Melanie I am growing loads of tropical MW so let me know later in the season if you need any.
Been giving it away at all my RUs and sending seeds and plants to every one I know...
DAILY PICTURES #101
USF Botanical Gardens is having their Butterfly Festival this weekend so I'm hoping to pick up some good native plants. Plus, I've been taking my "extra" Monarchs to MOSI where they still have plenty of milkweed (not sure how that's possible, LOL)!
Melanie
Have fun at the USF Botanical Gardens' Butterfly Fest. Melanie. I so wished I live near by. I'd enjoy the festival along with you.
I'll try to take lots of pictures so everyone on here can enjoy it, too!
Melanie
Thanks!:)
I'm looking forward to the weekend as well. Thanks Melanie. Oh, could anyone remind me, what's Queen Anne's Lace hostplant of? They're making a show down here at this time. Also, I've seen a Silver-spotted skipper, what's its hostplant please.
Eastern Black Swallowtails use Queen Anne's Lace. Silver Spotted Skippers use a variety of plants including wisteria, kudzu, butterfly pea, beggarweeds, and false indigo. In my yard they use the false indigo. http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/1613/
Melanie
Thank you Melanie. You've a wealth of knowledge on butterflies and their ways of life. Thank you for sharing.
I have a lot of good books that help out! But you're most welcome!
Melanie
Hi folks! Not too many butterflies today due to rain. I was looking at the Bug Files since today's Bug of the Day was a Monarch. Would you believe I found two photos that were a Viceroy and one that was a Palamedes Swallowtail? I reported them both as errors; hopefully, they can move them to the right bug because they were nice pictures. Let's all use our expertise to make sure the Bug Files are correct!
Melanie
Yes, errors are present. Unfortunately they request you contact the person that submitted the photo in question and politely ask that they ask it be moved to the proper category. That is hard to do when so many people aren't active members. Seems that some of the DG Ubers who are knowledgeable would have the access to review and change them. http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/hof.php
Good Luck!
This message was edited Jun 4, 2013 12:18 PM
Sheila, kennedyh moved the pics to the proper pages for me. They were nice pictures, just on the wrong page! It's good that we have a community where we can all educate each other and help out.
Melanie (my Spicebushes are getting bigger and bigger - more pictures soon!)
Here's a few pictures for everyone. First, a Duskywing that I saw the other day. I'm glad it was enjoying the porterweed. Dad weeded the front so most of the Spanish Needles are gone (for the moment); I'm glad it found another nectar source that it liked. Then, my Spicebush caterpillars were cuddling today, or maybe just annoying each other. Who can tell? And finally, my Zebra Longwings (which are safe to touch, despite the spikes) are eating the stem and not the leaves for some reason. I think maybe because the leaves wilt a lot faster and they can get more moisture from the stems. Polydamas love stems, too. They'll eat through the stem and knock all the leaves off a plant which can be kind of annoying if you're trying to not run out of food.
I can't remember if I posted this on here but I posted it on Facebook. Worms Way (www.wormsway.com) is selling insect frass for $55 for a 5lb bag. I think we need to put these caterpillars to work! Gotta find some way to pay for new plants, right?
Melanie
mellielong; I have my first Spicebush growing , Besides the Eastern SWT What hosts on yours? I know you have said before here , I'm only being lazy..
Funny, I was just looking at ordering some Spicebush from www.mailordernatives.com As far as I know, only the Spicebush ST eats it; in theory the Palamedes ST might since they eat nearly the same things but until I see one doing it I won't believe it. Glad to know you're growing some spicebush for the caterpillars. Shouldn't take them long to find it I would think.
Melanie
I wish mine was large enough to send you some , and further hope it gets large enough if any swallowtail larvae start chewing on it for food.
and I am still enjoying your photo's and all those here ,, great folks here ..
Just found this thread..............love all the photos! I am trying to learn all that I can about the butterflies.......... I don't even know the names of most of the ones I see.
Welcome gen2026! Feel free to drop in anytime; you'll learn a lot from us! If you get any pictures just post them and we'll be more than happy to identify them for you.
Melanie
Just dropped in to say I have made it through Tropical Storm Andrea. When Mom went to get the mail during a break in the rain, she even saw a Gulf Frit flying around. But I bet my caterpillars are happy they were inside through it all!
Melanie
Good to hear from you Mellie. I understand that it will only be a rain event for us. Sure wish I could send it somewhere it is REALLY needed.
My first Spicebush molted and turned green! Now he's a snake mimic instead of a poo mimic.
Melanie
Can someone tell me what this is?
Looks like a pupa - probably some kind of moth. They tend to go to the ground when they make their pupa.
Melanie
So should I just leave it alone? I uncovered it while weeding a bed that hasn't been touched in a couple of years and has gotten overgrown with bermuda........ :(
Melanie, I'm glad that the tropical storm didn't cause damage there. Congrats on your molted Spicebush snake mimic, cute little fella! Gena, welcome to the forum. I've to confess. I adore those Moths' caterpillar and pupae as well. I got myself a flat of Pentas just to attract those moth which I gathered it's Tersa sphinx moths. The adult moths will help pollinate angel trumpets and other night blooming flowers in the garden.
