they are on the move. There's a mass migration going on. Here's one up close - ventral view :o) Gotta love that snozz!

~ Cat

Snout - dorsal view.

~ Cat

Turk's Cap love :o)

~ Cat

Also saw the usual Gulf Frits, Variegated Fritillaries, Pipevine Swallowtails, Dainty Sulphurs, Southern Dogfaces, Cloudless Sulphurs, Lysides, Reakirt's Blues, Ceraunus Blues, Fatal Metalmarks, Common Sootywing Skippers and White-Patched Skippers - there must have been a recently brood emergence of White-Patched Skippers because I counted six flitting around the same plants. I tried to get photos of them together on the same blooms but they wouldn't stay put!

~ Cat

White-Patched Skipper

Also found this caterpillar - I put up a separate post requesting ID help.

~ Cat

Nice pics, Cat! The snouts are increasingly here now! Saw many in San Antonio. Some were sunning themselves on two kinds of hackberry...Spiny Hackberry and I think the other was the Netleaf Hackberry. Funny, when I used to try to get a pic with their wings open, they wouldn't cooperate. But today, because I had no camera in my hands, they just spread their wings all over the place.

Yes Cat, those were some neat pictures. I couldn't believe the size of that sphinx!

cool pictures

There is a ID request for a caterpillar over on the ID forum that has yet to be solved...anyone know what it is?
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/fp.php?pid=7057799

I'm wondering about the fall migration. Other than the snouts, I haven't seen any real fall migration of butterflies though this area. I wonder if it could still happen...? I did hear that many of the Monarchs had shifted to the west a ways this fall, kind of leaving central Texas with very few. Wouldn't it be ironic if after avoiding us somewhat before because of drought, now they could be avoiding us even more because of this rainy, cloudy thing?

Oh, and I've got lots Antelope Horn seedlings that recently came up from seed in an area cleared when the new shed went in last spring. It must just be ideal weather for that, with the rain and cooler temps!

It's supposed to get to 90° today and finally I saw some Queens on that Texas mistflower this morning! Yahoo!

Congratulations!!! Green with Envy over the weather and the butterflies!

I think it has been about two weeks since we got to see the sun. Sure is a welcome site even if only for today.

Not great pics, but here is a Hummingbird Moth that was after the Ruellia today.

Second shot.

Skipper on a Zinnia.

I saw another Monarch today in San Antonio! Just glad a few strays came around even if I haven't seen them in my own yard this fall.

I really hope the Monarchs don't come through just now. With that hurricane off of Mexico and threatening to come toward TX. The year that they had those hit LA and S TX we didn't have any butterflies hardly.

I didn't realize it had been so long since I posted. I've been reading the whole time. Let's see...lots of new stuff going on. I found three more Red-Spotted Purple cats in my neighbor's yard. Today I saw one flying around and later found two eggs on the cherry.

At MOSI, I netted a female Queen! I'm hoping she'll lay lots of eggs for us.

While I was picking skippers off the desmodium, I noticed a little caterpillar that wasn't a skipper. I ended up finding a few more - I think they're Gray Hairstreaks! Check out the picture below.

Released my first Silver-Spotted Skipper! I also saw one at MOSI; it was nectaring on the sweet almond bush.

Mom had fun releasing my Orange-Barred Sulphurs.

Tiger STs are still hanging around.

The Polydamas were getting it on at the museum. Because we don't have enough of them...sigh. Seriously, there are millions of them. During the winter, all we usually have are Polydamas and Monarchs.

A cold front came through here and today it was perfect gardening weather. Not so good for butterflies though. It was cool and kind of windy. The good thing is that the butterflies have to stop and bask, like this skipper. At first, I thought he might be a Twin-Spotted Skipper but then I looked through my books and now I think he might be an Ocola Skipper.

That's the report from Tampa! Oh, I forgot to mention that I'm raising Monarch cats right now so the population here in Florida is secure!

Melanie

Way cool on the Polydamas. Send a boxful this way please :o)

Wish we'd get more of those. If we see a handful a year it's too many. Yet they do use a friend's pipevine to lay eggs - but we just never see them in abundance. Pipevines are another story - we get those by the hundreds all year long.

On a great note - a Malachite flew by my sister in law and I as we were puttering around on the golf cart by the pond. I put out some brew on a nearby post in the hopes it would return but I never saw it again. Did get a Question Mark :o) and a bunch of wasps :o(

~ Cat

Also saw a couple of Gulf Frits on scat! UGH!!! Gulf Frits are not known to feast on scat or brew but for some reason these guys must've liked the smell of this stuff :o) Bet the dung beetles were freaking out :o)

~ Cat

Ah...and found a Tersa Sphinx cat wandering around in the dirt. I couldn't remember what native larval host it used - and couldn't see anything nearby that it would use so I brought it back with me and put it in a cage with some fresh pentas.

~ Cat

I saw a a Tersa cat on DH's penta but it disappeared before I expected it to. I am going to search closely in the dirt at the bottom when I get a chance. I think it was big enough to pupate.

We went to East TX RU and saw a few bfs out there. A GF or two and Hackberry Emp., but this skipper I didn't recognize, not even sure it is a skipper. It kept the wings beating almost non-stop. Anyone know off hand what it is?

Sheila - it's a moth - can't think of the name but I believe others have posted similar photos on prior posts.

Hope you find the Tersa pupa :o)

~ Cat

Well, with the front blowing in, things are starting to look up! I FINALLY saw a Monarch in my yard this morning! No pic, as it didn't stay, but later in the day I caught this one trying to rest from the wind and get some sun. It took a while, but I finally got a pic. Question Mark, right?

Sure looks like one to me! The wind has been horrible today, temps and sun were great though. I am sure they are helping the migration efforts, so I can't complain.

Here is a Buckeye on Boneset. When I got close to this plant about 6 of them flew off. There were Buckeye, Monarchs and skippers all over the Boneset in this field.

Beautiful AJ! I believe I will keep the boneset that popped up in my yard for sure.

Skipper on a Crepe Myrtle leaf.

This message was edited Oct 20, 2009 7:09 PM

And I think it has it's eye on you!

I still come here and lurk wishing it would have been better here this year ...BUT there is next year to look forward too.

Meanwhile, I am getting lots of Buckeyes and Question Marks now during our warm up this week!

Another buckeye

Question Mark

JEALOUS!

Nothing here. zip, zilch, nada