Very nice BCH, J and Kate. Okay, I'm going to need all the help I can get. Have I got myself a female TST here? Dale has mentioned that the males don't have extensive blue coloring on the hind wings. This one has just a little bit of blue. Please help me differentiate b/w the gender.
Kate, TSTs are pretty much our mainstay down here so far this season. I don't see a large number of them, but a steady every day occurrence with them.
This one? It has more brown on the forewing, and the body is lack of white spots, Pipevine?
Thanks for the info Bob, I am currently trying to decide which camera and lenses to purchase, and it's been a long time for me. The last good one i purchased was 30+ years ago.
My daughter who always wanted to be a large cat trainer!!
LOL!
raggedy pearl crescent--been chasing a red spotted purple around, but I'm not quick enough this morning
oops. wrong picture there BCH!
LOVE The cat trainer!
UR right, I believe Great Spangled Fritillary.
Silver spotted skipper, I think?
Lily….. You have a dark form of TST in your last picture. I am about 99% sure, but here is one I know was a dark TST for comparison. See the streaks visible from the ventral side. If you have any other pictures look for that.
Forgot....Lily the TST prior to that one is a male.
BCH Love the cat trainer comment and pic. Nice Silver-spotted skipper…hope you have a false indigo or other host plant…they are fun to watch.
This message was edited Jul 16, 2011 8:08 PM
Spot on! BCH, I've seen one here but it flits about so fast I couldn't catch up with. Saw a few more of the TSTs today, as well as an American Lady.
Swallowtail
Yes, we have the false indigo. here is one of our newest
whoops, wrong picture
Guess I should know better then trying to read numbers while having my 1st cup of coffee!
Here's one taken a little later--at least I hope it's the right picture
I opened and looked but couldn't see a thing! LOL! Love the Monarchs and the whole experience of watching the transformation. Especially since it is so easy to tell when they are going to eclose.
Thank you Sheila, lovely pics. everyone.
Tiger Swallowtail on swamp milkweed
Ah hah! A male TST? pretty blooms of the MW, are those swamp MWs hardy on your zone, BCH?
Hi Lily, yes they are hardy to our zone. We bought one about 6 years ago when this madness started, and now we have about 30 established and hundreds of babies!! Want some?
I have seen a few butterflies of a couple different types flitting around my yard, but not anything like last year! I had lots of BST and Pipevine, plus Monarchs, Viceroy, Fritteraries, etc., but hardly anything this year. My zinnia's are blooming their little heads off, but I don't ever see anything on them, except for the occasional skipper. Sooooo disappointing.
I hit a black butterfly with my car the other day and just cringed. I looked back to see if it was still flying and didn't see it anywhere.
Love looking at all your pics. Wish I had some I could share!
Lily, would it be possible for me to get a start of your swamp milkweed as well? Thanks
Have a great day all and keep the pics coming!!!!!
Hi everyone! Loving all your fantastic pics and I've been reading all your posts to (hopefully) learn something. Mostly, I just keep my mouth shut unless I have a picture to post, since I have no knowledge to add to this thread, but I've continued trying to get pictures of the Butterflies I see.
I try to grow plants that Butterflies, Bees & Hummingbirds enjoy, although this year I haven't seen too many Butterflies and the ones I have seem to be in perpetual motion.
Anyway, I took a couple of pictures of a small white one and then tried to look it up. At first I thought it might be a 'Dainty Sulpher', but the more pictures I look at the less it resembles one to me.
I live in Northern Illinois. Here are two pics I took on my Nepeta, which they seem to love.
Next one:
BCH, thanks for the offer. Could I ask that extra one for CRIT who's needing some of those swamp milkweed? I purchased one from our local Botanical plant sale last year, they (the plant) has proven to be a perennial, but has yet set flower for me. I think perhaps the garden is dappled shade, and that it needs more sun? I'm not sure. n.a.n. Love your posts, talk away. Let's your voice heard. lol
Red spotted purple
If i knew how to send the swamp milkweed to you i would do it in a heartbeat -- Crit also....
Milbert's Tortoiseshell?
Ummm,the last one is new to me. Nice shot though, BCH. I just have a nice gathering of butterflies. Tiger Swallowtails. 3 yellows ones, and perhaps a RSP, then a common Buckeye, and a Silverspotted skipper. That's the most I've seen in the garden at once, thus far in the season.
Ooops, bad shot! Let's me try that again.
haven't seen a buckeye yet, but we are seeing more-- monarchs, TST's, and now RSP's. Things are looking up
Silver Spotted Skipper;
I hope this a Common Buckeye?
I think ur right on w/ common buckeye
That swampweed is really easy to grow by seed. It has the best germination rate, in my opinion. I winter sow it and always have a lot. I'd send you all some plants, but I sold them all at a plant sale. I had someone take all of them. They are easy to transplant because they don't have a tap root, and they don't spread by runners like common. They get quite tall and can take wet areas. I think the bloom is darker in partial shade. But anyway, I"m sure I'll have seeds if you want them.
Looks like things are picking up a bit for you all!
RSP? Yes, it's looking up. I'm ready. Thanks Marna and BCH.
Nope, not a RSP, it's got tails. I'd say Tiger Swallowtail dark form Female.
Okay, I've gotta commit that to memory. Lots of blue, which males lack, and tails. Swallowtails... Marna, will the male comes in this dark form as well?
My guide says that males are always yellow.
Good news, I just found one Monarch cat on the common milkweed. Yay. I see evidence of more, but must have gotten eaten or something. I'll check again tomorrow.
Yooohooo Mornarch! But eaten? Who would eat them purdy since they taste milkweedy? I wished they would stop that eating business. Please keep us posted.
BCH sure looks like the http://davesgarden.com/guides/bf/go/55/ in this thread! WTG! Add your shot, there isn't many on there.
YAY.....a Pipevine on Saturday!!
