okay, i'm not smart. i just occasionally have extra time to look through pictures. lol.
But I DO love that book.
DAILY PICTURES #108
Just purchased new milkweed plants. Are the attached eggs Monarchs or other insect. Don't want to contaminate my Monarchs that are growing, or start a new enclosure with something I really don't want. Advice please. Dorothy
Looks like milkweed aphids to me. Monarch eggs will be a single whitish bump.
milkweed , monarch eggs I hope I got the pic order correct . I have seen four Monarchs today , thinking two were the ones I released ?
Today 4 eggs , darn milkweed beetles got a row before me ,,,
So how do I get the aphids off. Will just water do. And if there are Monarchs on the plants will they be washed off also. Please advise. Thank you.
floridagardener; If you can see those little monarch eggs ,, I take the aphid off with my finger and thumb and wash with alcohol .. (my hand gets washed)
Otherwise cloth and soapy water , but that is me here and I am rather new at this ,even though I have been growing milkweed for decades ..
Problem with growing milkweeds for Monarchs ,, sometimes you get the wrong Bugs ...
BCH ,, their back ,, how nice is that ? ^_^
This message was edited Jun 30, 2014 6:22 PM
Nice collection of eggs Ju. I still can't find the two I was sure I saw the gal oviposit. oh well, i'll be out of town for a while and couldn't raise them anyway.
It's been pretty slow for butterflies the past few days. One red admiral and one cabbage white. pbbbttt.
Mrs_Ed Thank you and I am hoping for more of them , If I can raise about 20 . maybe half will return early next year ,,? Then dozen after dozens of them ... Oh Well ,, I can Hope ,,lol
I am seeing a lot of skipper no Silver Spotted though ,
Very few Swallowtails this year
Red Admirals a few times a week that I see ,, A hummingbird Moth and an actual Hummingbird were in the garden a while ago ..
More moths than I can count right sundown the past few days ..
floridagardner...everyone who grows Asclepias of whatever species and in an organic way, also gets yellow aphids in the process. I don't hose them off, i hand squish and it works really well, Also the lady beetles take care of them and will also occasionally eat a Monarch egg or newly hatched. In my experience this is not common and the lady beetles appear to have a preference for the chubby yellow aphids (so they do more good than harm...my experience) and i don't discourage them. The aphids come and go. Also i use cotton swabs to easily pick them off the plants. The aphids will readily stick to the swabs (expecially if lightly soaked in alcohol). I've never seen them destroy a plant...just one of life's little inconveniences (like washing dishes, say)
J7, nice to hear that you have butterfly visitors. The Silver spotted skippers have been abundant here this year. One shows up in my backyard and ovipost eggs on a young black locust. Yesterday at a nearby creek, I saw one along with a lady Diana frit, red banded hairstreak, and snowberry clearwing on a button bush. Have to show everyone the bird, a Painted bunting, on the road to the creek.
All you folks raising and caring for Monarchs are wonderful stewards of nature. Monarchs have a future.
I've really become addicted to raising butterfly caterpillars. Very fascinating hobby. Have more milkweed, got rid of the aphids. Now, are these Monarch eggs. If they are I'm really excited now.
Have two chrysalis of cats that were id as southern black swallowtail. Hope these are good pics. Can't wait for the butterfly to emerge.
floridagardener Yes it is a nice science hobby , only takes a few minutes . and you get to help out some not so secure wildlife ..
Those look like monarch eggs to me!!! ,, you will know in 3 or 4 days when they hatch ,,
Cats won't be much bigger than the eggs for a few minutes ,, but the leaves with these little white worms on them while they disappear like a glass of tea will tell you ..
Floridagardener,
Woohoo! you are hooked! just like the rest of us.
Can't wait to find some eggs or cats soon!
Thank y'all for the encouraging words. Looking forward to butterflies.
C_A_ Ivy The Snowberry Clearwing is what I always had been taught was a Hummingbird Moth , I saw one yesterday ,,
Love the little Hairstreak , very few of that one have I ever seen ,
The Diana Frit , we don't get here ,, really nice to see pics ,, thank you
Good luck to bean and gardener ,, hope you have great success !!!^_^
Hi Mrs. Ed...I was taking a look (on Amazon) at Kaufman's Field Guide of North American Butterflies. I looked at the table of contents and at the back of the book. There doesn't seem to be an introduction. I am wondering if you have seen anything in the book about butterflies of Mexico being included? I have run into this problem with other field guides that say "of North America". Mexico is geographically "North America", although many people don't seem to know that. Some of the guides will say "North America, but not including Mexico". Have you seen any clarification regarding this? In the Table of Contents i see some butterflies being mentioned that i think do not occur in the USA, so i expect his book may be more inclusive than most. Also i have the Swift Guide to Mexico and Central America butterflies (as well as some internet sites) to amend what Kaufman may be missing for me. If you see any mention of if/how butterflies of Mexico are included, i would appreciate knowing. Thank you!
Mrs. Ed...No, it wasn't the Table of Contents i looked at but rather the Index
I'll make some scans and send to your private mail.
I made a long post here , talking about seeing more Monarchs than in a dozen years here , then it disappeared , . oh well
Seeing one or two a day besides the home garden ,,
Today a while ago ;
Hiya,
I need help....I found 2 Promethea moth caterpillars today at a rest area in NC. I took them home with some tulip tree leaves ( what I found them on, on the ground)for food and and a twig. After some online research I figured they are in the 4th instar. They will be ready to coccoon soon and I don't know what to provide. Do they have to hang? does it have to be a tuliptree stem? how long til they emerge? Will they eat anything else besides the tulip tree leaves? Any other info I need to know? I am very excited! I am beginning to really appreciate the beauty of moths. Now that I look for them I am rewarded by their many forms,colors and sizes.
