oh my… Cat that's just too sad. I think you could get one of those water wigglers to keep the water moving, skeeters don't like that. I know they make those cat fountains too, constantly running.
DAILY BUTTERFLIES Page 72
The mosquitos are gone. Unless what I saw in the truck today was one. As for fleas, they are not really gone. I use the drops on the cats, but the fleas have been developing immunity to them somewhat. Ticks will be back in the spring. Maybe the abandoned rooster next door will survive 'til spring and come over and eat them.
Love those queens,, sighhhhhh, maybe they will find me next year.
I strongly believe those fleas develop immunity. I was using it and switching back and forth from one brand to another and could not get rid of them. Finally had a bug service come and spray house and yard (twice) last year. Have not had any since then and not using anything on the dogs except when I bathe them...
Cat...those pesky mosquitos come in the back door and head straight for the warmth of my cpu under my desk. They bite my ankles when I am on the computer! So I keep a hand bug zapper near, looks like a tennis racket. LOL!
The caterpillars have landed! Four Queens and six Monarchs made the trip. Two Monarchs were in their J position but one had fallen. I scraped together some silk and stuck it to him but he still fell when he pupated. I got him back up and stuck again so we'll see how it turns out. The other one I transfered over with his silk and yet he still fell when he pupated. I got him stuck to the silk so again, we'll see.
Everyone else is munching away. I found some more Monarch eggs in my yard this week. Then, at the museum it's been insane. The flight cage looks like Monarch world. We have had a good number of Sulphurs though; I found lots of Cloudless Sulphurs still eating away at the flowers. I did find one green Cloudless cat so maybe we'll start seeing them again.
I also spotted a male Queen flying around the museum and that excited me. I found a Queen cat about two weeks ago and then someone else found one because there were two in the cage the following week. I swear next week since I'll have the time, I'm going to go over every milkweed we have. And those aphids are going down!
I'm glad everyone likes the pictures. Remember that next year during the photo contest, LOL! No more runner-up for me!
Melanie
Thanks for taking them on Melanie. They had a better chance of making it there with freezing temps and no food here. I can't believe they tried to pupate, they were so small. I guess survival instincts took over.
I am with you on the photos, there was not very many butterflies this year. Need to change that next year everyone!
Too funny Sheila - the same thing happens here!!! OMG!!! Are mosquitoes smart or what? If I'm barefooted they'll bite my toes - elsewise the ankles will do. Cheeky buggers even bite through my t-shirt and zap the sides of my stomach. I have one of those tennis racket bug zappers too :o) I also keep a bottle of OFF on my computer desk!!!
Not one single butterfly here. It's been raining all day - about 48 degrees now. We are having our butterfly club Christmas Party on Saturday at the park - am hoping it will be a clear sunny day - but am not holding my breath!!! I need to attend because I promised I'd write an article for the Butterfly Gardener about our south Texas club - it's due in June but am such a huge procrastinator. If I don't get photos and bios on the some of the more active members I'll never get it done on time!!!
~ Cat
This message was edited Dec 17, 2009 1:07 PM
Yes, Mellie, I bet you will win next year. Take more on those blue Plumbagoes...
Elaine
I have two Male Monarchs and a black and yellow swallowtail (of some sort) on my porch. Guess they're gonna overwinter there. Fine with me. I talk to 'em every time I pass 'em. The swallowtail cat looked exactly like a Pipevine St, but upon emergence from their cocoons, that's not what they are. Anyone have any ideas? They are almost solid black with a stripe of yellow spots on the lower wings.
Maggie, that's a Polydamas Swallowtail.
Here is the link to it in DG Bugfiles..
http://davesgarden.com/guides/bf/go/788/
Congrats on the Polydamas! I've got 6 GF pupated now and two more hanging in J. Quite a few cats left, too. It occurs to me that when the butterflies emerge, they'll have no nectaring plants to speak of...not enough to keep all those alive at all. Hmm...a friend on the other side of San Antonio says she still has some things blooming. Maybe I could just take the butterflies into the city after they come out!
It was chilly this morning but the sun came out around 11am. There were a few butterflies flying around the ranch - mainly small stuff like Ceraunus Blues and Dainty Sulphurs. Also noticed half a dozen Red Admirals hitting up the old dirty hummingbird feeders. I usually clean out the feeders and fill them up but Mom always forgets to clean them during the week - by the time I get around there again they are yucky! I'd not been out in two weeks so you can only image how icky they were - even still - the Red Admirals were having a go at them :o) Must have been a brood emergence that morning - they all were very fresh.
