same one, Sheila. We have a bumper crop and I actually love them. Wish we could have both.
slow year for butterflies?
Yes, those guys are everywhere.
I love anoles -- they eat spiders!! :-)
Carla
Oh dear, another worry. I have several ladder spiders around the yard and I protect them the best I can. No way to have all of the creatures I love in one backyard. Some of my favorites are sustenance for others.
Don't have a love for spiders because they lay traps for my butterflies and caterpillars. I don't kill the big garden spiders just relocate away from my plants.
Sheila, I moved two of the ladder spiders yesterday. Still no cats. whine
I moved one today that was set up on my citrus trees.
Hi guys,
Boy, I haven't checked in here in a while. I've not had one Monarch or Queen this year. Considering last year I had tons of cat's in cages by now it's really scarey. We had BST's early in the year, munched down in the Bronze Fennel and Parsley. But not even them lately. Other than the Monarchs I'm thinking the dry weather we've had up until a week ago is contributing. Seems like every time we'd get any thing resembling rain the next day I'd have a little flux of BF's. The usual tho, Giant's and Tigers, a few Sulpfurs and of course the Gulf Frits. I'm actually going to have to cut my milkweed back it's at least 4 ft. tall. So was wondering what's up with other's at least in the South.
Same woes here. I've found a total of maybe 40 BST cats, and half of them of staying in the chrysalis, in the crate, so I guess they're planning on wintering over (which always stymies me, I don't understand why that happens; then they come out in March when there are no flowers), and the frits are very few and far between. I've got maypop all over the place but have only seen maybe 3 cats. This is a very weird year! Have had lots of buckeyes flying around though.
Usually the gardens are alive with fluttering, but not this year....
Spotted my first Gulf Fritillary today!!! It took off so no close ups. So they are returning later than normal due to our cold weather across the country has destroyed most of those that over-wintered in milder years. This is really the normal time of their returning is what I have been told. I guess we had been spoiled by their early emergence in the last few years.
I have a 'incense' in the front yard and it showed signs of cats having been there. So need to check daily, the wasp are bad about getting them.
Thanks for the heads up, Sheila. I have been watching but have yet to spot one. Got lots of host plants.
I bet you do have a lot of host plants...I was amazed at the ones I had when you really look. Click on 'butterfly gardening' on the left side of Dale's website. www.dallasbutterflies.com
It lists trees, grass, vines, and plants. But the neat part is it is sorted by butterfly, common name, and botanical name.
He said he saw a Gulf Fritillary at his place this week, just south of you....keep looking.
Thanks for the link Sheila.
Like most of you, slow year here for leps. in the yard.
I was reading your collective posts about citrus trees. I have a navel orange in a heavy container that I usually bring out for summer but have not this year. Last year it set fruit and the birds knocked them all off. I thought I could keep them on this year by leaving it in its bright light/sunny spot in the house.
What cats feed on citrus? Probably cats that don't get up this way, but like the rest of you - I have scads of host plants in the yard. If the citrus is one of them I should probably bring it back out.
Thanks.
A.
Still no Gulf Frits in Rowlett. :-( And very few butterflies altogether.
Carla
Carla, still no frits here as well. Actually no cats of any description. Very disappointed.
We've had some Frits...ONE Queen cat but I never saw the BF, and usually by now there's not a stick of Milkweed left. A few Sulphurs, a few Giants, and Tigers, and some Pipevines. But not the swarms we usually have. Cat cages are still in the back bedroom where they get stored for the winter.
No Frits of any kind here either. My Maypops (Passion vines) are making seedpods. No taker on the vines, sniff sniff* No Monarch either. MWs are out of the wisezoo. lol.
I've had tons of the little dude BFs, like skippers & sulphurs. Have seen maybe 1 or 2 monarchs & a couple swallowtails. I had about 25 BST cats on my bronze fennel maybe 7wks ago - nothing since. We had a very wet spring, but a tinderbox-dry scorcher of a summer (106 yesterday!). Not much hummer activity, either. With all the tornados, floods & wildfires across the country, I guess the critters have really taken a beating.
Could this be the canary in the mine shaft?
We haven't had that many of the hairstreaks or skipper here either. I have more Tiger STs than anything.
