This is my second year at butterfly gardening. I'm in south louisiana and we have been having a very windy spring. I went all out this year educated myself on likely butterflies for my area and
with host and nectar plants but havent seen any results yet. I was very successful with the Monarchs but not seeing many other species. We have an abundant of sparrows in our
neighborhood do you think they are thinning out the butterflies? I havent used pesticieds in two years. Maybe I'm just impatient and the summer will bring more butterflies.
slow year for butterflies?
The butterflies are very scarce this year, first a very cols winter and then very variable weather this spring, but they will show up sometime i am sure.
Thanks for the input Frostweed. it was 47 degrees here on the coast of La. yesterday. Definitenly a wild spring here.
yesterday morning that is. warmed up to 80
I saw two Monarchs in the yard yesterday, that is the most I have had this year at one time. Still haven't found eggs either.
They will find you! It took several years for many species to colonize my yard. Every year gets better. What host plants are you using?
They have been here in the pass, I raised 48 Monarchs one year. But this year even the Gulf Frits and Black ST are scarce. I did finally see two BST eggs on the 4 foot bronze fennel. I am leaving them alone in hopes they will bring more in.
We had a very hard winter and then late freeze, paired with fires west of us and then tornados and hail. Mother nature is throwing it all our way this year.
Viceroy , I have Milkweed, multiple passion vines, Citrus, cassia , Parsley , Finnel, carrots & dill, . I noticed today that the Citrus tree is full of tiny catipillars.
Sheila, we were succesful with the Monarchs also..10 out of 14 made it. Oh and add floods to that list .
We started seeing butterflies this year in February. Maybe the warm weather? It has been real hot here this year early.
Addict, you have a great variety! You might have some Giants on your citrus. Sparrows can hurt your cats along with ants and wasps and a bunch of other pests. In My garden I let nature take it's course and still have an abundance of butterflies. (I do get the spiders though hate em)
My garden is still pretty young but my numbers improve every year. Keep doin what your doin it all pays off in the end.
Dont forget to put out some fruit or your butterfly brew for the fruit eaters!
Good luck!
Hey, no shortage of butterflies here in the valley. They are here in the hundreds, probably the thousands! I just wish they would stay out of the greenhouse. I know they are laying eggs on my plants. I know they are on the blueberries.
Viceroy cat (I think), I found on one of the blueberry plants.
Puddling on a wet spot after a rain shower.
That's one exotic looking caterpillar, UncleGt. I'd like one or a dozen please. Wooohooo.
Oh what joy to see those many bflies all at once!
Zebra on one of the alostromeria.
One more of the zebra.
Hi Lily;, I need a "Air Traffic Control Tower" here. haa! Between the butterflies and hummingbirds!!
Needing an "Air Traffic Control Tower" and Controllers that won't fall asleep on the job. lol.lol. Those are gorgeous!!!
So glad you have bfs up your way. We still get a few scragglers from time to time, but nothing like we usually have. With wildfires and the high winds and drought conditions I am afraid it will take it's told on the Monarchs this year. Hope you guys can make a good place for them to reproduce up there this year and keep them healthy enough to rebound.
UncleGT, the pic of all those STs puddling is really a great shot! Things are slow in South Texas too....although I did see a longtail skipper today at a local nursery. There are just very few flying around my yard...Hmmmm...it seems that my house is an oasis in the desert of other houses on my street. I wish some of my neighbors would plant some tasty plants to bring them in by the hundreds! It has been very windy, but I just can't believe they aren't coming around...I just walked around and counted 58 different types of flowers in bloom.....come on BFs!
Russell
Some photos I took this week
I was able to get really close since he was so engrossed with the milkweed flower
sunkissed, lovely! I'm ready for Monarch down here too. Please send some my way.
The milkweed has been in my garden for years an each year reseeds and plants pop up all over. The monarch loves this plant and I have the eggs on it now, soon I'll have the caterpillars and they eat all the leaves off. But I think now the monarchs just know these plants are in my garden and come for them. The hummingbirds check them out also, not sure they feed on them, but they go to them, they seem to prefer the Salvias instead.
Nice pictures! I saw my first Gulf Frit of the year. I think we lost all of those that overwinter in chrysalis because of hard freezes. I know they will rebound in no time since they are prolific and I have a lot of the evergreen passiflora and others, they have plenty food.
Shelia I've seen a few Gulf Frits this year but not near as many as I usually get. I did notice one caterpillar the other day on my Lady Margaret passiflora...so they're coming. We had some pretty cold temps here in FL also this past winter.
sunkissed; has your Lady Margaret passi bloomed yet this year? I so love those red passi. Down here I found the common Maypops are the mainstay for most G.Frits. However, I haven't seen any here yet, but once isolated incident of variegated frit in the wild. By the way, the native Maypops are now making flower buds.
Found this pretty one on my butterfly bush the last couple of days;
It's slow here too. Have seen a total of three Monarchs, who visited my milkweed plants, but have not seen any cats (though I KNOW eggs were laid), and the occasional BST. I brought in about 20 BST eggs and cats, and all but three are in the chrysalis right now, and one eclosed 4 days ago. Have seen a couple of Variegated Frits, no Gulf Frits yet, a few VF cats on my passionvine. Lots of pretty Buckeyes flitting around! Looking forward to LOTS of winged activity, have to be patient! With all the weird weather, it wouldn't be surprising to see a difference in populations but hopefully they'll just be a little tardy.
Lily love, I just got my first two flowers a few days ago, and lots of buds...so should have a flower a day now. I love the deep maroon color of the Lady Margaret. I have Crimson red also, but they don't really bloom until very late summer and fall through the first freeze...in fact they look the best in December, which is nice because they look like poinsettias.
Slow here in Ohio zone 6 too. I attribute that to the rainy rainy and cold cold spring.
Usually when our monarda are in bloom they are covered with Fritillaries. No such thing this season.
I will say that I spotted my first of the season monarch on our milkweeds today. She seemed a little lonely, but I'm sure she'll find a boyfriend sooner or later!
Today the sun was out and it was nice and warm and we did spy several other lepidoptera as well. All in all a pretty good day considering...
Very slow here....
Extremely slow here. I've seen a few Tiger Swallowtails and one or two Monarchs last month. But still no Gulf Frits.
Carla
The same here and at the fielder garden, but we have had a few pipevine swallowtails.
My battle with MW beetles has finally stopped for now. I don't think they stayed on just the swamp weed mw either. It is a good thing monarchs didn't show up this year.
Still no Gulf Frits around....sad. But the BST have showed up and I brought in around 20. I did have them in the single cages but got lazy and almost let them run out of food. Thought I better mass feed them til some pupate. 3 or 4 have made their chrysalis in the small cages but thought since I had extra net cages I would see how this went. Already I can say I don't like the frass piles, not as easy to dump as my small cages.
Whoa! Look at all those babies! I'd love some please. No Frits. seen here either.
They are beauties, Sheila!
Carla
Thanks Carla!
I have more host plants that ever before. The only babies I found I quickly put into the rue so they would have ample cover and food. Haven't seen them since. Not one gulf fritillary and they have usually stripped the maypop by now. Two giant swallowtails have been visiting today. Afraid that will not be enough. We also have a bumper crop of anoles this year. Could be they are feasting.
Don't know the name of this one but the tree is his perch a lot. I am sure he makes lunch of some of the ones I miss. Only good thing about having them here this year; with the bf shortage they are eating the nusisance insects.