Sorry, can't do pics just yet, need camera batteries. I will post them asap!
I don't know .. but I found this on BugGuide.net Promethea Moth etc, Spicebush Moth
larvae feed on leaves of apple, ash, basswood, birch, cherry, lilac, maple, sassafras, sipcebush, sweetgum, tulip-tree (1); also recorded on buttonbush, magnolia, and other trees
adults do not feed
Now that the Senecio confusus is blooming there are suddenly more butterflies...some old friends showing up and some new ones. Here are two old friends...a Banded Peacock, and a Zebra Heliconian. Also a variety of skippers including a mating pair under a Dalechampia d. leaf (no photo). I am anxiously awaiting blooming Verbenas and a second planting of Tithonia, and a second planting of single Zinnias. It is good to see the momentum picking up.
Oh I love longwings!
Had two Red Admirals and a Monarch today, plus a cabbage white now and then. Zinnias are popping and the Monarda too. So, let's get this show on the road!!!
Although Summer Azure (Celastrina neglecta) is widespread throughout north Texas, it is never abundant. It's been a couple of years since I've even seen one. So I was pleased this evening when a female visited my yard. I was working at cleaning up my potting shed and tables when I saw it out of the corner of my eye. Grabbed the camera and snapped a couple pictures. I've kept a list of species that have visited my property and this Summer Azure was #108. This is the third species I've added to my list this year. Things are looking good that I might hit #110 by first frost.
Dale Clark
Dallas County Lepidopterists' Society
www.dallasbutterflies.com
R-rated monarch photos from this morning! Nice to see, and we have lots and lots of milkweed for her.
What a beauty Dale!
Thought I was seeing more mating activity, but this is two males. Never seen this before. Are they fighting, or confused?
Oh, BCH...a male Monarch will try to mate with a telephone pole if that is the only thing around. Let's just say they have a strong life force to reproduce and are willing to experiment. A few years ago i had an adult male Monarch trying to inseminate a Giant Swallowtail PUPA that was on the wall and in position for making a chrysalis. I caught that rascal at it twice...no doubt about what he was doing. Here are a couple of long-tail skippers nectaring on Asclepias c. and Senecio c.
Just realized the last set of photos didn't go. Here are the two males mating
BCH Well maybe their practicing on becoming worms , No sexes , all reproduction ..
Here's an unusual here Variegated Fritillary
Euptoieta claudia
Not a good pic , was not letting me near ,, not often a visitor although not rare ..
Red admirals are summer hatching three or four today , Whites (Cabbage) Summer Azure ,Pearl Crescent
All making appearances today ..
Aha ! Now for another Question???
What as Monarch eggs went into my container at the beginning of the week , There is this little tiny thing that looks black , about 1/4 the size of a small tiny ant , and moves like an inch worm ..
Is that what a hatching Monarch cat looks like ? Who has my magnifying lenses to see them with ,, sheesh ,, T- I- N-Y ... oh well ,, hoping ...
Probably is, Ju. Tiny is the word. I cant see the newly hatched without a magnifier. It doesn't go very far if it's a baby Monarch so just keep watching. It will eventually will get big enough to see.
Thank you Steady ^_^ There are probably a dozen crescent chewed leaves out in the garden ,
looked over that got ate , the caterpillars ,
Yesterday the same crescent was in my container leaves , I gave them a couple of fresh small joint leaves from my plants anyway .
I saw a couple of swallowtails early this season , none since the pic a while ago ..
I am really delighted with the monarchs and some of the info you have all given here ..
Bohemeria seedlings , more Red Admirals for next year .. ^_^ Maybe Question Marks too ?
I forgot ; Maybe I will get to see Milbert's Tortoise shell someday ,, they use the Nettles also ,, so I read anyway ..
This message was edited Jul 4, 2014 10:38 PM
J7, your garden is a jungle, a butterfly haven, beautiful and I love it.
Just got more milkweed for the Monarchs. Have aphids on the milkweed. Was advised at the garden nursery to use blue dawn mixed with water and spray. Will that harm the cats or just get rid of the aphids. Thank you.
Another question. Have three chrysalis of black swallowtails, but, two of them are brown and one is green. Is there a reason for this that anyone is aware of? Please advise. Thank you.
C_A_Ivy I was trying to get pics before answering . The Frit was back today , Red Spotted Purple flew past , and Red Admirals are bouncing around ,, Yes there is place I don't weed often , Animals and BF's seem to enjoy that Jungle , Hummingbirds will set and rest there ,, once in a while ..
Florida ) Might be leaf Quality , the use to roll up Chrysalis
floridagardener...caterpillars have small holes that run the length of their bodies, a little bit above the legs...you can see the holes on the larger caterpillars. They use the holes to breathe. If the holes are gunked up with soap, they will die.
It is normal for chrysalises to be different colors esp. green and brown (some Queen butterflies make cream colored chrysalises in addition to the green ones.) The butterflies come out the same.
Thanks vitrsna. I was going to flush with water after spraying for the aphids. There are no cats on the plants, using mostly for food. Guess I'll stick with the squish and flush method. Thank you for the info on the chrysalis.