The polys are cute Melanie, the pipevine I am raising do the same. Momma lays the eggs close together and they feed side by side until they get pretty big.
Daily Butterfly (etc.) Pictures. #95
oooo....would love to have some GST or Pipevine babies!!
I did spot this TST trying to hide up in a tree!
It fun to see so many are having lots of butterflies. Like many of you I've been seeing a lot of Red Admirals.
One Question Mark, and some Cabbage White. I saw a tiny white one, in my crab tree this morning.
My Polyphemus Moth have been popping out of their cocoons. I have 3 more to release tonight. 2 male and a female. My Black Swallowtail didn't make it.
First one is of the female.
second one, is the male.
Oh how I'd like to see any type of cats. around here. None, zip, zil, nada! Burn, how neat on the Polyphemus Moths. Congrats. So sorry the BSTs didn't make it. Thanks everyone for sharing yours. I saw some Yellow and black form STs but too far to take any pics.
ooooooohhhhh the Polyphemus moths are beautiful! I could go on, but just....wow.
'night all.
Thanks Mellie for that link to Monarhc parasites, I book marked it for future reference. :)
I was hoping maybe one of you or Dale could identify this for me. I do not recall seeing it before and I am over run by them this year. I think the pic with the open wings is on my other camera. When the wings are open, it has a short 'tail' like a bird that is solid black with white along the edge. Anyone recognize it? I'm down in my back or would go get the other camera. I'll post it as soon as I am up and around.
You're most welcome!
All my Polydamas have hatched and are munching away. I keep thinking about them getting bigger and what I'm gonna do - I hope I have enough Pipevine! If not, I know a good nursery. The Giant ST eggs I found have hatched. My Giant ST cats are getting to be quite giant; one gut purged today so soon they'll all be doing it, LOL!
Melanie
I don't remember the name of this little guy, but they were talking about it on Oklahoma Gardening on the Public Service channel Saturday. He is just cute as a button!!!!
Cool! Looks like a Crescent of some kind. I'm not sure which ones live in OK. Checkerspots can be similar, too; I saw one in WV but don't see them down here in FL. They're a little bigger than Crescents, though.
Melanie
Looks like a Pearl Crescent to me. http://davesgarden.com/guides/bf/go/538/ They have a varied list of host plants and we see them every year here.
Crit -- your first picture is a Catocala moth, I'm guessing Catocala ilia, which has a couple of common names: The Beloved Underwing; the Wife; Ilia Underwing. There are more than 100 species of Catocala moths across the US and they can be quiet variable. They'll be visiting your tray of rotted fruit or brew during the night and tend to find some shadowy shelter during the day -- usually people notice them on their patio, etc. You can tell from the mottled patterns on their wings how well they "disappear" when they land on the trunk of a tree, where they usually spend the day. Sheila nailed the id on the second picture - Pearl Crescent.
Dale Clark
Dallas County Lepidopterists' Society
www.dallasbutterflies.com
Thank you Dale and Sheila, for those I.Ds. yesterday I found this Yellow Tigerswallowtail. A good day it was.
Okay guys, what's likely to be laying egg on this purple datura's leave please?
Mellie what to GST eat, I have them flying around my garden almost everyday, but I've never seen the cats on anything.
Crit nice shots, and Lily great shot of the tiger swallow, they are abundant down here, the dark and yellow.
Yesterday saw my first Zebra longwing, my purple passi's are opening and probably the reason...but try as I might could not photograph it.
Also had the oleander moth flying around me, they are so striking...I forget what it is called....the one that looks like a wasp.
My bleeding heart attracts butterflies and hummers daily.
