He's just sitting there waiting for his next victim. No no! Butterflies are NOT food!
This is a baaaaad boy in my yard!
Do you think he could handle a butterfly?
No doubt. He had one the other day, a Painted Lady. I yelled at him and flicked him off the flower. Too late to save her tho. He escaped, but not this time. Sorry, love the "good" critters, but I garden for butterflies.
Your call.
Atta girl, Konkrete~:
Be tough. Stand up for your rights. And that thing is NOT a bad BOY. It's a bad GIRL! (They're the bloodthirsty ones.) And I know arachnids!
How do you know it's a girl? (and why do you know about spiders?! blech!)
konkrete~:
I learned when I became a lobster afficionado. Coming from Boston it's a necessary talent. You see, I will eat only female lobsters. It has to do with the roe. Those eggs are delicious. So one has to be proficient in spotting the difference. Vive le difference!
And don't claim to be so delicate. Anyone who raises cats and gets to shovel that "frass" stuff, has to be very brave.
I must have around two hundred rose bushes so I've seen a lot of critters. I distinctly remember this exact same type of spider on one of my roses killing and eating honey bees and bumble bees. I was extremely annoyed.
I do not use pesticides/chemicals for the most part because I try to be "live and let live", but I have to admit that I'm tempted to re-think that policy when it comes to these particular spiders. If only they would eat the rose curculios or aphids then I wouldn't feel so bad, but when they eat the good guys . . . all bets are off. :)
Here come da judge, here come da judge! LOL ;-)
konkrete~
It finally happened this afternoon. My passiflora attracted its first (for my eyes) butterfly. I ran for my camera but it was gone. I got a good look at it. It was orange with black ripples through it, plus silver streaks thru its wings. Any ideas? It was about the same size as the GF.
Does this mean I'm pregnant, too?
Congrats Brad! I was just thinking about you today...wondering if you'd had any visitors. It sounds just like a GF to me. You might be expecting. Look for little yellow dots on or around the vine. They especially like to lay them on the curly tips of the tendrils, but aren't picky and will lay them on the fence or whatever is near. lol I've still not seen any GF's yet.
Do GF's have siver streaks in their wings?
The underside of their wings has silver in them, so you see it when they shut their wings or you might when they fly. Their tops are orange with black.
konkrete~
OK You certainly answered my question. So, I have GF's around. Now I'll be waiting for the babies. They're ugly in the cat stage, so I'll be watching for them. Thanks.
Is this a GF?
Another view of same bf shows underwing.
It sure looks like a GF to me, but, a lot I know?
Now, watch out for the caterpillars.
Same here. Better id'ers will be along.
konkrete~
Mine really is a GF. No question. But it's been breezy, and she (I hope it's a she) hasn't really hunkered down. But I'm waiting, camera in hand.
Those GF's aren't real graceful. lol They just kind of do a fl-by-hit-and-run. The BST's will hover in one place very well but from what I remember of my GF's they just look like they are zipping around. If they are near your vine then head out with the camera. I have more BST eggs today.
golly konkrete~
You are going to be running a nursery. Lockily you don't have to get up at midnight to feed them.
I'll get a photo for you -- if I'm quick enough.
konkrete~
They should have named the GF's "Gulf Flitillary" (FLIT as in "flitting") The little guy jumps around like it has Mexican Jumping Bean blood.
Maybe later today he'll tire himself out.
Yep, that's them. They aren't real graceful. They are apparently the ADHD children of the butterfly world. LOL
konkrete~
I (think) I've got it, by gosh I've got it !
And I agree with the maxim from "Field of Dreams." -- If you build it they will come.
Maybe they're coming.
Please check the photo and tell me if I'm correct in my surmise about the yellow dots.
Congratulations!!! You are definitely fixing to be a new dad! The one that is darker will hatch first. They are very tiny so it's easy to not see them for a few days after they hatch. Make sure you don't have lurking spiders on your vine. They love these cats.
I'm pregnant -- I'm pregnant !!
Konkrete~ How long before they'll be crawling? And when do they move?
They take about 5-7 days to hatch. They get darker as they get closer to hatching. Then they'll be so tiny that you will have to search for them.
I'M A FATHER -- again
konkrete~
You know that tiny dark blob -- when when I looked at it again it had moved about 1 cm. So I got out my loupe. And there it was -- a tiny skeleton looking thing -- black lines filled with tan. Any many legs . And staring eyes.
I feel like Father Abraham in the bible, when he was told that his wife was with child -- so old !
Now I even see other yellow spots. WOW !
hey konkrete~
Wassamatter ? You're evidently not impressed.
Oh yes, I'm very happy for your new adventure! just been busy with my own human child. They require a little more tending to than the cats, but both end up really handsome when they are grown.
konkrete~
Forget the cats -- watch over your child. In this crazy world, it's your real purpose,
As an aside, I looked for my little bugger. he was not on the sunny side of the leaf. I turned it over and he climbed on my finger. But I quickly transferred him back. **** clever these cats.
Be well
Ok Flyboy, not sure what you are asking...the eggs and cats were left by your flittering GF, but once she does that she goes on and does her own thing. The one still hanging around is either just eating or might leave you more eggs.
konkrete~
Good grief -- I'll have to open a Roadside Stand with all the fauna. If it's more eggs, she certainly scatters them about the vines.
Now, tell me about Monarchs. Do they venture as far North as New Jersey?
Oh yeah, they aren't laying only one or two at a time either! They will be under leaves and in the tiny little tendrils or on anything sort of near the vine. They must have ADHD and not see very well.
I'm sure that Monarch's do travel that far. Are you moving? I am going to write my friend in OH to see how many Monarch's he usually sees. Someone was asking on another thread too about how far north they are.
konkrete~
On Monday I depart this Land of Enchantment and journey North to our relatively new home in Princeton, NJ. Last year was a big year for fauna there. We had an invasion of the 17 year locusts. (Brood X cicada) Our particular development was relatively clean, since it hadn't been left intact . All around us, in the undeveloped areas, there was pandemonium. But I haven't seen butterflies. Hummers, yes.
I put some fennel in, as I promised, when I was up there a few weeks ago. maybe that'll have attracted something.
But, of course, I'll still be in touch.
All this discussion about GF's and your vine and now your leaving them!?! Is this a 2nd home or are you moving totally away from FL?
konkrete~
I don't know what is first and what is second. We have two homes. We spend more time here in Florida -- but our family remains up North. Pretty weird. We think of ourselves as Bostonians -- that's where we come from, and where we spent most of our lives.
Things happen -- and five years ago we moved to NJ to be close to our daughter and her family -- and our other grandchildren in NYC. But we've been Florida residents for almost thirty years.
Hope that explains our living arrangements.
That sounds pretty exciting to me, to get some of both worlds. There is probably a big difference in the types of things you can grow, which would make your gardening very interesting. I'm just stuck in my one 'ole big state. Now I envy both your water and your trees. ;)
hey konkrete~
Don't denigrate Texas. If you're not with the one you love, love the one your with.
And my problem, living in two separate locations, restricts my ability to be a "gardener." I am a "landscaper". I have to create two environments which are able to care for themselves while I am not around.