I still see a few here and there around the zinnia's.
Daily Butterfly Pictures Page 83
Cville....I couldn't tell you if I have any because I hate the cold and don't get out much in the winter! LOL! I go to the shop where I have heaters and grow lights; there I overwinter my potted plants and those that aren't winter hardy. I usually have some BSTchrysalis over-wintering caged outside, that I keep an eye on, but haven't seen any cats yet this fall.
Peg....The signing up on DG was the smartest thing I have ever done online. It has opened my eyes up to so much in the six short years. I have met so many talented and sharing people and had exposure to so many different avenues of interest. My cookie-cutter yard turned into a landscaped flower garden, with ponds, decks, and allowed me to even learn from those here about raising caterpillars. Before I only knew it was a butterfly, a bird, a plant, etc.; but nothing about their habits or stages. Now I know more about anything I want to by just asking a few questions of my online friends here at DG. When we learn...we have got to pay forward!
Plus along the way we each make some lasting friendships, that is a big plus!
I agree with Sheila. I've only been here a few months, but I can already envision my 'cookie cutter' yard into a beautiful flower, butterfly, hummingbird haven come next summer, thanks to friends sending seed and plants! And I've been able to provide them with some things that I have.
You can't beat the people here on DG with anything else!
Yes, we are all very lucky to have found each other.
Looky here!!!
My DH was outside and took this picture of what I think is a Goatweed Leafwing female. Check it out Dale or Cat and let me know if I am right. There isn't many good pics on the bugfiles entry, so I will add it if it is.
That is gorgeous Sheila, and hooray for Herman!!!
Sheila, that is gorgeous!
Thanks.....When he comes in and says there is a butterfly out there that I don't recognize, it is usually one that he just didn't know the name of. In this case, it is a new to our yard one for sure. He did good!
Agreed, all.
I am still seeing some Fiery Skippers and an ocassional Buckeye. I still have some zinnia, rudbeckia and echinacea in bloom, but they are waning. We are expecting a hard freeze saturday morning so we are about at the end here.
Congrats Shelia!
Yep, that's what you got, Sheila. Nice shot! They hibernate as adults and will come out and fly around on warm days during the winter.
The Fall Plant Sale at the Texas Discovery Gardens at Fair Park (in Dallas) is this Saturday from 11:00 - 2:00. Some interesting butterfly host and nectar plants being offered. You can find a complete list on their website www.texasdiscoverygardens.org There's also an article in today's Dallas Morning News (by some guy....) Unfortunately the online version doesn't load the photos, which is a pity. If you live in the area, get a copy of the actual paper for the photos.
Dale Clark
Dallas County Lepidopterists' Society
www.dallasbutterflies.com
ooo, Dale, you're such a tease for us northerners!
This was today on the Gulf Fritillary breeding grounds.
And then a second male wanting to steal the girl.
Finally the future generations
Great article Dale! http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/fea/lifetravel/stories/DN-nhg_butterflysale_1104gd.ART0.State.Edition1.a27dc.html
Can't make it to the sale, but hope it is a good one...the list of plants look exciting.
Thanks for the postive ID...if you want it for your site, just let me know.
BTW....those of you who know Dale only online....here is a shot. I took this at his tour of his bf farm/gardens last month. It was a great turnout. I am not sure how many showed up but I would venture to guess 60 or so at least. Left to right is Datura12 (Peg), Frostweed (Josephine), Lepfarmer (Dale), and myself (Sheila). Not sure what we were laughing at.
This one was of our whole group mainly from DG.
Left to right....back to front.
Sheila, Debnes and her DD Jackie, next her DS Ben, then Josephine and her friend, LouC (Christi), and Peg. We had a great time viewing the caterpillars feeding, flight cage, the gardens outside and nursery plants indoors. It was something I will try to do again next year!
