Red Admiral Lovely.. I want to see your pictures:o)

Here's an interresting nectarer, in fact you've probably seen them in your yardens: They camoflague so very well some people may not even notice them most of the time.
If you have seen them and have pictures, let me see!!

Here is the camo view..

Very pretty and that cameo view is fascinating. Can't even tell where the butterfly is!

deb - I don't believe I have ever seen one around my area. I'll start keeping my eyes peeled in hopes of spotting one. Love the orange on the wings! Thanks for posting photos of it for IDing!

Very pretty bf, I haven't seen any either, great picture Deb!

Thanks erbody!
It is one of those we may not host intentionally, but they are around... I leave them in their habitat. Just appreciating them when they do show up for sap on a tree or scat & stuff around where I feed the birdies. I was amazed by it too.

Deb

Can't remember if those use stinging nettle as a larval host...I think so...because we've got tons of that growing wild back at the ranch and there are always RAs around.

I get them here in the city too...they frequent my duranta and whenever I put out butterfly bait or fruit they are the first to show up.

Here's one nectaring on the duranta bush.

~ Cat

That's remarkable Cat! I've rarely seen them nectar on flowers, it must be some fabulous nectar. From what I have read they prefer sap, and bird stuff the most, and only nectar when those aren't available. So it must be delicious.
I just aquired a Duranta Bush called 'Sweet Memory'. It is in pretty good shape, though I havent seen the flowers, only the remains of them I trimmed when transplanting. It's right in the middle of my host/nectar beds...I hope it doesn't grow too big, but if it does I have room to expand a few feet on 3 sides. How big is your Duranta Bush?

Deb

Beautiful shots Deb

Beautiful butterfly! I'll be sure to keep my eyes open for them.

Interesting info about them Deb and Cat. I'm sure I won't remember everything that I learn this year, but it's nice to know it's here to refer back to. Thanks for sharing with the rest of us. We all depend on each other for information. I've never seen such a giving bunch of folks as there is at DG. Thanks everyone.

Janet

Thanks yall!

You'll see them mostly on the bark of trees, they blend in real well and they fly really fast.


Deb

Deb...the duranta grows to about 10 feet tall (if left untrimmed) and a good 6 feet wide :o) I have two growing about six feet apart so they blend in to make it look like one massive shrub :o)

I can't say enough about duranta - it has really attracted all kinds of butterflies to my backyard. There is a famous 'magic hedge' of duranta growing at an RV park in Mission, TX. It is on our butterfly festival sights of places to visit. The owners really picked up on it's ability to attract butterflies so they planted more of it all around the perimeter of the park. You can take a leisurely stroll for a couple hundred yards and see thousands of butterflies on it.

Had I known back when I bought this house how well it would attract butterflies and hummies I would have planted a hedge out of it on both sides of my driveway. As it is now I have firebush (hamelia patens) lining both sides of the driveway - which works wonders too and attacts gobs of hummingbirds...but it just doesn't pull in the uncommon butterflies and rare strays like the duranta does.

~ Cat

My 2 duranta seems to mainly attract bees, not the butterflies in my yard. Though I do ocassionally see a Monarch on it. Maybe it has to be larger/established to really bring the butterflies in. Mine blooms constantly!

Thanks gang,
That helps me know what to expect, woah!!

I'll be keeping an eye on it and just move things out from it as it gets bigger. Definatly going to prune at all the right times to keep it as compact as possible without sacraficing bloom potential.
fun fun.. It is in a picture I posted in the Host Seed Discussion Thread.

Deb