~ Cat
Hey guys,
Got a question, I've got about14 monarchs pupated, and several look like they may eclose today. We're supposed to drop down into the low 30's tonight. Should I release them this afternoon (supposed to be around 60) or wait till tomorrow? It's supposed to gradually start warming up again.
Also had 4 Zebra Longwings surprise me. I brought in a Small passi, and didn't realize the cat's were there. Actually I didn't really look...
Anyhow I noticed the leaves gone and thought it had dropped them till I saw the chrysalis's. So now their hanging out in my bath room. Hopefully the weather will warm up some.
Sorry mjsponies... what is a 'Small passi'?
...and Thank you, mellielong and Shiela_FW for the information! I couldn't find that butterfly in books or online. I was kinda disappointed when they emerged and they weren't BLUE and black, but I learned a new butterfly!!!
maggie,
oh...just a "young" passionflower plant...
mjs.....hold onto them until it is about 50 and sunshine. You in Florida should have better days ahead I would hope.
You are welcome Maggie.
I waited till yesterday afternoon it had gone up to about 70, and let them go. Our nights are dipping into the 40's /50's the next few nights. I've got another 13 monarchs pupated, and two more ready too, and our temps are going to be roller coaster for the next few weeks too. This is as more Monarchs I've had at one time than all Spring/Summer. Happened this way last year too. I was releasing Monarch's in January. I think we must be a stop over spot during their migration.
I don't know what part of Florida you're in, but I've heard some southern parts of that state have them all winter.
I'm in Central Florida, about 15 miles west of Daytona Beach. We actually do get quite a bit of chilly weather here. Not for as long or as cold, but a hard freeze is not all that unusual here.
Here I have been told they don't migrate until average temps are 51 degrees. We had a short freeze and the next warm day I saw several Monarchs and Queens coming through.
Maggie,
You're welcome for the info and I'm going to answer your D-mail in the thread because I think it raises an important topic that I would like the other members to discuss.
Here's Maggie's D-mail: "Hi. I love your pictures. I've become OBSESSED with butterflies this year. I love to raise 'em. We don't have Zebra Longwings here. Do you think, in the spring, that you could send me a few caterpillars to put in my garden? I'm the garden manager/ horticulturist/ extension assistant at the Texas A&M Horticultural Gardens in College Station, Texas. I'd love to introduce them to our area."
Maggie, most of us won't send butterflies to an area where they are not native. It's just not a good idea to introduce a species unless you're trying to replace a population that has gone extinct. Many introduced species of plants (Australian Pine, kudzu, Brazilian Pepper) have become major problems because at one point someone thought soaking up the Everglades was a good idea. The Cabbage White was introduced to the U.S. and has become a major pest. I kill every Cuban Tree Frog I find because they eat the native Green Tree Frogs. If Zebra Longwings don't live in your area, it's most likely because the area doesn't have all the things they need to survive. If they were meant to be there, they would be.
Melanie
Prep academy studying butterflies in space
Jennifer L. Berghom
Monitor (McAllen, TX)
2009-12-20
EDINBURG — Seventh-grade students at South Texas Preparatory Academy are all aflutter over their latest science project.
For more than a month, students at the South Texas school district’s middle school campus in Edinburg have participated in a pilot program that studies the effect limited gravity has on the life cycle and development of butterflies.
full story: http://www.themonitor.com/articles/studying-33749-academy-butterflies.html
~ Cat
This message was edited Dec 23, 2009 7:13 PM
Thanks for the info link Cat.
Maggie....here is some great info link. You can plant the host plants and the butterflies will come in time. Good luck!
A sticky at the top of the forum..lots of good info.. http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/744103/
A couple of sites to find what butterflies are in your area and what their host plants are.
http://www.dallasbutterflies.com/Butterfly%20Gardening/Host%20Plants%20by%20Common%20Name.htm
http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/ Looks up Texas and then your county
This one shows two butterflies side by side to help with id.
http://www.naba.org/chapters/nabambc/common-comparisons.asp
Melanie:
And excellent topic -- and you are quite right about shipping butterflies and releasing them where they don't belong. We do get Zebra Longwings here in Texas (even up here in North Texas), however they are a different subspecies than the ones found in Florida. Maggie, you could indeed see some of our own "Texas" Zebra Longwings in College Station, it'll just depend on whether the proper conditions are favorable in a given year for them to emigrate up from south Texas and Mexico.
