Daily Butterfly Pictures Page 82

Cool ... thanks for the info!

Aren't these people smart???? Sometimes I'm amazed at the amount of knowledge on these forums!

Datura- What is Fimbriata?

Hi all. I wanted to let you know, I have a bunch of Purple Wandering Jew in 2 whiskey barrells (I use it in front of other plants to trail over the rim) that is going to freeze this winter. I bring a bunch of it in, but there is more than I want to mess with. I can send 7 or 8 branches in a manilla envelope for around $2.74. I've send some out already. I would send it out for a flat $2.50 (I would prefer postage) rather than try to keep track of how much postage is on each of them. I will try to get as close to that rate as I can when I package them. I will be sending it out until it is gone. Most of them already have roots on them.
Soooooooooooo, if you want some just let me know. You can send me your addy by dmail. I mail out on Monday-Wednesday so they make it before the weekend.

Crit

I forget that chrysalids overwinter for some folks :o) snicker snicker

What can I say - much as I detest the 100+ summers the cool to warm winters are always pleasant :o)

Lots of eggs, caterpillars, chrysalids and butterflies about now. It keeps getting better as the fall season progresses!!! Our butterfly festival and NABA Bi-ennial meeting are coming up. YIPPEE!!! We'll also be having our fall season butterfly count on the 28th of this month. Am hoping to get lots of photos in the coming weeks!!!

Got a call at work today from one of the local nurseries I periodically visit. One of the guys had 'swallowtail caterpillars' and wanted to know if I wanted them. Said yes, and stopped by on the way home from work.

Turns out they are Tersa Sphinx caterpillars...and lots of them!!!! SWEET!!! I love the look of those caterpillars!!! He also had two cocoons that a customer brought in - I believe it is a Forbes Silkmoth - but the customer cut open the cocoon to find out what was inside - so now I have a naked cocoon - what do you call the 'chrysalis' that a moth forms inside the silk cocoon?

Here's the Tersa cats :o) They are sooooooo cute!!! I have several pentas but they are most likely going to polish them off in a few more days. I read they also eat firebush (hamelia patens) so I put sprigs of that into their cage. Do hope they take to the firebush because I've got about 30 feet of driveway hedge of that!!!

Has anyone raised Tersa Sphinx on anything other than penta???

~ Cat

..and here is the naked cocoon. It wiggles so it is still alive but am not sure if it will eclose properly without having the silk cocoon to squeeze out of. Anyone know??? Sphinx and other moths that form the 'hard shell' cocoon eclose just fine - but really not sure about the moths that are inside silk cocoons.

Dale, do you know???

~ Cat

This message was edited Oct 14, 2010 6:11 PM

AWESOME for you!!!!! I have seen several either Monarch or Viceroy flitting about the yard and feeding on the zinnia's. I've never been able to get over to them to see which they were before they flitted away.

Say, I have a bunch of Purple Wandering Jew in 2 whiskey barrells (I use it in front of other plants to trail over the rim) that is going to freeze this winter. I bring a bunch of it in, but there is more than I want to mess with. I can send 7 or 8 branches in a manilla envelope for around $2.74. I've send some out already. I would send it out for a flat $2.50 (I would prefer postage) rather than try to keep track of how much postage is on each of them. I will try to get as close to that rate as I can when I package them. I will be sending it out until it is gone. Most of them already have roots on them.
Soooooooooooo, if you want some just let me know. You can send me your addy by dmail. I mail out on Monday-Wednesday so they make it before the weekend.

Crit

Question -- What else do the BST cats like to eat besides parsley?? Don't know if I have enough of that left to feed all four. Looks like they have very robust appetites!

Crit, I would like some of the WJ. I will Dmail you.

My dill and fennel are both gone for the year. Anything else?

You can go to the grocery store and buy some parsley, but be sure to wash it very well to get rid of any sprays, then you can keep it in a ziplock bag in the refrigerator.

Guess I could. Could buy fennel or dill too but that fennel is kinda pricey. I'd best stick with the parsley. Thanks!

BSTs also use Rue as a host plant.....you might find some at a nursery that carries herbs.

Just found BST cat #5 amid the parsley. Yay!

Okay, it's a Gray Hairstreak, but DH will continue to call it a Buckwheat Blue.
WIB!
SW

SingingWolf:

Sorry to hear about your memory issues and glad that you're improving. The nice thing is that the butterflies don't really care what we call them! :) Since my site deals with butterflies of north Texas, it probably won't be nearly as helpful to you as the one I listed below. It's for butterflies of California and is run by one of the most knowledgeable people in your state, Art Shapiro.
http://butterfly.ucdavis.edu/butterfly/common

Keeping a list of butterflies you find in your yard is great fun and it can also be very helpful in knowing what to expect from year to year -- especially if you add in dates of when you see things. You'll soon begin to be able to predict what will show and when.

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

I am still seeing a few viceroy, and a bunch of the yellow sulphers (cloudless?). Still have a lot of skippers too.

Haven't seen a hummingbird for 2 weeks now. :-( Today is the day I take down the rest of the feeders. I had taken some down already, but left a couple in case there were straglers. All I'm feeding now are wasp and honey bees. lol

Have a blessed day!
Crit

Lepfarmer,
You are very kind to share the link with me. I am trying to get b.flys to come into my yard and have been planting with that in mind. This is the first year, I've been able to get many photos of Bflys. Dad always said find out where they go, and then sit and wait for them to show up. I have noticed they like to feast on flowers in the sunshine, not in the shade.
I'm great at observing, and will take notes, which is a really great suggestion! : - )
Thanks again, Dale.
Crit, I'm sorry to hear about the hummers, and a little envious about your b.flies. : - )
Hope you have a good day too!
WIB!
SW

OH Cat those moths are awwwwwesome! Glad to hear things are doing well down south, I've only been seeing a few sulphurs lately, and a monarch here or there.

don't forget to wash and dry your new host plant or you might killyour cats like I did this year!

