I'm pretty sure that's what these two were up to, while waiting for Ernesto.
This message was edited Sep 9, 2006 11:18 PM
Do you have a butterfly mating picture?
Woops --wrong picture. Don't know how to delete it. Sorry. This is better.
I was just looking at some pics I took last night. I probably wouldn't have posted it if you hadn't asked.
(Monarchs)
What kind of butterflies are those? I have that Porterweed too. I love it!
This message was edited Sep 9, 2006 9:46 PM
Here's another couple I caught a couple of weeks ago. (Queens)
This message was edited Sep 9, 2006 9:46 PM
Gulf Fritillary's
Thanks for posting. I think the ones I posted a Ceraunus Blues, however, upon a second look at the photo, it is certainly possible that I am mistaken. (The topsides of their wings have a blue tint, and they are tiny.) Do you think they were mating in that pic I posted? They stayed that way a long time, but are not really in positions like you showed in your photos.
This message was edited Sep 10, 2006 8:15 AM
I have a good one of Long-tailed Skippers. Will post when I can find what disk it is on
Love that little Blues photo. Those buggers as so small. I just got done raising and releasing seven of them!!!
Gotta love those gorgeous markings on the Gulf Frit's wings!!!
Here's a Border Patch couple.
~ Cat
..and Queen love
~ Cat
...and skipper love
~ Cat
...and Tawny Emperor love
~ Cat
...long tailed skipper love
~ Cat
...and of course, Gulf Frits! These horn dog males attack the females as they are eclosing!
~ Cat
Those poor females! They don't even get to choose their mates like normal butterflies! LOL
Forgot I took this one a couple of months ago...Funereal Duskywing Skippers
~ Cat
...and Mallow Scrub Hairstreak love :o)
~ Cat
How romantic snuzer, look at all the love!! You guys pics are great!
Right place right time, lol.
TPP, are you getting all these pics AFTER you give them the brew? heehee
lol fly
This tryst occured midsummer.
That's hilarious Fly!!! :o) and here I was worried about being the only one posting multiple photos!!! I can't help it if the butterflies are exhibitionists :o) Must say I have a penchant for finding butterflies in compromising positions - whether it be mating or in the grip of a predator.
~ Cat
ps...note to self: make sure that spanish fly doesn't get into the brew. HA! HA!
LOL notice all the views compared to the comments....lol .. Voyers??
Rofl Cat & Fly you guys are a riot! Yes Cat you have a veritable eco-wonderland!! Great shots!
Jmorth that photo is a daring sight, and a lovely contrast with the Callas.. wowie!
heh heh...and some Checkered Whites...a persistent male and "I Have a Headache" female - she managed to fend him off this time....
~ Cat
Deb...
Too funny!!! I just checked the views in comparison to the comments...whoooooooooaaaaa!!!
~ Cat
Rofl Cat!
What an action shot of the White Checkerds! She got some moxie on her!!
Heh Heh...and another...
...and another...
What a surprise! Life got in the way and I have not gotten on the website in over a month! It was a great surprise to see al these LOVE pictures tonight!
I was debating on whether to post one of my photos. Last winter, I had some late emerging Monarchs. I couldn't release them because the weather was so cold and rainy, so I kept them in cages for their entire life cycle. The butterflies lasted 3-4 weeks. And ...... they mated! LOL They did have babies, but they weren't as healthy as the parent butterflies.
Oops, above photo was out of focus. Here's the one I meant to post.
The marking on the wings was how I used to keep track of them before I just stopped worrying about where they went. I marked them thinking the weather would be good enough to release them. But the plants in my yard died back to the ground, so I just kept the butterflies instead. They lived off fruit flavored gatorade. I had a couple milkweed plants that I brought in and they went crazy for the flowers and laid eggs on the leaves! It was most interesting to keep them instead of releasing them.
This message was edited Dec 14, 2006 9:15 PM
Great pics TPP and JM....that calla lily is so pretty.
TPP, I hate to ask this...but you have spanish fly laying around? Okay, don't answer that...I don't want to know lol
Very interesting Becky, how did you mark them, with marker? The ones that I have had to keep in the pavilion due to deformed wings have not tried to mate, I guess that's natures way.
fly_girl - I used a fine point permanent marker. (I made sure the wings were dry before marking them.)
I bet your deformed butterflies had a virus. When I was raising that group of 18 butterflies in the above photo, I had 2 butterflies that were also deformed. Both males. They tried to mate with some of the healthy females, but the females wouldn't have anything to do with them. And it was funny ..... those males couldn't fly to go after a female, so they would wait by the feeding dish for the females to come down to sip nectar and then try to "jump" them! I could tell the females were VERY annoyed! They'd fly back up to get away from them and then fly down again in a different spot on the gatorade-soaked kleenex to eat. Those males were persistent though. There were always a lot of flying females in the cage trying to get away from them. LOL
I ran across this article and it's interesting especially near the bottom, the pupal mating part.
http://www.stetson.edu/~pmay/woodruff/passiflora.htm
Well ...... I have had quite a lot of Monarchs eclosing lately and of course I have had a couple that had deformed wings. (It's just the odds.) Anyway, 2 were females. Feeling sorry for them that they couldn't fly away, I put them out on the flowers of the milkweed to sip nectar (which they enjoy!). Anyway, along comes this large male Monarch gliding around my garden. Suddenly he makes a beeline right for one of the females on the flowers. He was very aggressively trying (and succeeding) to mate with her!
I'm not too happy, because she will never fly, so I'd rather not have more eggs. Plus when a Monarch isn't healthy, neither are the offspring. I was trying to shoo him away, but he had a one track mind. Finally I pick him off the flower (with her attached). They (meaning him, too) got to spend the night in my cage! Dumb Monarch!! So of course, they were already mating! Drat!!!! They need to understand that I don't run that kind of establishment! lol One night stand motel...... HA!
Anyway, kind of funny ...... in the morning when I went to check on them, they had seperated and he was flipping out to realize that he was trapped in a cage. I, of course, stuck my hand in the cage to get him to release him, but it took me awhile because he was scared to death of me. Apparently, not one that I raised. LOL
Here's a photo. I ran inside to get my camera thinking he'd be gone .... oh no! Very persistent male!
This message was edited Dec 24, 2006 11:09 AM
I don't know how this butterfly spotted her. I was standing right there keeping an eye on her while she ate because I was going to put her back in the cage. I know the males have the scent pouch, but the females must have some kind of scent too. He literally put on the brakes in mid-air and zoomed right in on her! I was rather shocked to see him actually dive-bomb her. He kept trying to knock her off the flower to the ground but she hung on to the flower. Sheesh!
This message was edited Dec 24, 2006 11:12 AM
Spectacular pics becky!
Interresting article roxanne!
Was photographing butterflies at the ranch today...Texan Crescents :o)
~ Cat
Nice one Cat! Great shot!
Happy New Year, everybody!!
o/
Cheers!
...and a photo of Giant Swallowtails from a couple months ago.
~ Cat
That's some angle, Cat! Thanks for digging that one out!
Amazing!