Carol13, are you sure those are sulphers? I've only seen cabbage whites in Crofton, about 10 miles south of you. Every second and third butterfly I see is a cabbage white. I rent a garden plot at Kinder Farm park (off Jumpers Hole Rd.) and I see more skippers there than in Crofton. I haven't seen any sulphers at Kinder Farm, either.
In my home garden I usually see a lot of tigerSTs about this time but I've only seen a few. I have not seen any red-spotted purples or pipevine swallowtails. Only one monarch (male?) came to visit my milkweed so far and didn't stay. No eggs or cats. And at Kinder Farm, I haven't seen one buckeye yet.
The hummers are pretty active which is not common in my yard this time of year. They love the flame acanthus, turks cap and Mexican Firecracker. Also, lots of baby Anole. No cats anywhere, including the rue, dill, parsley and three citrus trees.
I am finally seeing monarchs on a regular basis here in ohio--maybe 1-2 when i go out; however, usually this time of year we 5-10 flitting around on MW or nectar plants. Also, some of the others I have not seen at all yet. Spicebush ST, and red spotted purple in particular
We have our hummers, thank goodness they are so entertaining, but still no where near the BF's of years past. Zebra's were very common just 3 years ago, None this year and only a few last year. Monarchs...Zero this year, one Queen. Frits used to drive us nuts as we just couldn't keep enough Passi's going for them and they'd even go after my hybirds. Tiger's very common, Giants, Eastern Swallowtails, Pipevine, Spicebush. This year is so disappointing. and scarey.
I guess it's just about everywhere -- here in Memphis, I've seen very few BFs of any kind and only one Hummer. I see a Cabbage White, one Skipper and a Pearl Crescent just about daily. My Milkweed is huge and hosts only the Assassin bugs. I was really looking forward to some flitting pretties this year and am quite disappointed.
Not much activity going here either, except few TSTs, an occassional Hairstreak Pearl Crescent, Common Buckeyes here and there but not Frits or Monarch, except a few during the spring migration back in April I think.
Yes, it seems to be a very disappointing year everywhere.
Still no butterflies. However, the hummers have found us. I have turks cap, flame acanthus, and firecracker plant that are all in their glory. Seems about the only thing the suns rays haven't cooked. Have a bird bath right outside my window and they have been drinking there. Read that they prefer to "bathe" in the droplets of water on the leaves. Yesterday while the sprinkler was going, I got to watch two that were doing just that. Don't know if it was the severe winter or the severe summer that got our butterflies. The grasshoppers are certainly plentiful though.
Have had hummers for about a month.
Just starting to see black and yellow swallowtails come thru again. I am optimistic about August!!!
Well here's a reason to keep your host plants out..and feeders...
I went out to pick some red peppers and the dill was just about eaten to the ground with some nice fat Eastern Black Swallowtail cats. Granted this time of year there wouldn't normally be a sprig of Dill or Parsely to be seen, BUT, if you have even one BF ...they may be looking for a place to lay their eggs...so keep your hosts going...all it takes is one with food and shelter for the next generation to have a chance.
mj, well stated! I'm, I'm keeping all the hostplants well fed and healthy to give those little ones a chance to rebound!
Me, too!
So am I, we have a whole garden full waiting for them.
Finally - a Gulf Fritillary showed up. One GF! I was outside for hours yesterday and saw one little Skipper and one GF. What a weird summer.
Carla
And I had a Monarch...well, one's better than none!
Carla, it sure has been a slow year! HMM, yippies, if you see them in Memphis, I'll soon get some, I hope!
I saw a Gulf Frit yesterday again. From what Dale said since we had the hard winter extending into the southerern areas they weren't as quick to get back this way. This is actually the normal time to start seeing the GFs....so get ready Passiflora buffet waiting.
I know that's right, Sheila! I have a big healthy Passi and a big healthy Dutchman's Pipe vine awaiting a good trim!! :-)
Carla
Carla....I hope you don't have the 'gigantea' variety. It is fine in Fl for the Polydamas, but it is toxic for the Pipevine ST in our area. They lay eggs then the wee cats hatch and when they start eating they die. The Lepfarmer has confirmed this.
This one's been hanging around the last few days....
