I've got several pipevines now. Will the butterflies just show up one day, or do I have to get lucky?
Kay
Pipevine Swallowtails?
I am not sure Kay but I have had them too, even before I got the pipevines
This is a pipevine cat on... what else? A pipevine! Taken in the butterfly garden of The Natural Gardener nursery in Austin last Sat. The hand belongs to Dr Molly Ogorzaly, who gave a talk about successful butterfly gardening. She's now a subscriber, MollyO!
If the Polydamas or Pipevine Swallowtails are anywhere in your vicinity, they will find them. And the next thing you know, if they are in your region, you will see herds of miniature cats of the same color and shape as the larger one that somebody posted just above. They are big eaters so I hope you have lots of pipevine.
Well even that cat is kind of pretty! Donna, when you come over if I don't have any yet, you can share some cats with me. LOL!
I hope they show up!
Thanks all.
Kay
I just ordered two pipevines. They weren't easy to find at first, until I used Dave's scout thingy - and even then I only found it at one place with a reasonable cost. Not one nursery in my area carried it, and only one knew what it was.
I think they are due to come in the fall. I keep thinking of that Kevin Costner movie in my head and saying plant it and they will come......
This message was edited Jul 22, 2005 10:58 PM
That's funny, in Dr. O's (MollyO's) presentation in Austin last week, she started out with, "Build it and they will come."
I have never considered buying pipe vine before this class, because I just don't have room in any of the sunny locations for another trellis - especially one that could handle a large vine. In the Natural Gardener's butterfy garden, they had lots of pipe vine, but it was growing along the ground as a groundcover! I'm trying to figure out where I can use it as a groundcover now, because I'm determined to have this plant! The Arbor Gate in Tomball (about 45 mins from me) sells them, but they don't ship. Sorry.
Every once in a while I have a visiting Pipevine ST. I have looked for pipevine but never found it, except on the ground at the Texas Discovery Gardens. I have some seeds but they never did germinate. (?) I didn't know these cats were big eaters tho, and I don't have much room for a huge vine either, but I really want some. I have already found someone that might trade me some at the next swap.
Donna, do the butterfliey get on all types of the pipevines?
Kay
My caterpillar book says the food plants "include pipe-vines, Dutchman's-pipe, and Virginia Snakeroot." I'm betting that any type of pipe-vine will do. I bought A Dutchman's-pipe "Godzilla" today, hope it works!
Godzilla?! LOL...my 6 yr old would be ecstatic if I bought him a plant with that name!! I might have to check into that, since we own many Godzilla things here.
Here is one of my Dinner Guest from a few weeks ago. The Pipevine Swallowtails are already back and seem to be laying eggs. I haven't got a picture of them yet still trying.
I have two Pipe vines on an Arbor only about 7 foot high. It only gets sun from noon until about 3 in the afternoon. The vine is beautiful until the first "guest" arrive. When it is covered with "Dinner Guest" I can stand under it and hear them eat.
This message was edited Jul 24, 2005 12:16 AM
My, he's a little scary looking! lol I didn't know they had antennae that looked like horns. The Gulf Fritillaries are loud eaters like that too. Do you have a picture of your arbor with the vines?
Konkreteblond
I lost a lot of my pictures in my last computer crash. This was made before the Pipe vine covered it. You can see the leaves are just starting to grow. Now you can hardly see the arbor for the leaves..
OH Yes, my Garden House is purple.
This message was edited Jul 24, 2005 1:34 AM
That is your house?! How fun!! :) And it looks like you have lots of stuff! I guess "wild" is your gardening style? What else is in that picture?
He picabo....
Purple is my favorite color, too! I figure you have to paint stuff SOME color and the pretty ones cost no more that the dull ones. Besides that wild colors make me feel good!
Ya got good taste! LOL
Kay
Koncreteblond..
It is really my potting shed/greenhouse.
There was a little bit of everything. This was last year and most has been moved. Hollyhocks on the left, my shade garden is to the left in the back. There are lots of Brugs, Plumerias, Orchid Cactus, many "Old" plants that belonged to my Grandmothers who have both been dead for over 25 years.
Gets cold here so tooooooo many things go in for the winter. It never ends up in the same place the next Spring.
Yes, and purple is so pretty in a garden! Here's my pipe-vine, newly planted up. The idea is for it to make a ground cover along what I call my "whimsical fence." The color you see is the primer, the final color will be a deeper purple. It's nice to see some color in the yard when everything gets brown and bleak in the winter!
(BTW, this bed is far from finished, please excuse the mess.)
I have lots of little Dutchmans Pipe vines around my Mother plants. I can pot up some of these if anyone wants them.
oh oh.... thta's a 7 foot arbor, huh? And I bought two plants.... I may have to rethink where i'm putting them. I dunno, didn't Godzilla eat New York? But darn it, I want that butterfly, and that awesome horny cat in my yard...... I can hardly wait...
picabo, that is still so fun! And that is so awesome that you have stuff from your grandmothers! I need to find a plant that I really love and have that be the plant I pass on. Do you think a little plant would ship ok in just wet paper towels, or something like that?