Lily go to the plant, hopefully not this beetle>>>http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/49910/#b
Lovely plant. I had winter sown this successfully in Feb04 and it germinated in Apr04. Have had a few occurances of three lined potato beetle trouble; the beetle lays it's yellow eggs on the underside of the leaf and when the larvae hatch, they begin to devour the leaf; very nasty looking. The first occurance was back in Jun04, and it's been fine until today, Aug04. Found one beetle and one cluster of eggs; promptly destroyed both... post by...flamingonut
This message was edited May 23, 2012 10:13 AM
Giant STs eat plants in the citrus family along with the herb rue. That's what I feed them in my garden. The caterpillars are known as "Orange Dogs" because of their love of citrus; they can be a minor pest to citrus farmers. In the wild they eat things like wild lime and Hercules' Club.
Watch out on the datura - it might be tobacco hornworms. Datura is in the nightshade family along with tomatoes.
Melanie
Thanks Mel. We no longer have our orange tree, but several in the area, they must just come for the nectar in my garden then...I have no more room now for another citrus tree.
Did anybody else try to start the FL paintbrush from seed?
Very interesting seedling. I am about to plant them out tomorrow. Seed leaves small oval and then leaves like a monocot! weird.
I'm not a botanist, but the first leaves make it look like a grass. Still small, only 3" high. Guess I'm going to plant them high and dry.
We had big rain overnight so no Bflies today, but many other pollinators. Hummers also - have a boy/girl pair coming regularly.
Thanks for the ID on my pictures Dale and Sheila. I thought the one looked like a moth, but it is out during the day here too. Here is a pic I caught of it at my butterfly feeding tray.
What is the 2nd butterfly? They seem to travel in pairs and are like hyper active children, they never stop. I was very lucky to get this pic before it sprinted off again.
Patti
No Amanda, I didn't. Heard so much about Florida paintbrush. Looking forward to see your photos of the lovely plants. Mel, thanks for the headup on those Tomatoes hornworm. I don't get any kind of caterpillar here, I'm going to raise that little thing. lol I read that it takes the eggs average 5 days to hatch. I'm waiting.
Haa! Have I a Peakock butterfly here?
Patti...pretty fancy undergarment it has too! The second is a varigated fritillary or another frit relative.
Lily..that is my favorite bf you have there! It is a buckeye, aren't they lovely?
That Buckeye sure looks happy on all those flowers! Oh, and that is a Variegated Fritillary.
Speaking of Fritillaries, I have the Gulf Frit laying eggs all over my passiflora. I also took a picture of one of my Giant ST cats in my hand so you can see how big they get. They're rue-eating monsters!
Melanie
I noticed you just cut and put the rue in the cage, you must have a lot of it. I try not to waste to wilting because I have run out in the past. This last year I planted several more and also started some from seed. This year unlike the years past, I have not even seen a GST or BST in the yard. But for the first time I have Pipevines!! The Monarchs are still drifting in but not like in years prior...hope some of those you are releasing in FL multiply up north and some will take the Texas route in the fall.
Sheila, they eat it faster than it wilts. Plus, my rue made some babies last fall so now I have four of them. I haven't seen any Black STs either, but that's not too unusual. Congrats on the Pipevine STs! I wish I had some of those; they're so cool. I'll tell the Monarchs where to go and how to get there, but they rarely seem to listen, LOL!
Melanie
Thank Sheila on the Buckeye i.d. Mel, the GST cat! It's a big fella! LOL I don't believe I've seen those butterflies around here, though I've some citrus growing in containers here.
I saw several more butterflies today! First it was a little Pearl Crescent (I think), then a Sulphur, then finally several of these RSP? These kept coming into the garage for some reason?
I just bought and planted some Florence Fennel and Rue. I also have some regular fennel that I am growing from seed. I need to get some dill plants out also. I would love to get a passi to grow on my fence. There is a wild alfalfa type plant that is a vine growing in the alleyway on my neighbors fence that the bf's love. I pulled some up and planted it on my fence and it seems to be taking hold.
I am jealous of the Red Spotted Purple Lily! I have never had one of those....YET anyway!
We usually have LOTS of RSP's here. I love them, they are so pretty. I've seen several large dark bf's, but I think they are most likely the Morning Cloaks, which I have never had before! We had to cut down the large pink mimosa that was right next to the house that they loved, but have some probably 50 yards from the house so I may just not be seeing them like I did when the tree was close.