And while we're discussing sending butterflies hither and yon, it is good to remember that is is illegal to send butterflies across state lines without a permit issued by the USDA. Zebra Longwings are not the only species that have different subspecies in Texas and Florida: others are Queens, Julias and Gulf Fritillaries. Stiff fines can result if you're caught breaking these laws and the USDA has been known to monitor listserves just like this to catch violators.
Really not trying to be a "wet blanket" here -- just want everyone to know the rules.
Dale Clark
Dallas County Lepidopterists' Society
www.dallasbutterflies.com
Some years the Zebra Longwings will come here and reproduce, so all you'd need is host plants if they do. It might be years when the population gets large enough to strip the plants in far south Texas.
I hadn't even thought about the subspecies. I do know Florida has Viceroys that mimic the Queen butterflies which is pretty cool. Really, I think the best thing anyone can do is to cultivate the host plants. When people ask me about butterfly gardening, they mostly think about having a lot of nectar plants. But I have to stress that the butterflies will really only "move in" if you have their host plants.
For those with small spaces, it's good to go with plants that are both - like passion vine and milkweed. And never underestimate the power of weeds! Many, many host plants are considered "weeds" by people. In fact, yesterday I went out to check the beggarticks (Desmodium spp.) and found skipper eggs!
I know it's tempting to want to see or raise butterflies that may not quite live in your area. I'm just far north enough that I don't get to see Malachites, Ruddy Daggerwings, Atalas, and only at the museum have I seen Julias. But that just means I have to plan myself a mini-vacation soon and head south. I also want to see some of the rare bromeliads and orchids that grow in some of the preserves.
My dad is going to retire in June and I'm going to make him take me fishing around the mangroves so I can hunt for Mangrove Buckeyes and Mangrove Skippers. The skippers have confirmed sightings, but I'm at the far range for the Buckeyes. I volunteer a lot with the Tampa Bay Estuary Program which tries to clean up Tampa Bay and its associated waterways. It's weird to think that would help butterflies, but if the mangroves were to go away, so would two species of butterfly. Oddly enough, one eats the red mangrove and the other uses the black mangroves. So everyone lives in harmony. Just another part of how it's all connected and why we need to care about each piece of the cycle.
Melanie (who has taken a lot of cold medicine and is rambling)
Merry Christmas!
Melanie, are you able to raise "out of the area" butterflies at the museum or are they only doing natives?
DH gave me a Kaufman Butterfly Field Guide for Christmas. Apparently I told him so long ago that I didn't even remember telling him. I was so surprised when I opened it! Reading it has made me very anxious for spring and some sightings!!
Hope Everyone that celebrates this day has a nice day. And for those who don't, hope you have a great day too!
I'm so happy for you, Mrs. Ed! I don't have that one yet. But I had told DH he could get me something off my Amazon.com wish list (such a good idea! If you don't have one, do it!). And he went crazy! Now I have Butterflies through Binoculars (the west one) and Caterpillars of Eastern North America (David L. Wagner). And lots of other books! Wow...how will I ever have enough time to really go through all these!
Oh, and the coolest thing about the caterpillar book is that is has lots of moths...I really needed a moth one. And it shows both the adult AND the caterpillar of butterflies and moths! Super!
This message was edited Dec 25, 2009 1:07 PM
I really should include this one also. Much of the book is about the benefit given to wildlife by planting native plants. Especially the Lepidoptera species...butterflies and moths.
Bringing Nature Home, How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants
http://bringingnaturehome.net/
All of the butterflies we raise at the museum are native to the area. Our manager does trade caterpillars occasionally with a friend to the south of us. Even the cats she trades for are native, just not necessarily common in this area. For example, she'll trade for Julias occasionally, which are native although I've never seen one in the wild (or my yard). However, I had a guest come in once that described one she had seen in her yard so I know they're around.
I know it's fun to see tropical butterflies, but one thing I like about the museum is being able to tell the guests that every butterfly in the flight cage is one they can see in their own yard. I've made a point to tell them how I've raised each of the species at my house and which ones are going to be more common than others. The museum's motto is "making science real" so that's what I try to do with the guests. I know butterflies are beautiful, mysterious creatures, but I like to bring in a little dose of reality.
