This photo was sent to me by Bruce in North Dakota...a Hackberry on a statue of Jesus. Love it...and had to share!!!
Daily pictures #100!
Russell....Love seeing the new generation of Monarchs headed our way! I have MW and ready for any spring visitors.
Spring has sprung. A couple of warm days and rain expected. Lots of butterflies in the area. Sulphurs, Orangetips, Mourning cloaks, Red admirals and Black swallowtails. But the buterflies are very flighty and hard to approach except for some of the Red admirals which are protecting their turf or looking for mates.
Both female and male BST's were seen on wild verbena and easy to photograph..
good grief shorthog, it looks like you are in butterfly heaven with all the diversity you have been showing us. it looks like you have at least one (hopefully two) of everything...must make the winter wait worth it, yes? that 2nd bst is a knockout of a photo!
Great camo on the Orange tip!
Yes, Sheila. That one was very freshly eclosed. Beautiful dark colors. With the wind we have blowing, you should have some in your area soon.
Happy hunting!
Russell
I was pretty tired so I didn't spend too much time at the museum today, but I did want to share this picture of a Pipevine Swallowtail basking in the sun. Their blue, shimmery scales are so beautiful.
I also brought in to my house about a dozen Monarchs from my garden. They're probably second instars judging from the size. I usually wait until they get a little bigger but there was a spider and another unknown bug on the milkweed so I figured I better bring them in and keep them safe.
Melanie
I enjoy the pics and this thread so very much , planted a Spicebush yesterday HOPEFUL !!
I always say, if you plant it, they will come! I planted a sassafras tree for my Spicebushy friends!
Melanie
I have been thinking about a Prickly ash . I will try to keep one small for a while .. If and or when I plant one , shortly.. Honeyvine milkweed grows on the apple tree no mater the controls and I planted some under the clematis , It grows around one I have already and does not not seem to bother them.
My version of creating a hideout for Monarchs I get lots of SWT's , not so many MONARCHS any more but four or five new ones are four or five new ones .
This message was edited Mar 31, 2013 2:14 PM
I need to get a Spicebush!! Hope we will be seeing some BF's soon as the weather begins to finally warm up!!
Pretty PVST Mel!
I've got eighteen Monarch caterpillars in the house right now munching away on milkweed. I think the Florida population is secure! I learned while watching "Flight of the Butterflies" that one caterpillar needs eighteen inches of milkweed to become an adult. So plan accordingly! And thanks to all the folks out west who are planting milkweed to help those migrating Monarchs!
Melanie
Well on the east coast we are still cold and wet. Not butterfly season yet though I keep talking to the BST in my outside closet. :)
I've started two kinds of tropical ME, some swamp MW and some A. Physocarpa. I decided this year to focus completely on the monarch assuming that the more MW available the more eggs that may be laid. I've got well over 100 seedlings. I don't have enough ground space so I guess I'll be doing some container gardening this year as well. Russell knows I'm sending MW seed free to any friend who asks for it on FB. Seems like such an easy cause to support, supportive if most people don't bring them in to rear them.
Last year I observed crab spiders "hiding" on top of zinnia flowers. Not okay! Pesky lil buggers. Why can't they eat aphids?!
Juhur, nice to see you here on the butterfly thread. Last year I rooted a spicebush offshoot from one I planted at a library garden I used to tend. We had red spotted purples last year hosting on a very sad looking cherry tree, so this year I've driven tree spike/fertilizer to help the tree along. I've also grown from seed Passion flower vines hoping, but I never see any signs of munching.
Russell, with all this milkweed, do you think I will have time for sulphurs? Haven't started the senna yet.
Mel, thanks for keeping me satiated with butterfly pictures and tales over the winter. It's turning out to Be a long one.
Haha...get busy Amanda! I raise all the butterflies together, and they don't seem to mind a bit.
Good luck. Russell
Found four more Monarch cats today. I also got egged again. I had to split the caterpillars into two tanks there are so many. The bigger ones were annoying the little guys and vice versa. I love the Monarchs, but I hope I get some swallowtails soon!
Melanie
In the thought of we miss what we do not have (or any we have not seen in a while ) I am just being a little jealous of your BF haves (cats also)while I am enjoying it!!
Nice !!!^_^
Mel, what's your set up for Monarchs? Every year I change mine up, but I'd like to have something more predictable.
Aquarium tanks? Have lots of those.
A.
I use plastic Critter Keepers you can buy at the pet store. I put cheesecloth over the top to keep the little ones from escaping. Plus, they really like to make their chrysalis up in the cheesecloth. I guess it's easy for their feet to cling to. At the museum we use aquarium tanks with screened lids.
Melanie
Finally warmed up. Lots of butterfles flying about looking for mates or chasing away rivals. Still only limited flowers and green plants available. Red bud trees are starting to bloom. Hopefully, I will see a Henry's Elfin for a first.
I was surprized to see several common buckeyes and tiger swallowtails today. Time for planting some host plants and crossing fingers against a late frost.