Great to see the faces attached to the names, (especially since so many of you knew my Dad). I probably have that backwards, but you all know what I mean. Great of you to share the photos, Sheila. Sounds like a great turn out, lepfarmer, and I want to learn more about B.fly gardening.
: - )
This is a b.fly I caught laying tiny yellow eggs on my Passiflora. One per leaf. It may be a Gulf Frittlary?
If that ID is correct you can thank Sheila. If it's wrong, it's my fault.
WIB!
SW
SingingWolf it is indeed a Gulf Fritillary. If you look a couple of post above yours you'll see a couple of mines mating as well as how the caterpillar looks. If you see any of those in your passionvine let them be.
Thanks, Sheila. I'll be "working" the plant sale on Saturday, so anyone in the area, come on by.
The final tally for the trip to my butterfly farm was 102. Sheila, thanks for sending the photos. If anyone wants to see more shots I've got a couple (with a link to more) on the main page of the Dallas County Lepidopterists' Society website.
It's going to get chilly tonight! Spent much of the day moving potted plants into the greenhouses. I am not a fan of winter.
Dale Clark
Dallas County Lepidopterists' Society
www.dallasbutterflies.com
Thanks Roly, I'll put them back in the morning. I made sure they have leaves to eat in the mean time. I did see your photos, but have only started taking pictures and learning about the b.flies. So I found your photos and descriptions both beautiful and educational. Haven't seen any males, but then I wasn't looking for them either.
Unless you count running after them when I still could. : - )
Thanks Sheila, for everything!
Lepfarmer, what a great turn out. I hope it doesn't get too cold before you get all those chores taken care. I'm not a fan of cold weather either.
Just double checking. This is a photo of the cats I found. Why do some have white spikes while others are black? Did you see the small black bug? Don't know what it is, but they all came off the passiflora.
WIB,
SW
Great pictures Sheila, we all look great and Dale is such a sweetheart.
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Jules, I have never seen a Gulf Frit cat with white spikes, it might be a different Frit, or something else, I am sure Dale knows.
Good pictures you took there.
Josephine.
I have seen them with the white spikes only after they molt so after every instar and the shortly after they go back to black. Not sure why this happens but it does happen. Check again in the morning and see if it turned black by then.
I didn't know that, I surely had never seen it, but I am glad to find out.
Why am always so late in catching up. Awesome Goatweed photo - hard to get an open wing shot!!! Must catch them when they are soaking up the rays but out here they do that way up in the trees.
Great photos everyone!!! Love those group photos - now I can put a name to a face :o)
SingingWolf...that black bug is the shed skin/molt from one of the caterpillars - the one with light colored spikes. When they molt they are a lighter color but will soon turn dark.
Dale - have you been keeping up the butterfly sighting here? Turquoise Longtail, Starred Skipper, Hoary Skipper, Red Rim, Ruby Spotted Swallowtail, Gilbert's Flasher, Evan's Skipper, Blue-eyed Sailor, Blomfild's Beauty and others I can't remember....and all these while I'm at work! UGH!
~ Cat
Wow Dale, 102!!....I guess with the size of your property and buildings I didn't realize there were as many. Thanks for a fun day. Josephine and Peg need to go out and see their pictures on your site too.
Great photo Jules!! Just like your dad Trois when it comes to a camera! You need to put that pic in the Gulf Fritillary entry of bugfiles. It will need an explaination that the black ball is previous skin and the light spikes will darken. Like Josephine, I have never seen the white before. I did have a cat taken in the cold that Dale identified as a GF for me. It was an odd color due to the cold.
Thank you Sheila, those pictures are really nice, it was such a fun day!!!
This afternoon I had 2 monarchs on the Mexican Sunflowers. They were really sipping that nectar as they didn't mind me getting close to them.
I was holding the flower upright with my hand on this one.
Wow ... stunning, ya'll!!! How lucky to be where you are and near to each other and be able to get together for such awesome tours and great tutelege (sp?). We're expecting 26 degrees here in our part of TN tonight and tomorrow night. Ugh! But this winter will be good reading and studying my plant books and butterfly and bird books. :-)
You all look like you were having such fun!
