Interesting group and forum. I have been retired for many years but only started butterflies and moths sighting and observation in August. I had a great summer with over 90 species in my area but it is starting to really get slow. There are fewer flowers and we had cool 40 degree morn with sunny cool afternoon today. Still saw a number of BF and moths, mostly sunnning.. There are still active Gulf frits, Variegated frits and buckeyes as well as the plentiful skippers.
My flowers are down to mariegolds, lantana, wild verbena, mums, and wild asters.
Russell you need to save that photo for the photo contest next year
I was thinking the same thing! (about Russell's photo)
Welcome to the forum shorthog. Nice photos you have. We southerners keep the forum going through the winter so stick around and join us!
Melanie
I was thinking the same thing! (about Russell's photo)
Welcome to the forum shorthog. Nice photos you have. We southerners keep the forum going through the winter so stick around and join us!
Melanie
I was thinking of my earlier conversation with steady cam ,how about false nettle? Does it do well down Texas way?
I have a few plants that are suppose to have a lot of water and they are growing in the driest ,hottest part of the garden .
Any replies?any info? any suggestions?
One more question ,do any of you know of any Snapdragons that will take sun and heat?
Thanks Melanie for the invite. I have a lot to learn about butterfly gardening and cat rearing so I will stick around. Hopefully I can make positive contributions as well.
I got started on butterfly life this summer when I spotted a male Diana fritillary nectaring on my wild verbena and my followup identification investigation got me hooked.
Hello from my Zebra Longwing caterpillars!
Melanie
Despite the cool temperatures here, the butterflies were soaking up the sun and flying around. I saw a Zebra Longwing, a Gulf Fritillary, and a Long-Tailed Skipper.
Melanie
6 successful eclosures today! 3 queens and 3 monarchs. I took the habitat to work today and my coworkers were thrilled as they watched the BFs emerge one by one this morning. I also shared them with some of folks with intellectual and developmental disabilities who were tailgating at our office today - the newly emerged butterflies really made their day. You know, it is the little things that make me smile.
Russell
I agree Russell, the best things in life really are free. How nice of you to share the butterflies with everyone.
Melanie
Today is the day of the GF! They are absolutely devouring my passiflora. I counted 45 cats on the plant today.
1. GF cat and chrysalis
2. Monarch on Duranta
3. Longtail Skipper on Lantana
4. Double GF!
5. GF chrysalis closeup on the side of my shed.
I was also blessed with a few hummingbirds visiting today. I bet the cold front we are getting Sunday night will push the stragglers south.
Russell
I saw a last instar Monarch cat on my MW yesterday! That is the latest I remember seeing them. Hope it is able to make a chrysalis before the cold this next week.
I saw a last and a younger one today as well. Ive seen a lot of adults in the last week as well. We are usually about 10* warmer than y'all so maybe mine has a couple more weeks before the cold get's here.
Russell, your photos are really really wonderful! So clear and focused. I have trouble with that on my pictures.
This message was edited Nov 10, 2012 9:02 PM
Had a really busy day, Visited my son on Caney creek near Stilwell, OK. Spent about an hour midday observing butterflies. Sunny warm but very windy. Able to get pics of some but missed several including a monarch and a question mark. The monarch decided to head south as it soared away in the air current aloft with a buddy. The question mark flew down to check out a dainty sulphur which I had disturbed then headed for the top of a tree.
Still managed to photo sulphurs, tailed blue, Phaon crescent, variegated frit, snout, checkered skipper and the ever present Mr. buckeye.
Thanks Steadycam. I have learned some techniques along the way. The best tip I can give you is to take lots of pictures and throw away most of them! If I am shooting a fast moving critter, I shoot at a higher ISO with a short shutter speed. Those LT skippers are hard to catch up with in my yard because they move around so much. Swallowtails are difficult too because they are constantly moving their wings. The stationary (or nearly so) subjects like cats and chrysalis, I get very close and use a flash to fill in the shadows. Lighting makes a huge difference in the pictures.
Happy shooting!
I discovered quite a few cloudless sulphur cats on my candlestick plant yesterday too.
Nice variety, shorthog.
Russell
Nice pics everyone! Such a variety for this late in the year. I found another Monarch cat, saw the usual Zebra Longwings, and caught a Long-Tailed Skipper resting on one of my butterfly stakes.
I also saw a Barred Sulphur and a Gulf Fritillary but they were too elusive for my camera.
Melanie
Hi everyone! Hopefully, there's some lurkers out there reading this. Feel free to post guys, even if you don't have a picture. You can tell the rest if us how nice our pictures are, LOL!
I was perusing my orchid house when I noticed a Long-Tailed Skipper on the inside of the door. After I took his picture, I shooed him away to find more skipper friends. I also took another picture of that Monarch cat. He's gotten a lot bigger in the few days since I last saw him, but then again, he's also eaten a lot of my milkweed plant.
I'm raising another batch of Zebra Longwings but they're too small to be photo-ready.
Melanie
Way to go Melanie! Great find from within the orchid house. I haven't posted any lately for I don't have much to share. shorthog really has some cool photos along with Russell and you this time of year which is ...keeping us fuzzy and warm all over since we don't have the luxury of much butterflies here. Please keep those pics. coming folks, and thanks.