MM, I love that fence! I have 2 birdhouses I put on poles. One is pink/white and the other is white w/ purple. I loved the girly colors. It made them feel like dollhouses for my playground.
RM, you're going to take over that yard yet!! You'll have to warn your dad about that scary caterpillar beforehand!
Konkreteblond...I have never tried to ship a plant, this is all new to me. Some one will have to tell me how.
Ooooh. I am loving the purples...how fun. I think we need a separate thread of just purple garden structures...like you said, so much more fun than the dull (proper) 'earth' colors! :-)
Our subdivision would have a fit if I painted something purple...my neighbor lady apologized to everyone for painting her shutters 'blue spruce' green. Too bright! Are we repressed here, do ya think?!! LOL
I did have a butterfly come by yesterday with some purple on it...was it a swallowtail?...
Happy butterfly-ing...t.
We are high on a hill and most people don't get to see my Potting shed. It is always fun to see who likes it and doesn't.
Usually Artist and gardners like it. My husband is an accountant. I didn't tell him I was changing it from tan to purple until it was done.
At first it was "What have you done NOW! #X#*?
Now he loves it.
I told my Husband life is toooo short for tan. We need a little purple and red.
This message was edited Jul 25, 2005 2:04 PM
Well, I think the colors are wonderful.... so cheerful! However, since I am slowly taking over my dad's lawn, I don't think I'll start painting things quite yet. I'll cheerfully enjoy yours, tho.... :)
I know about those "Silly Dads". Mine always enjoyed coming to see me and finding out what I was doing that day.
He always said "I woke up in a New World Everyday". I think that was a compliment. I miss him.
Picabo, tell hubby that I'm are retired accountant and the guest bathroom at our last house was purple and red....complete with feathered and sequined mardi gras fans on the wall.
My living room here is purple and teal. Beautiful color is free. You are so right. Life is too short for everything to be beige.
Do what you feel like doing if it doesn't hurt anybody else.
Kay
Kay I know they like tormentosa the best according to the books but also mention others. I have seen a male and a female in the last 2 days. Got a few pics but none great. They keep fluttering while feeding. They are hitting the honeysuckle vines, milkweed, and orange Cosmos and I had the Palamedes going crazy on the peach gingers that are blooming , Orange Cosmos and the milkweed. The books show them as black but they are brown on top of their wings.
I am about confused over the Pipevine and Spicebush Butterflies. My Pipevine looks right on bottoom of wings except for a few white spots under the wing and on top of the wing. It only has the one row of orange spots and the little brown section so I know it is a Pipevine. Will post pics.
Please post pics, Donna. Do you also have a picture of the spicebush butterfly? My book doesn't show one, but I'm almost sure that's what I'm seeing.
And wouldn't you know it. I've got three kinds now, but no Tomentosa.
Kay
Kay I have tormentosa, fimbriata, and 2 others. Almost them all in the hurricane last summer. Lost 2 of them. Pipevine Swallowtail
another shot
one more
Spicebush Swallowtail. Not positive because not exact with books but is the closest in apperance. It is pretty beat up.
pic 2
Great shots, Donna. You got both the topside and underside of the wings in that first photo!
Yes, Donna! Wonderful shots as usual! I think all of the black ones I see are the spicebush. I saw something this morning though, that I've never seen before. It was about half the size of a gulf frit. It was solid charcoal gray/black all over. It was visiting my porterweeds. Any ideas on what that one might be?
Today I saw a painted lady, spicebush swallowtails, gulf frits, the little black one, a cabbage butterfly, and two little bitty yellow ones with darker yellow marks on their outer wings. I've also been seeing a few buckeyes.
Donna, my little pink wildflowers that seem to be a host to the buckeyes never came up. Did yours?
Kay
don't think mine came up either Kay. Gray butterfly may be some kind of Hairstreak, the yellow with darker marking may be the sleepy orange. Is it the one I got a pic of last year when I was there. Still not having many of butterflies yet. They flitter through and keep going. I do have a pair of Long-tailed Skippers and Gulf Frits hanging around. I have the Skipper Cats and Gulf Frit cat is a cage. Gulf Frit pupated last night. Will post pics later when i get them down loaded. The day after the hurricane I had a Eastern Comma a first for me, only got a very bad shot of it up on the clothes line pole eating fruit I put out for them
did you see this post Kay??
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/532605/
Neat, Donna! No I had not seen it.
The little yellow butterflies are different than the ones you saw here last year. I've seen a couple of those this year also, but still don't know what they are.
Kay
I wonder if it is the Pearl Crescent. I had one yesterday and got good pics
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/532975/
This message was edited Jul 28, 2005 8:39 PM