DAILY BUTTERFLIES Page 73

I saw my first butterfly of the season! It was either a Monarch or something similar. We had freezing weather two days ago on both the north and south shore of Lake Pontchatrain. So to say I was surprised is an understatement.

Wonderful! I am planning on putting out a potted MW as soon as the weather settles down here. We woke up to black ice on the deck this morning but it is suppose to get to mid sixties today.

Hey friends, it's good to read all your posts.. I wish I could work in the Botanic Gardens.... I will try to make a trip to the FW one for sure. Next week I am going to be planting my gardens & am making certain that the flowers are all butterfly favourites! I have another Butterfly Bush coming in May.

Sheila... maybe we can meet each other at the gardens one day!!

Dale... I am going to eb looking ionto your website ( dallasbutterflies)...

I found out last week a friend of mine is terrified of butterflies.. something that has stemmed from childhood she thinks.

Cindy: Amazingly, a lot of people are unnerved by butterflies. It never occurred to me that anyone would be, but working at live butterfly exhibits you quickly get an education that some people are really freaked out by them. Parents learn of it for the first time when they walk into the conservatory/exhibit and their child begins screaming hysterically and clutching at them. I used to work with a woman (back when I had a "real" job) who even as an adult was completely frazzled by butterflies. Just one of those unexplainable phobias that people have...

And if you meet up with Sheila at the Fort Worth exhibit be sure to say "howdy" to me, too. Chances are I'll be running around somewhere.

Dale Clark
Dallas County Lepidopterists' Society
www.dallasbutterflies.com

I am thinking about whining how all ya'll (all ya'll - dang that sounds southern) living way north of me get to go to all those exhibits! Heck, it would take me a good 8 or so hours to travel the 500 or so miles. Would surely love to check out those exhibits, botanical gardens and butterfly conservatories.

Okay, but then again, since we get a diverse species of butterflies and moths 'naturally' here - I guess I won't whine too much :o) Neener! Neener!

Glad the folks out here don't get freaked out by butterflies. My neighbors know I raise and release and yesterday one man was sooooo proud of himself - he was trimming his cenizos and found a cocoon attached to a branch and came and knocked on my door and handed me the clipped branch. Didn't want to burst his happy bubble but it was a bag moth cocoon :o)

Personally I think he was just coming over to mooch grapefruits from my citrus tree. Did tell him to keep watch on his lemon tree for bird poo 'pillars and bring them over.

Howdy Dale!

~ Cat

What you have down there would be more important than the ones we have for one month, since yours are natives. One day we will travel in your direction.
Hey Dale, does the Dallas Lep. Society ever have field trips that far down? I would buy a bus ticket and motel room to see those.

Tiger sighting! Tiger sighting! Can you feel the earth moving from me jumpin up and down? My mind told me "two-tailed", but I really don't know which tiger was on my peach blossoms! I was dumb and went into the house to get the camera instead of just watching. And it was gone when I got back! Dang! Will watch for it. I hadn't seen anything bigger than Red Admirals lately....they love plum blossoms, BTW! After this sighting, I'm looking around my yard...still virtually nectar free except for fruit trees and the Carolina Jessamine...and a Scabiosa 'Butterfly Blue' and a salvia I bought this past week! Feel like I have little to offer...thank goodness for the two fruit trees, drawing in bees as well as butterflies. I heard somewhere that many plants that survived the big freezes are running as much as 3 weeks late this year on leafing out or blooming.

peach blossoms? oh you have peach blossoms! yay spring!

Spring is the best! It does mean I have to wear hats and use sunblock, however. Yeah, that butterfly...so beautiful! At least I have a pic of the peach blossom! The tiger host plants are starting to leaf out, except the black cherries, which haven't started new leaves yet.

Well, I saw my first butterfly today. Didn't have camera with me for my walk. It was dark orange with spots, wings had leaf like edges in fact it looked like an orange leaf... About the size of gulf frit. but I'm sure that wasn't it. Hope there is a mate around somewhere.
Come on spring!!!

Could it have been a Question Mark?
http://www.dallasbutterflies.com/Butterflies/html/interrogationis.html
I saw a checkered skipper...the pic isn't clear enough to see which.

Was thinking the same thing - orange with black spots - Question Mark or Comma - but their shape is very different from the Gulf Frit.

Okay Linda...you're reaching there - bringing out a photo of a Checkered Skipper! Oh wait, are they uncommon where you're at? Out here they are abundant - and I tend to ignore them. Poor little guys - guess I shouldn't be so indifferent to them. I forget other places don't get as many as we do down here :o)

Which reminds me - have you ever noticed the wing undersides? Awesome designs! I always have to take a second look thinking it could something different and rare!

~ Cat
My idea of housework is to sweep the room with a glance :o)

ps...the only peach blossoms I've seen is at Walmart's Garden Center. Those trees don't do too well out here but folks still buy them. Our local post office had several nice sized ones in front but those two short freak freezes we had a couple of months ago zapped them completely. They removed them :o(


This message was edited Mar 16, 2010 9:15 AM

If you want to find out if you have QMs around, just put out some butterfly bait. Recipe is on the sticky at the top of the forum. They love it as do the hackberry emperors.

Don't forget lots of other butterflies and moths love it too!!! I have photos of lots of butterflies on my Garden Blog: Butterflies that enjoy fruit, brew, scat, mud and re-hydrated upchuck.

http://davesgarden.com/community/blogs/t/TexasPuddyPrint/12610/

~ Cat
My idea of housework is to sweep the room with a glance :o)

This message was edited Mar 17, 2010 10:03 AM