Saw lots of butterflies today but didn't get too many pictures. One of my tanks of Monarchs got poisoned, I think. I was feeding the bigger ones only the Giant Milkweed I bought not too long ago and they all started leaking fluid and their intestines were coming out their anus. Not pretty. Luckily, my other two tanks are doing fine.
In photos today I have a Cassius Blue, one of those little skippers (maybe a Whirlabout?), a Gulf Frit that was flying around my passiflora, a look at my Monarchs in the Critter Keeper, and a Monarch that has a yellow and black tubercle. I'd never seen one that wasn't all black. I guess he's a mutation.
Also saw a Buckeye, a Cloudless Sulphur, Zebra Longwing, and a Checkered White (which rarely come to my garden so it was very odd to see one).
Melanie
Mellie, sad to hear about the sick cats. It is my understanding from published info that the amount of milkweed toxin, cardiac glycoside, varies by milkweed species and environmental factors and at high levels the toxin can be lethal to early instar Monarch cats. But your sick cats were in late instar and may have experenced some other cause for their demise such as bacterial. It would be of value to know what caused them to become unhealthy so quickly.
Lots of butterflies out yesterday but today is cloudy so none are out. Saw several first of the season, Spicebush swallowtail, Pearl crescent, Phaon crescent, Painted lady, and Tailed blue.
We finally are warming up here. It was 74 yesterday and I saw a Mourning Cloak!!
I haven't seen a Mourning cloak in two seasons , They use to come to the Hyacinths as early as February. Of course I did not count or have many of any last year , Monarchs were not the only low numbers , at least here anyway .
Of course i will keep adding places and plants for them , making discs to record them and generally watching them .
juhur....look up the host plants for the MC and see if maybe someone cut those trees down, etc. Also, they may have sprayed them, which would kill any cats there.
Great variety, shorthog!
I found two more Monarch cats while picking food today. I'm thinking my Giant Milkweed must have been treated with a pesticide because only those caterpillars died. Everyone else is head-bopping and crawling all over each other. My local nursery is usually really good about not using pesticides but her supplier may have done so without her knowing. Anyhow, in about two weeks I'm going to have a ton of Monarch butterflies.
Melanie
glad to see things picking up. I saw an Eastern tiger Swallowtail today in my yard.
Later I had an appt with a park ranger to discuss a prescribed burn at a state park about an hour north of here. I saw blue azures in abundance and watched an as yet unidentified species land on a gravel trail. Will update when I figure out what it was.
I'd better get my camera fixed!!!!
A.
No pics. from me, but I've seen both the dark form swallowtail, and the yellow tigerswallowtail this past weekend. More Sulphurs as well. Let's spring begins!
Redbuds are blooming so Spring is here. Tigers are on the prowl. Yesterday, several eastern tiger swallowtails were nectaring wild verbena next to a rural road. I have verbena in my backyard flower bed that I hope they will notice.
Oh, what pretty pictures of the Eastern Tiger ST!
When I got home today I had to feed the piggies (Monarchs) yet again. I found three more, but two were just first instar babies. There were two Monarchs flying around my milkweed. I later saw the male nectaring on my duranta.
Melanie
Here's a few first instar Mourning Cloak larvae. Mourning Cloaks lay their eggs in masses (sometimes up to a couple of hundred at a time). Early instars feed together and then by the last instar they disperse to feed alone.
Dale Clark
Dallas County Lepidopterists' Society
www.dallasbutterflies.com
Wow! Creepy crawlies. Thanks Dale. Will you send me an image by email so I can share? I do environmental education for the masses via social networking.
A.
amandaesq@aol.com
My first BST emerged this morning. :)
A.
Lucky you for the Mourning Cloaks Dale...can you tell me what plant they are on and what your climate zone is? Thanks so much!
Very helpful Dale....Thanks from me too!!
Lepfarmer, thanks for the Mourning cloak cat pic and info.
Now I have an idea of what to look for when in the wild woods of west central Arkansas. Althought developers are busy bull dozing trees in my area, there are numerous host trees of willow, cottonwood, elm, and hackberries still available.
Mourning cloaks are abundant this Spring and are very busy chasing and looking for mates. They fly like birds and are gorgeous BF's.
Mourning Cloaks are one of my favorites. The ones in this photo are feeding on American Elm (Ulmus americana), although the female oviposited on Black Willow (Salix nigra). Here's a photo of what a later instar looks like. Vitrsna, I'm in Zone 8a.
Dale Clark
Dallas County Lepidopterists' Society
www.dallasbutterflies.com
It looks like i'm just a bit below the west coast range for this beauty. It does appear to range farther south but in the interior mountain areas. We might have occasional sitings but not much serious activity...too bad but i guess there are compensations.
Dale,
That's a heck of a lot of caterpillars!
We've had a few MC sightings here in the LRGV.
FYI - the butterfly festival will be Nov 2 - 5, 2013.