Thanks Frostweed, Roly, TexasPuddyPrint, and of course Sheila. : - )
This morning I went and released all of the cats back on the passiflora, I did not see any black spikes. I was looking for them too, Roly. Thank you Roly for providing that information about how and why the spikes change color.
I was wondering what them little black things were,TexasPuddyPrint. I was wondering if they'd been shed from the cats. Now we know! : - )
I left last years (?) larvae sacks on the plant. Should I leave them or remove them?
It's driving me nuts trying to get a good photo of the egg, because it is so tiny. Miss my old camera at times like this.
Sheila, I'd love to make an entry in the Bugfiles, am stymied trying to figure it out.
Thanks for the compliment about Dad, but I have a long way to go before I'll be as good as he was. : - )
The macro on this camera isn't as easy to use as on my old Nikon, but it takes great telephoto pictures. : - )
Thank you all for your help.
Here is another of the same b.fly I took yesterday. Looks like she is laying an egg in this one too.
Loved all the beautiful B.flies, and the cat you've shared too. : - )
WIB!
SW
Jules....Here is the link for GFs in bugfiles forum. If you look at the very bottom of the page there is a "upload photo link". You just load it just like in any forum, except it gives you an opportunity to type a note about it.
http://davesgarden.com/guides/bf/go/9/
I seem to of lost one of my lists that I hadn't gotten on my Trade Tracker yet. Is there anyone that I owe or have promised plants to, or owe shipping or anything? I still have some wandering jew that is going to end up dying because I have no place to put it for the winter. I already have 2 hanging baskets and a planter full. It is rooted in one of my planters outside, and if no one wants it, I'm just going to let it freeze.
Here's a pic I snapped in the yard a couple of days ago of a mating pair of Sleepy Oranges (Abaeis nicippe). What makes it interesting is that the male (on the left) is a winter form while the female (on the right) is a typical summer form.
The butterfly plant sale at the Texas Discovery Gardens yesterday was a huge success. Hardly any plants left. The fall plant sale is usually very laid back and relaxed, but that was definitely not the case. There were hundreds of people lined up and waiting. So exciting to see so many people wanting cool plants for their butterfly garden. Can hardly wait for the Spring sale where we'll have several different types of native milkweeds to offer, as well as lots of other goodies.
Cat, I'm hoping to get down to the Rio Grande Valley in a week or so, but haven't made firm plans yet. I've been hearing what is on the wing down there. Hope I get to make it.
Dale Clark
Dallas County Lepidopterists' Society
www.dallasbutterflies.com
This message was edited Nov 7, 2010 7:47 AM
That is really neat Dale, I wish I could have gone to the sale, but we had our Saturday workday at the Molly Hollar Wildscape yesterday and I had to be there.
I hope I can make it for the spring sale I would like to get some of those milkweeds,
and the Ageratina wrightii, http://wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=AGWR2 I don't have that one.
The one I have is Ageratina havanensis http://wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=AGHA4
Here is a picture of Ageratina havanensis at the Fielder House Butterfly Garden.
Josephine I am sure the plant I have in the native bed out front is the Eupatorium wrightii
and would definately let you take cuttings, and I have seeds saved that you can have too.
Here is a picture....I will double check the tag I have on it today.
Love the mating pair Dale....guess that met and fell in love in that brief chance meeting when the winds shifted....LOL!!
It sure looks like it Sheila, the leaves look different from Havenensis, I would love to have a start, where did you get yours?
Ageratina wrightii is sooo much more of a draw for butterflies, moths and other pollinators than A. havanensis. You'll be glad you "made the switch". We had some of these at the plant sale yesterday and they disappeared within the first half hour....if that long.
Dale Clark
Dallas County Lepidopterists' Society
www.dallasbutterflies.com