Hi all- I have just joined DG-love it- especially this forum- I have 8 remarkable photos of Giant Swallowtails in their stages, and would like to post them- Do I do it here, or is there a gallery place where several photos with stories can go?
A question from a newbie
Hi JoParrot,
You can post them here!
Mark
Hi JoParrott!
I'd love to see your photos. I'm rearing several GST cats now for the first time.
Here is a picture of a ragged visitor last week. - Arlan
I'm anxious to see them too.
Arlan, do they migrate? I had a very tired monarch last week. I kept trying to get closer and it wanted to land on the road and rest. I finally gave up and let it be. I thought it was too early to see monarchs around here.
Here are photos of GSBs last summer in my Florida garden. They lived on tangerine seedlings that I had just thrown seeds in a pot- in this photo you can see several caterpillars on one plant. I have a big lemon tree, but evidently they didn't like it! This year I have just 1 cat on the tangerine plant. It was amazing to watch them change, and I witnessed 2 as they dried their new wings and flew away.
This message was edited Apr 25, 2006 10:59 PM
I have 8 photos- do I just send one at a time in a post?
OK- here goes- here is a full grown cat
another one
The butterfly has emerged! Drying it's wings in the sun.
It has spread its wings and sits there-
Just before it flew away- at one time there were 6 cats on the plants. It was a thrilling experience for me.
Beautiful!
Yes, beautiful!! Karen
Thank you for posting these pictures.
Nice photos! Beautiful butterflies.
Thanks for sharing your pictures, JoParott. That is a great sequence! They are gorgeous when they first eclose, aren't they!
billyporter, I don't think they migrate too far, certainly not like the Monarch.
Arlan
Thanks, all- Is there any way I could have posted them all in one post?
JoParrott, you could have made a collage but then they would each be much smaller and we'd lose the beautiful detail. Thanks!
OK- That's all I wanted to know- I want to do it the best way for viewing-
By the way, are the cats vulnerable to bird attacks? I had a pretty big one who has vanished, and I know it wasn't ready to pupate yet- (am I using the correct term?)
JoParrott, I believe that the cats do get picked off by predators quite frequently. I also had several disappear. I'm not sure if it was birds, wasps or other insects, but one morning they were just gone. That is what motivated me to try to raise them in safety to insure their survival. I've been feeding 7 cats for the last week and they have grown tremendously. - Arlan
JoParrott,I just had about 12 or 14 Gulf Fritillary gobbled up I think by those little Jurasic Park gecko's.I built a monarch cage because the monarch cats were disappearing.That solved the problem for the monarch's .Now a bigger cage for the potted passion vine to fit in,for the gulfs.Great photos
Don
Good for you Arlan and Don.
I had 9 cecropia moths make cocoons on my lilac bushes. They never hatched. A wasp had bored into it. I was so mad. I haven't had one since.
Jo, great pics! Gotta love those GST's! They sure are big eaters tho. I really need a citrus tree rather than fighting to keep my Rue alive all season.
Don, that's a great mental picture "Jurassic Park gecko's" LOL All kinds of things will eat and carry off a cat but they will also wander for what must be miles to them to find a place to pupate. I'm with you, I try to keep them inside. Oh, which reminds me, I've got 4 BST's inside and need more dill for tonight! Nothing like getting cat food in the dark!
BillyP, that must be so frustrating! I have always been afraid to leave them outside because of those horrid wasps. Sometimes they don't get inside at the egg stage but I've been lucky enough to have never had one be parasitized. I have heard stories and just think I would cry and be disgusted at the same time!
Here's a question. If Cats eat smaller ones, how do the cats in boxes together make it into butterflies? Places like Disney have cat houses with lots of different kinds of cats all together and "hatching" at different times. Karen
In case you didn't see this being discussed on another thread, here's the link:
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/596579/
From my own experience, and talking to others that raise them inside, it's the first and second instar cats that are more likely in danger of being snacked on by the last instar cats. Since they can only see shades of black and white or shadows they can't really tell what they are eating unless it's big enough to eat them. I figure that if they are confused and feel that small cat is an enemy they might "attack" it or not even realize it's there and keep eating. They are cute but they just aren't real smart.
Forgive my ignorance Konkrete, but what is instar? Karen
hours old newbie here. I have 2 questions: 1) how are you successful in keeping these pupating cats within your area? I know one moment the cat is there and the next it's gone, and they don't come with wheels, you know. 2) How are you keeping these cats safe? taking the branch off the host and putting it inside a net or glass aquarium? do you keep them outside? I'd appreciate some suggestions.