That being said, I stopped by the museum yesterday morning to do a caterpillar welfare check (and to stay out of the way of my parents in the kitchen). I released about eight Monarchs and one Long-Tailed Skipper. Found some skipper eggs at my house I need to take to the museum, too. I'm trying to keep a good variety of species in the flight cage through the winter. I've been realeasing Monarchs here at the house, as well. Oh, and a Dorantes Skipper surprised me by coming out yesterday. We had a lot of rain yesterday so I made sure to put everyone in protected places where they wouldn't get wet.
Melanie
Thanks for the info, Melanie. I know some conservatories have the tropicals.
Ooo, Linda, a caterpillar book sounds awesome too. I'm excited that maybe with this book I'll actually be able to identify some skippers. Har!! Lots of luck on that!
Opening this book really makes me long for some sightings, so keep those daily pix coming!
It got up into the 60's today, so the butterflies were out. I think there were 5 Red Admirals and one small butterfly I never saw up close. I put out more fruit. Poor little butterflies...I think they're having a bad year. And now even places like Texas are too cold for them to fly most of the time. They need a break!
Linda,
You are so right - the weather is still cool out here but the Red Admirals are zipping around the old hummingbird feeders. I put some bait on nearby trees for them when I was at the ranch for Christmas.
~ Cat
I was looking in Wagner's book (Caterpillars of Eastern North America)...really cool comments he offers on finding cats or eggs or pupa. I've GOT to try his idea suggested for finding some hairstreak cats like Juniper Hairstreak. A "beating sheet"! Yeah, maybe this next year I'll finally find the cats on Ashe Juniper! And Great Purple Hairstreak...the pupa can overwinter! Going out to check mistletoe today! There are also some mistletoe berries I saw lately...anybody know when they are ripe and how to inoculate a tree with them? Oh, yes, people would REALLY think I'd lost it if they found out! But I really want that butterfly/cat around!
Linda, I think you need to ferment the berries in order for them to germinate, they usually get deposited by the birds after they go through their system. I guess I would ferment them and the put them on the top side of a branch and hope for the best. I think they are ripe when they turn white and kind of transparent.
The Remarkable Plants of Texas book says it takes two years for a plant to grow two little leaves, so it will be a slow process.
Another thing you could do is take a sprig with berries, scape a branch of the tree you want it on and then tie the mistletoe on to it with the cambium of both plants touching, you might get lucky and get it to graft.
Those are just some ideas, I have never done it, since i have plenty of mistletoe.
Josephine.
Linda: I've never tried to get mistletoe to grow, it's in the trees around here all on its own, so no help there, but if you want Great Purple Hairstreaks a few of their favorite nectar sources (which thrive in the Texas Hill country) are: Frostweed (Verbesina virginica), Kidneywood (Eysenhardtia texana) and from west Texas, Wright's Boneset (Ageratina wrightii -- was Eupatorium wrightii). You probably have the first two within 'throwing distance', as they are all over Medina County. The Wright's boneset is a fantastic plant, but rather hard to come by. It's very similar to Fragrant Mistflower/Thoroughwort (Eupatorium havanense), but is ten times better than that plant in attracting butterflies, moths and other pollinators. I often find three or more Great Purple Hairstreaks on mine when it's in bloom in October. I can't stress enough what a great plant this is. I'd always heard what a fantastic nectar source E. havanense was and was very disappointed with it when I finally got it. Very little activity. Can't remember what mail order nursery I got the Wright's Boneset from but I've made many cuttings since and yanked out all the E. havanense. For those of you in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area, the Texas Discovery Gardens at Fair Park will have some of the Wright's Boneset for sale at their spring Butterfly Garden Plant Sale in May.
Dale Clark
Dallas County Lepidopterists' Society
www.dallasbutterflies.com
Thank you for telling us about the sale, I will try to make it, I don't have Ageratina wrightii and would like to try it.
Josephine and Dale, thanks for that info. I don't have any A. wrightii either. Actually, my E. havanense is a great butterfly magnet here in fall. But sometimes I see white-blooming bushes along the road that have a very slight pinkish tint at times. I've wondered which one that is, because my E. havanense doesn't have that tint...although those could still be a slight variation on E. havanense. Dale, you're right about the Frostweed and Kidneywood being in the area here. I did have to plant a Kidneywood in the yard, just because my own property didn't happen to have any, but the place came with plenty of Frostweed, which the butterflies love.
Hey gals and guys… Butterfly weed seed for SASE over here:
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1065723/