Daily Pictures #93

Wooohoooo! Can you believe I've seen my first Yellow Tiger Swallowtail for the season. Will be back after supper to post some pix of the beauty!

http://www.learner.org/jnorth/maps/Maps.html
migration map
Kathy

Hi Kathy, thanks for the link. Okay as I promised, here comes my very first 'tiger' for the year!

Ooops, let's me try that again.

Nice Lily! I have never seen a tiger around here. I have seen a couple of pipevines around though. Hopefully the BSTs will come visit. I have some parsley, dill and fennel growing now, much more than last year. Can't wait for the visitors.

Russell

Hi Russell, I myself can't differentiate b/w the Pipevines and the Black form Swallowtails. I've those hostplants kept over winter in the basement. I'm getting ready to harden them up and move them out soon. Like you, I can't wait for those winged visitors. Oh joy, the growing season will take off soon.

Joy,,, with this warm weather, will be seeing some butterflies soon!

A Gulf frit made a chrysalis on my garden hose. Glad I spotted it before using the hose, told DH about it and he is so sweet that I noticed he was using the front yard hose yesterday to clean the cat litter box out. Come on how many men would care about a butterfly and do that? ☺

I would keep the chrysallis safe, but i don't know about the kiddy litter box! lol

LOL, Bruce. Sherri, I think your love of the little "friends" influenced your hubby's supportive behaviors. lol

I've seen more Sulphurs around my area. And I spotted a 2nd Yellow Tiger Swallowtail b'fly today. Woooohoooo!

A bunch of years ago my BF bought me 3 mantid chrysalids and a painted lady butterfly larvae for Valentine's day.

A man after my heart . . .. :)

Too cute...Amanda. ☺

A beautiful day today...not too much variety, but what a joy to have some sun!

This crazy bee was cruising around my lens, so I decided to "shoot" it.

Fiery skipper - all curled up.

RA - must have been a good day for curling.... :)

Russell

Man, check out this video. I've never seen so many caterpillars at one time.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvuiWODeb40

HA! Thanks.

I was re-arranging/uprighting my BST chrysalises in my outdoor closet and one of them started wriggling at me! :D

Love it.

Still not warm enough here, but nice to know they're just as eager as I am.

Seeing cabbage whites, nothing else.

I saw my first BF of the year yesterday - white, so it guess that's 'cabbage whites'? I'll look for their picture.

Kathy

It is hard to be upset with all of the rain we are having, but it is really slowing down my butterfly sightings. Glad you saw your first for the year Kathy. This rain should give everything a nice boost and growth spurt before the hummers show up along the Texas coast.

Russell

Hah, this is my 3rd sighting of this butterfly, the yellow Tiger' for the season. Lots of those smaller 'cabbage whites'? Few more Sulphurs seen as well.

Beauty!

The sun came out! These two small ones came to visit this afternoon. Possibly Brazilian Skipper #1 and fiery#2?

Russell

This message was edited Mar 11, 2012 4:55 PM

Yes to the Brazilan Skipper! The other looks like a Fiery Skipper female to me.

Do hope you have some cannas in your yard. The Brazilian Skipper will lay plenty of eggs on the if you do. The Brazilian Skipper caterpillars are ugly as heck and will leave your canna leaves in shreds but alas I have a large clump of cannas growing in my front yard just for them...much to the horror of my neighbors :o)

One neighbor's elderly mother was visiting her for a few weeks and thought she was doing a good deed when she took it upon herself to use her scissors to cut away the damaged leaves and re-shape what was left. When I got home from work she was sitting outside on a lawn chair smiling and waving at me. She thought I was nuts for gathering up the pile of leaves on the curb. Had to explain the folded over leaves were caterpillar nests and I grew the cannas for the Brazilian Skippers. Was glad she didn't squish the caterpillars in them!!!

Got out my butterfly and caterpillar books and educated her. All was forgiven but she must've still felt bad because the next time she came to visit her daughter she brought me a pipevine plant. :o)

~ Cat

Thanks for info and story. I don't have any canna in my yard at this time, it must have just been passing through. I didn't recognize the FS...this one looked completely different than the last one I saw. I always keep my eyes peeled for different varieties visiting the yard.

What a nice afternoon it was.

Russell

Hey Cat, good to see you!

LilyLove, I think that looks like a Zebra Swallowtail!!!! You must have some PawPaw around there. Good find.

Awww, Mrs. Ed. That was during the weekend's hike we did with a group of friends locally. Yah. I thought the beauty was paler (less yellow) than the "tigers". Thank you. Hi Cat~ It's nice seeing you posting.

LilyLove, I think that looks like a Zebra Swallowtail!!!! You must have some PawPaw around there. Good find. [/quote]

Love seeing a zebra on here--i planted some PawPaw trees last year, and am hoping for some in years to come.

Yes, Bruce. Pawpaw tree is among my wish list wishes. BTW, that's a "lifer" for me. My very first Zebra Swallowtail in saw in person. What's a joy! Good luck with yours Bruce.

Mrs. Ed that was a great video clip...amazing how butterflies can change someone's life. Wonderful what she does opening her home one day a week for others.

I can't believe the amount of Monarch cats eating me out of milkweed, they are even eating the seedlings that are coming up and everyday I see new little cats. I have a lot of seedlings in pots but no where near ready to be planted. This is truly an unusual year here. The garden centers said they have had a flood of people coming in and asking for milkweed facing the same dilemma. They said they as fast as it comes in it goes back out. At least it is good to know so many people that care about the butterflies out there.

My Gulf frit chrysalis are still there, the one on the hose looks like something is starting to happen.

It is nice to hear everyone is starting to see the butterflies. I had to look up the Zebra Swallowtail, what a beauty!

I think was one of my Monarchs the way it was gliding around the garden...like its very first flight.

That's good news about all the monarchs. I'm hoping for a good year here after last year's low numbers.

Funny thing yesterday. I saw something land in the neighbor's hedge and Got all excited because I thought it might have been a Mourning Cloak. Ha. Oak Leaf!!!!

Ha ha - "It's alive!!!" :)

OMG.....saw a Cabbage White just a bout an hour ago while out walking the dog!

HEY! Way to go, Nanny!

I saw sprouts today of the elusive FL paintbrush plant in one of my wintersown containers - so I was just as elated!

Happy sowing!!!

A.

wow, all good news, except for my oak leaf sighting.

LOL, Mrs. Ed. Guess what I saw today? A black form Tiger Swallowtail I think. It was too quick I couldn't catch a pic.

I hope these BF and birds know what is coming for "spring" because they are all over - I sure would hate to lose them to a massive chill.

Mrs_Ed, Lily and All others...

Work has been hectic. I hate to admit it but I haven't even taken my camera out of the bag in ages! I need a vacation!!!

This is the first day I was able to check around my yard. Monarch and GF cats chewing the milkweed and passion vines respectively to the bare stems. :o)

Am still trying to read all the old posts...and am glad to see familiar faces and butterfly photos too.

BTW...Glassberg is working on a new field guide. A Swift Guide to Butterflies of North America. It will have something like 2,500 photos!!! If it is anything like his Mexico butterfly book it is going to be awesome!!!

He asked to use a couple of my photos and is going to give me a copy of the book...way cool! He'll be out here in a couple of weeks...do hope work eases back and I don't have to work overtime so I can hit the field and catch up on what's flying here.

~ Cat


This message was edited Mar 14, 2012 7:48 PM