If anyone is interested in a passiflora lutea/yellow flower I will dig one up for you while it's small and ship for postage. I don't recall what it's native range is, but they are for me right here - you will have to fight with the birds if you hope to gather some seed. I got some seed, but some were green and not sure if they were viable from last season, but i did ship them to a DG member in trade:
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/58221/
I just transplanted my P. incarnata into the ground from containers this spring and they are just beginning to link themselves to the chain link fence, so it's not the best time Patti, but let me know if you need one from me. I grew them from seed - PAINFUL! - about 3 seasons ago.
Q: I'd read that rue is toxic or can cause inflammation/pain when handling it - has anyone experienced this? Do I really need to wear gloves?
Hope everyone has a relaxing weekend.
A.
I have not experienced a problem with Rue, but then I usually wash my hands before & after dealing with plants I am feeding my caterpillars.
I always wash my hands after handling rue because it is so stinky! But I haven't had any problems with it and I'm allergic to just about everything.
Melanie
Thanks Melanie and Sheila - Melanie - were you the one who posted a picture of a butterfly on "Spanish Needles?"
Funny - I saw this plant in a pot of lantana and couldn't figure out what it was. I bought the lantana so I could also have the noxious weed. When you said Spanish needle I looked it up and that must be it - Bidens alba.
Am I crazy? Is it a butterfly magnet? Should I pull it out? I planted it individually and though the foliage is looking better, it does not have abundant flowers.
A.
Bidens alba is one of those plants I love to hate. The seeds will stick all over your socks and it will grow anywhere there's a bare space, but the butterflies LOVE it! It's also a host plant for the Dainty Sulphur. I get a lot of the smaller butterflies on it like skippers, hairstreaks, blues, buckeyes, etc. Of course, where you live it will probably freeze back so maybe it won't be quite as prolific as it is down here. Just watch out for those seeds - they feel like little needles in your socks! That plant is one of the reasons I tell people to let a patch of their yard get a little weedy if they can; often, the weeds are the best butterfly attractors since they evolved together.
Melanie
I missed when the thread moved, oops. Love the pics ,I've seen some QM and PL but a small black skipper with white spots something like a swallowtail has me puzzled. I know I have seen a picture of it but just can't remember the name. First time I have seen this one,about the size of my pinky from my nail to my first knuckle.Real little guy . Only pretty for a skipper, more so than usual.
Yes Amanda. I would love to have starts of your plants. Just let me know.
The yellow passiflora sounds pretty. I'm also looking for a purple one. I love purple flowers!
Patti - they did flower last season. I don't think they flowered the first season from seed. Want to join on to Susie's swap for June and be partners there? :D
Melanie - thanks for that tidbit on the spanish needles - how timely your picture and your comment were - right when I brought that weed and that lovely lantana home from the store. You have heard me blather about my native plants, and I agree about the weedy patch of the yard. I wish more people would, but it's a hard sell. My favorite and most helpful publication for identifying most of what grows wild around here is from the University of FL dept of agriculture/cooperative extension and it's called "Weeds of Southern Turfgrass." If it doesn't have a flower or it's noxious and invasive it comes out. OR if it's a known host plant or something like that I'll leave it - even lately I've been "weeding" and I have left the white clover stay in the beds as well as the yellow oxalis that spreads by runners.
I have been trying to grow purple prairie clover and don't know why it's been difficult. Also - can you believe for some reason I cannot grow ratibida!? -sigh- Probably soil issues. Since I've found a nice light seed starting mix my results are improving, but I'm out of seed for ratibida. O well. Maybe next year! :)
Hope everyone enjoys their weekend! Does everyone have Monday off?
I don't get any days off anymore....I am retired! LOL!
I don't get any days off anymore either, Sheila -- I'm self-employed!
Dale Clark
Dallas County Lepidopterists' Society
www.dallasbutterflies.com