Gen, I would bring it in and put it in some tupperware and await its emergence, but that's just me. You could just tuck it back under some mulch or something and it should come out on its own just fine. Some moths can take months to come out though so make sure you remember where it is in case you're weeding again in the future.
Melanie
My dill plants look a little worse for the wear after all the rain we've had, but the sun was out today so hopefully everyone got a chance to soak up some sun and dry out a bit. I also rounded up seven more Monarch caterpillars throughout the yard. They'll get to go to MOSI this Sunday. I still don't have enough food for all of them.
Here's a constant visitor to my yard - the Gulf Fritillary. I've got caterpillars all over my Passiflora "Lavender Lady" and the butterflies are regular occupants in the garden.
Melanie
Nice pics Melanie. GFs have been strangely absent in my yard. I think I have had more blooms on my passiflora than ever this year because the GFs just aren't around to eat the plant. I was wondering where they all went!
Russell
Whew! It is so hot outside! And the humidity! I went to the Butterfly Fest today but I could only stay for about 35 minutes because I'm sick (Mom gave me her cold) and it was so hot outside. There were only about eight vendors so it didn't take too long. After, Dad I went to Byrd's Orchids in Lakeland who is having a going out of business sale. While waiting in line to pay I almost passed out! Luckily, they had a little bench and I sat down until it was my turn to pay. Dad helped by carrying a lot of the orchids, too.
For plants I got a different kind of coreopsis, another bronze fennel to add to my two, some blanket flowers, and some Giant Milkweed. The vendor only had four Giant Milkweed for $5 apiece. They were decent sized plants, too. I bought two, and as I was wandering the butterfly garden taking photos, a woman came up to Dad and asked where he got them. I told her and she went and bought the other two. Dad said she was from the Botanical Gardens so maybe she was buying it for them. It's not an easy plant to find but it feeds the little piggies so well! Plus, if you can get it to bloom it's really pretty.
Here's some photos I did manage to take. First up is a Monarch. Second is a Black ST caterpillar I found. Third is a Spicebush up in a tree. They were flying around and that was as close as I could get to getting one to sit still. Fourth is a Polydamas ST. They were really on the move but I managed to get one stopped on a Mexican Sunflower. And lastly, also on the Mexican Sunflower was a Zebra Longwing.
Ugh, I just took a break to go throw up my lunch. Yuck! Told you guys I was sick. At least maybe I can skip my workout today, LOL?
Anyway, back at the house, I spotted my own Zebra Longwing on jatropha (as usual). The Gulf Frit was checking out the Tampa Vervain. And finally, here's a shot of two eggs I brought home on the fennel.
Melanie (who hopes everyone feels better than her)
Had 3 out of 4 of our overwintered BST chrysalises eclose. The 4th still looks viable, so I'm still hopeful. Haven't seen any monarchs yet.
Not the best quality photos, but good subject matter. A BST cat fixing its sling. Look closely and you can see the silk.
Great pictures of the BST! Took them long enough to come out, right? I've still got one chrysalis left that overwintered and I can't remember what it is anymore. Maybe a Spicebush ST. It has a funny color to it though; not sure if it's viable but I'll keep it around until I need the tank it's in.
Melanie
@ Gen....Welcome! Nice looking pupa, and I agree it is probably a moth. If you want to find out which one just do like Melanie said, put some soil in a Tupperware large enough that it can crawl up the side when it emerges. During the month or so before, dampen the soil just slightly then let it dry before dampening it again. Lift the lid ever few days to avoid mold. Then you post pictures here and we can guess on what you ended up with!
@ others....great pics!!
Mom spotted an unusual Gulf Frit caterpillar today. Look how pale of an orange he is! He's almost yellow. Never seen one with such a color variation like that. Also, the Gulf Frit butterfly and the Zerba Longwing we're flying around as usual.
Melanie
I would definitely cage that odd looking frit to see if it is something different in some way when it emerges.
Mellie...your weird GF caterpillar looks more like a yellow zebra longwing caterpillar to me.
He's definitely a Gulf Frit because Zebra Longwings have dots on their head capsule which he doesn't have. Still, he's an odd one. I went ahead and brought him in so I can see if he turns into a mutant butterfly.
Also, his head capsule is the normal orange color which you can't see in the photo. It's just his body that's colored differently. Dad wants him to be a cool mutant so we can write it up in some journal and name it after me, LOL!
Melanie
This message was edited Jun 9, 2013 1:00 PM
In addition to the plants I bought yesterday, I did a little bit of internet shopping today. And I had more money in my Paypal account than I thought so that was nice! I bought a purple firespike because there's one at USF and the butterflies are always all over it. I didn't know what it was for a long time, but last time I was there I finally saw the little sign that said what it was. I also bought two Spicebushes, two Wooly Pipevines, and a Passiflora lutea. I had that passiflora a few years ago and I noticed the Zebra Longwings seemed to prefer it to the other passiflora. Plus, I have an empty trellis that needs something to cover it.
Melanie
My thought about the garden , is maybe some Monarch cats when I am shopping .
Maybe I can get them to return here ,,(sigh)
Some pretty Milkweed and no cat's of Monarchs , I never would of thought it possible when I was young.
and Not to be so depressing I have been seeing several BF's about the size of a penny ,some blue ,some white , Hairstreaks?
Try for pic's later I will
This message was edited Jun 9, 2013 10:47 PM