Here is a Pale-Banded Crescent (Phyciodes tulcis) Butterfly...i think it is, pretty sure it is. These little guys are all of a sudden all over the place, adding some cheer to an otherwise bereft butterfly garden :-D
DAILY PICTURES # 111
Beautiful !!!
HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!!
Happy Thanksgiving to you NAN, and each and everyone.
A Malachite (Siproeta stelenes) is visiting the garden because the Mexican Flame Vine is blooming. I discovered her taking nectar from the blossoms, showing off the emerald green top sides of the wings, and looking stunning against the orange of the new blossoms, but these butterflies are generally very shy, especially when solitary. By the time i retrieved the camera, she was hiding in the Dalechampia vine and giving us the lower wings, duller than the top and blending in with the vegetation nicely. For the bundled-up people, this one is for you. The photos are so-so, but at this point i am happy just to see one and i hope you are too :-)
Vitrsna, it's so exciting to actually see pics of this beautiful butterfly from your own yard! My husband and I saw some Malachites at the Chicago Botanic Garden Butterfly exhibit in July 2014.
Thank you for those shots! They're lovely!
Yes, lovely shots!
Never have I seen Malachites before in person. Such a treat!
Thanks kids...I think the butterfly is beautiful; the photos do not do justice. I did not want to frighten her out of the garden so i sacrificed the photo quality so she would stay awhile and take nectar from the Mexican Flame Vine flowers. She might still be in the garden, asleep in a bush or small tree. I hope so.
Nuts, you probably got a good 3-D Malachite experience at the Chicago Botanical gardens. Often in those kinds of situations the butterflies are more accustomed to people and less shy. I have seen some photos of butterfly gardens where the visitors will be given a quarter of an orange to hold to attract various butterflies which provides a really nice up close experience.
Vitrsna, you're so right about the butterflies at those exhibits not being shy. They were landing all over us as we walked around.
In fact one, a "Giant Owl" (Caligo memnon), stayed on the back of my husband's shirt for about 45 minutes! He walked around, took pictures, talked to people and the butterfly was totally unfazed. People kept telling him he had a butterfly on his back thinking he didn't know. He'd just smile. For a while he even had a second Giant Owl on his pant leg.
I had butterflies landing on my head and my camera lens. It was an awesome experience.
Here are just a few of the gazillion pics we took. The first one is the Giant Owl on my husband's back.
The second is a "Mocker Swallowtail" (Papilio dardanus) and third is a "Paper Kite" (Idea leuconoe).
Wow, that's strange. My three pictures didn't post. I'll try again...here goes...
Now, those are good photos of some beautiful butterflies, Nuts. Love that Giant Owl, we have some similar here but i've not seen the Giant Owl and i've never heard of the "Mocker Swallowtail". I'll have to look those up to discover their range. Ah! makes me want to go out and buy or find more host plants. So lovely!
Beautiful beautiful butterfly - great photos.
Thanks Guys!
Vitrsna, I believe the Mocker Swallowtail is from Africa. From all the info and pictures I've found from different sources, it appears to have quite a few variations. It sounds like the variations are in females. I think the males are tailed and don't vary.
My picture below is another variation of a female, also from Chicago Botanic Garden.
The following links are obviously just a few of the tons out there. I think it's fascinating that one butterfly has up to 14 variations!
http://www.learnaboutbutterflies.com/Africa%20-%20Papilio%20dardanus.htm
http://www.chicagobotanic.org/butterflies/mocker_swallowtail
http://en.butterflycorner.net/Papilio-dardanus-African-Swallowtail.493.0.html
If you go to photo sites like PBase or Flickr it's amazing how many of those variations people have photographed.
https://www.flickr.com/search/?text=mocker%20swallowtail
Really pretty butterflies Nuts , I will look at the links ,
Sounds like you had a Wonderful Time , Something to delight ,,
vitrsna ,, yours also ,
Not any left wild here now , so pictures from every one else I watch .
Most everybody is gone ,, I will be here for a while yet ,
seeing Red Admirals , saw a Lady or Fritillary , All I get was one Bad photo of a Cabbage White ,, but hey ,, there back ,,!!!