It has been below freezing here over night for several days. Most of my flowers are gone and so have the butterflies. I planted some blanket flowers at my daughter's house and the next day a vistor showed up during a sunny period. A lovely painted lady that nectared for at least an hour in the sun.
To my surprize, when I got home, two Gulf frits had eclosed in my cold garage. Several weeks ago I had placed these cats in a container ( my passion vine was devoid of leaves) and fed them passion leaves for a couple of days. Once they pupaed I forgot about them. Now I have two Gulfs going out into the really cold world. How do I get them to over winter next time.
I've never known a Gulf Frit to overwinter. Sometimes you just have to release them and hope for the best. I had to do that with a Cloudless Sulphur last year and unfortunately it died (I found it at the bottom of the tree where I had placed it to dry and bask). Hopefully, they'll move in a southerly direction, but all we can do is let nature run its course.
Melanie
I had a nice surprise today as one of my Zebra Longwings emerged! I also found another Zebra Longwing caterpillar on the passion vine.
Melanie
Love the Zebra LW, Mel. Those are beautiful. My passion vine is completely without leaves. The GF's have eaten every leaf off the plant. I wonder what the remaining cats will do. I don't have anything else for them to eat. Maybe they shouldn't have deposited so many eggs on this particular plant!
It has been overcast the last few days, and the light has been terrible. This one is from the 4th. It is an interesting angle of a Queen on the coral porterweed.
Russell
Yakmon, what a nice pic of a Queen. Looks like she was nectaring and sunning. All those spots give her a 3D effect. The Gulfs consumed all the leaves from my eight foot passion vine in August. I moved some cats to another plant but I assume many died from lack of food.
The cold weather here,west central AR, has wiped out the annual flowers except for a few marigolds and pansies. Only a few butterflies and some are really beaten up. I saw GFs, variegated frits, Sachem and Clouded skippers, and a poor worn out buckeye this afternoon either sunning or nectaring marigolds.
Shorthog, if the cats were good size, they more than likely crawled off and made their chrysalis if the plant was not enough to support them. They will over-winter most likely and you will have them again in the spring. Look for a 'blue crown' passiflora. It is evergreen and will be ready for you earlier in the spring.
Found a couple of cats on the candlestick plant today. Definitely sulphurs, but I am not sure of the type. Looks like 2 different kinds to me.
I see some BFs outside! Time for more pics.
Russell
Russell, you've got an Orange Barred Sulphur on the left and the other is a Cloudless Sulphur. They often share the same host plants. Congrats!
Melanie
Wow...they are swarming today!
Russell
More
Even more!
Dang Russell, that's a lot of butterflies!
I've got two Zebra Longwings ready to be released and a third that should be eclosing any time now. I took a picture of one of the ones in my yard. Also, the Monarch cat is still on the Giant Milkweed and getting bigger. Finally, a Long-Tailed Skipper was enjoying my porterweed.
Also saw a Gulf Frit and a very fast Cloudless Sulphur. Too fast for Melanie to be chasing in platform sandals, LOL!
Really great pics Melanie and Russell. Makes me want to go deep south for a winter vacation of BFs. Sunny 62 today but only a few BFs. I was surprized to see a Pearl crescent still around.
Cliff
Just a couple of butterfly pics today - a Gulf Frit and a Monarch. I also saw a Long-Tailed Skipper, a White Peacock, and a ton of Cassius Blues.
Melanie
Melanie and Russell, you folks must live in Butterfly paradise.
I bought a bunch of perennial blanket flowers at a local nursery last week. Now I have flowers and some BFs. Cool but sunny today.The usual Gulfs and skippers but a nice American lady and a checkered skipper showed up to nectar the yellow gaillardia and marigolds.
Shorthog, if the cats were good size, they more than likely crawled off and made their chrysalis if the plant was not enough to support them. They will over-winter most likely and you will have them again in the spring. Look for a 'blue crown' passiflora. It is evergreen and will be ready for you earlier in the spring.
Wow wonderful butterfly photos, Melanie, Russell and Cliff. And welcome Cliff, you can keep posting those wonderful pics. Love them!
Been cooling a bit here in Central FL, some nights have been as low as upper 40's, but still have a few sulphur cats on the Cassia tree that are nice sized (they are such beautiful caterpillars). I don't see anymore GF or Zebra cats on the passiflora....think my cats are done for the season. Still have butterflies fluttering around during the day though. ☺
I was camping all last week and got back to see my butterfly photo won third place in the photo contest...I don't mean to toot my own horn, but I am so excited, there were so many wonderful photos and I never expected to win a top spot. I really just can't believe it, since I just have an old Nikon 4800 point and shoot camera. That field of butterflies is my favorite place in the fall, I could spend all day out there just watching them.
-Sherri
Toot your horn loudly; that's a beautiful picture! Congrats!
Melanie
Okay, okay, I'll help out. Toot, toot, toot! A job well done Sherri. Congrats from me also.
Georgeous TST pic Sherri! Great shots everyone else...been busy and lurking for a bit.
I did raise and release my first little Sleepy Orange (I think) yesterday. Here is my pics of it.
Wooohooo, congrats on your success. What's a cutie!!! It has been a beautiful day here, though I can only spot one skipper, a Sulphur and one G.F.