That's my concern. So far my 5 are still alive and well and a couple of them are getting BIG. My parsley plant grew large over the summer so I seem to have a lot to feed them, hopefully without supplementing. I'm lovin' watching them grow. :-)

Okay...now I know those guys at the local nursery have me on their speed dial! One of them called me up to say a customer dropped off a bunch of swallowtail cats (why is everything a swallowtail cat?) Was relaxing at home but said I'd hop in the car and go pick them up.

No, they weren't swallowtail cats...and thank God they weren't more Tersa Sphinx cats!

Turns out they were Grape Leaf Skeletonizer moth caterpillars. UGH!!! Told 'em I didn't want them as they truly are pests and they could get rid of them :o)

I missed out on some good butterflies at the NBC park today. That's what I get for doing housework!!!

They had an Isabella Heliconian, Ruby-spotted Swallowtail, Pale-spotted Leafwing, Texas Powdered Skipper, Red-bordered Pixies and other good stuff.

Well, ya'll know where I'll be at tomorrow!!!

This message was edited Oct 17, 2010 6:22 PM

I also had some Gulf Frits and red spotted purples today. Haven't seen the , or ? ... they must of left.

Well ok it is tomorrow Cat....were are the pictures??

Butterflies are very sparse now but there are still a few to be seen if you look anound in the right places!

A very tired & worn looking Viceroy.

And a small looking Buckeye.

Ah...was at the NBC park Monday but a group of Texas Parks and Wildlife officers and some folks came in for a tour of the park. We didn't get to see the Isabella heliconian or the pale spotted leafwing but a couple of two barred flashers and a malachite made appearances. Since they are butterflies I've already photographed a gazillion times I let the newbies have at 'em :o)

Didn't get to go today and Mom came into town and we spent yesterday afternoon and most of today running errands. Got a yard guy scheduled to come in and weed for me...so that's another day or two lost.

Sigh...my vacation is going by much too fast!!!

It's raining here, no b.fly, or h.birds to be found. : - (
WIB!
SW

I remember rain ... sigh!

We got a little rain today. 3/4 inch. Better than nuttin' honey.

You can say that again, Crit. We didn't get a drop. :-(

We are now one man down on the cats ... the smallest one didn't make it. But the other four are getting quite large and spunky!! And the parsley is holding out but definitely starting to look like caterpillars are eating it. ;-)

How long will these BST cats be in this stage?

It is hard to say, but once they are large they can pupate anytime. Don't move them if they aren't crawling or eating. They will settle on a place to make their chrysalis and lay down silk to attach themselves to with a sling. Then for one day will be in comma position before the chrysalis forms.

I haven't touched any of them except for the one that wandered onto the anise basil and looked bewildered. Moved it back to the parsley. Mine ("mine" lol) are large like that but still eating as of yesterday. I put a little wire screening around the area but it is not totally enclosed. But it is fairly sheltered where they are. I don't think the birds will go there since it's nearly under the carport and sheltered behind the rain barrel. I'm hopeful.

Thanks for the info.

Oh, sorry, I thought you had caged them. Well they will disappear soon and crawl around for a while until they can go up. Perhaps the top of the screen you have there. So you know what to look for. They will over-winter in the chrysalis and emerge in spring.

I hope they do crawl up the screening where I can find and see them. They are all sitting or hanging on thicker parsley stems that they've eaten right now and I do see that comma shape when they are hanging on there so I get what you mean by that. I've seen all the various stages before but never watched them from beginning to end. This is extremely interesting.

Likely that the are going to go wayyyyy past your screening. My first one wandered in the cage for 45 minutes. Another escapee was found halfway across the garage in an empty box/styrofoam. Only once did I ever see one just settle down where it was. That was a late season one so maybe you'll be lucky.

Yes, I'm hoping the cooler weather will slow them down a bit. Maybe.

Still have lots of skippers around, and saw a red admiral today. My back was really bothering me so I didn't walk around the yard too much. After I get some of the proper plants, maybe I will get to watch them too.

Crit be careful with the back....from one that has has two back surgeries! It is a gardening hazard. Get you a kneeler with handles to help you up.

Cville....just realized that stands for Clarksville...LOL! Been through there on vacation, nice town.
Look back at the large stalks of parsley where you saw the cats in the comma and see if you see a brown or green chrysalis. They usually don't move once they form the sling.

I had my back fused at L4, L5 and S1 December '07. Also had my neck done at C4-C5-C6 December '09. Now my knees are going and I've gotten arthritis in my thumbs! I feel like I am falling apart like a house of cards!

BUT, I still love my gardening. DH and DS are great about helping me put pots where I want them and dig holes where I need them. They know how much I love my gardening and flowers, so they humor me and help me out all I need.

That's nice of them to help you out! I had C5-7 done in 2008. I refused to get it done until after the garden was "in", so I know what you're saying about the importance of gardening!

Took this picture November 6, 2008. This is the one that didn't really wander much.

What we gardeners do for our love of gardening!

No kidding. LOL