Hey cool - it's still a butterfly!
I just started seeing some bees today, but it's still a little early for our butterflies.
I've seen many Tigerswallowtails, Sulphurs and Spicebush Swallowtail.
I've seen many Tigerswallowtails, Sulphurs and Spicebush Swallowtail.
Pretty , and nice to see you Lily !!!
Smaller ones here ,
Kim...Wow, you have lots of BF! Beautiful pic, too.
I saw a few Cabbage Whites today, but just fly-bys. I thought it was too early, although it got pretty warm today.
Hope everyone survived the winter and getting ready for lots of butterflies. A warm winter in the Arkansas River Valley with some butterflies the last weekend of January. Really strange since normally the first of the season show in mid March.
Spotted a migrating Monarch about ten days ago. It's sad and frustrating that half the population was killed in a freak winter storm in early March in Mexico. So it was nice to see a survivor heading northward.
Numerous butterflies this Spring. Currently the dewberries are blooming and a nectar attractant for several species.
Happy butterflying
Thank C_A_Ivy for sharing those pics. It's such a shame that we've lost so much off the population of Monarch due to the freakish winter storm in Mexico. Hopefully they'll make a rebound ...
Glad to learn that there are numerous butterflies where you're. Happy spring!
Thanks for sharing the beautiful pics Ivy!
I posted some updated Monarch migration info in the Hummingbird and Butterfly Gardening forum two weeks ago for anyone that hadn't been following it. The report, from April 7th, sounded like they were concentrated in Texas and other warm areas which could be beneficial for increasing their numbers. I hope so.
It's definitely encouraging that you're already seeing Monarchs.
I can't believe I actually saw a Red Admiral! I ran in to get my camera, but...of course...it was gone when I got back. Boo.
It's still a little early. There isn't much blooming around here. Mostly some trees (and bulbs). The bees (and now, I guess, butterflies) are enjoying the dandelions. Since it's still early, we're letting them grow for now.
I got these last week
1 Red Admiral
2 Cabbage White ,
Neither all that good a photo ,, zoom , zoom , they go ,
Saw an Eastern Swallowtail day before yesterday ,,
Cool Ju! Glad you got a couple of pics. If you already saw and Eastern Swallowtail then it won't be long for our area.
Do you have anything blooming around you?
Tulips , violets , dandelions , redbud trees , a few more .. Iris have buds
nuts ,, hi ya ,, that is a few ,, ..
Black swallowtail , before storms today I did not see any last year , and only one caterpillar ,
That's exciting news to me Ju! I was kind of anticipating to see those BSTs when I saw lot and lot of Queen Ann's Lace blooming on the road side. :)
Lily Hope you see them !!!,, and hoping to see more later here 1
Congrats Ju!
Oh you guys...I am green with envy. :o)
Temps just dropped yesterday, but I do like the cooler weather. We are slowly starting to green up and some of my Lamiums just started blooming. The BF have enjoyed them in past years. So far occasional Cabbage whites is all I see. Still a bit early.
First Viceroy of the season yesterday after overnight rain storm. Blackberries are blooming and attracting skippers, American Ladies, and other butterflies.
pretty Ivy !!! Nice photo of the Snout too !!!
Beautiful shots, Ivy! Very colorful. It must be warm already where you are.
Well I photo'd a moth ,, A big one ,at that
A big ol Sphinx Moth I dunno which one ,
Great shot! It's an interesting looking moth. Never seen one like it.
Wow Ju, I don't know which one but by the look of it, looks as if it's freshly eclosed? AEB the wings are not fully dried out yet, they looks "new born" to me. lol
Lily Thank you for the motive boost . not a lot of butterfly action here . Lots of these though
oops ,,, Red admiral
This message was edited May 21, 2016 11:14 AM
Hi everyone, here where I am, I have seen quite a few Tigerswallowtail butterflies, best of all my Blackswallowtails finally have arrived and currently there are several cats that are about to pupate. Then on the 5th of the month there were several dozen eggs seen on my various Dills and parsley. Here is a delightful find: a Spicebush Swallowtail I spotted on my potted plumeria.
