Daily Butterflies page 4

Hope you all will join us as we watch and raise/host butterflies in this main forum of dailies. Sometimes I don't have time to tend family of 5, check all the plants, and make threads, lol.. I rather do a "share" thread than starting a new one for each species. Here we can learn the most about them with our collective experiences. Say hi! Chime in... I want to hear your daily stories, and so does all the DG the gang!

3 Different male Tiger Swallowtails today, all 3 make attempts to run the others off...this is one of them on Cosmos..

:-D

Continued from: http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/720624/

This message was edited May 18, 2007 8:41 PM

Here he is flying over Sweet pea..which he did visit.

Black Swallowtail laying multiple eggs on curly parsley, in flight to the next oviposit,,, The next brood is on the way.

While doing 'action' shots, might as well include this Cabbage White, she and a few of her friends played for hours here today..all over the Nasturtiums. Should have some cats if birds don't find them first.


Cabbage White on Duranta>

This message was edited May 18, 2007 9:08 PM

found one more.. worth pisting.. The TST found the blooming Zinnias, and dug out every one of them.. I love the way the Zinnias bloom.

Those are absolutely beautiful!!!! The first and last were favorites. Also, the cabbage white, as I have never seen one before. I have also never seen a tiger Swallowtail in my yard. Fabulous!

Thse are beautiful. Am I supposed to post my daily butterflies on these pages, too?

Today I had a shy little Frittlary that wouldn't sit still. I am pretty sure he was an Aphrodite Frit, even though more knowledgeable people will say that would hardly be likely. He really did look JUST LIKE the photo, and I'm going by shape as well as color. He was sitting on some horse manure I had used around my roses and stayed there until I tried to sneak up on him with the camera. He flew away & never came back.

And also this Red Admiral and a lady friend (guessing on that last part, but there were 2 of them). He landed on my pant leg several times, but I never had a camera at the time. It is absolutely true what the books say -- he and she both loved to sit on anything white.....he even landed on the worn spots of my jeans' leg! In the photo he is tasting the soil near where I had poured water for them.

Suzy

Here he is hanging on to the side of the house. I was actually quite close, though you can hardly tell that from the photo. I don't know how you people get the closeups you get! See the smear of stuff on the brick? I don't have a log up and have been smearing the banana butterfly bait everywhere -- on the (white) door, the (light gray) box that houses electrical, (light colored) rocks, and of course my tree stump which is what I read when Deb said "Get a log".

Suzy

Deb-
Great! I too have never seen a Cabbage White. THANKS!
~Adrienne

Thanks snuzer, It's taken me years to get more than fly-by on these species. The Cwhites linger all day on the Nasturtiums.. I planted so many, they can't resist. the TST love all the flowers, there again, I planted so many different ones they don't know where to begin, lol.

Thanks Adrienne And Suzy... Nice shots of the Red Admiral! You should see some of my earlier shots several years back.. You're right it takes a while to get it down, your doing very well believe me!

It's easier for me to have a community thread for all who come through lerking, and those who want to share along with me. All the pages put together (1-4 so far), will permanently cronicle what has come through here, and where you all live too..all on one thread. I will make separate threads for intensive cat-butterfly subjects that would sidetrack the flow of this daily thread.

Only male Monarchs so far too... I am calm about it.. I know the females come soon enough.

Whose that digging into the Cosmos?>

*Smiles*

What a pretty Red Admiral and the Tigers are so beautiful! And...the Monarchs are always my fave.

Here's a Gulf Frit on a Phlox

Another, love the undersides of their wings.

Very nice Roxanne!
Love the Phlox! That's one I have never grown.. Looks like a great nectar plant. I love the underside too so shiney!

Here is something interresting I read in one of the butterfly books, on what the word fritillary comes from for use in naming certain butterflies: http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=fritillary

Deb: Thanks for posting the Tiger Swallowtails. I came to this forum to post a photo I took of one this morning to get an I.D. and - there he was! :)

DebinSC

Great Debin, gtsy! Glad it was helpful...
I am attempting to host TSTs this year with a Cherry Tree, "Prunus serotina". Still no females yet. Lots of males. Maybe June is their season, however, I hope to be posting some cats soon!
Your welcome to post pics any time of anything, even IDing here on dailies... I have several books and lots of resources, and some I have hosted and know like my own family, LOL!

:-D

I got this guy at a meeting on peonies -- he was eithin the folds of one of the flowers. I brought him home and put him on parselym but he's still looking for somehting else.

I thought it was a Swallowtail, what is it? Can you tell? There is a faint yellow line lengthwise around his midrib and I thought I saw very faint markings of eyes near his tail.

Can you tell what he is by the very bad picture?
Suzy

Here's another picture -- sorry for the poor quality. His color is a cabbage-green...

Spicebush Swallowtail....no sassafras or lindera (Spicebush) Are there any substitutes?

What was he doing frassing on a peony?

Suzy

Maybe he fell from a sassafrass tree into the peony bloom?

Great thread -- wonderful photos -- thanks everyone for sharing them!

I'm starting to see more butterflies around here now, but haven't managed photos yet... so far, they're just winging through. I've got mulberry and wild cherry and sassafrass trees in the little "fence row" at the back of the yard, and I was so happy last year to figure out that those are all host plants for various butterflies. We do get quite a few tiger swallowtails here, so maybe they're hosting on our cherry trees?

I don't think the butterflies are much interested in the irises or columbines blooming now, but I've got mountain bluet (Centaurea montana) and sweet william (Dianthus barbatos?) and some salvia blooming now also, and I know those have had "customers" in the past. I haven't seen anybody nectaring on it, but I would think somebody would be liking the american honeysuckle blooms as well.... What fun!

Suzy, are you sure that's a Spice cat? Does he have that snakey looking head? I'm sorry to ask....I just can't see it...remember...I have those 50+ eyes. lol

Suzy~ I've been looking in this Caterpillar book "Caterpillars of Eastern North America" by David Wagner

Going through every page I found a few that rememble the faint make-up of the cat in your pics. I was also considering that you found him on a woody shrub. (Peony)
It is probably some sort of Moth..

Check these>

Distinct Quaker ~ Achatia distincta
http://bugguide.net/node/view/110465
American Dunbar ~ Cosmi calami
coudn't find anything online for the American Dunbar

It also resembles some of the Pinions, but I am not sure which ones are in your area.

We usually suggest taking it in and seeing what it morphs into as a definate and final way of identifying, since pics can't always give a clear enough representation. Put it in a cozy, (shoebox with mesh covering), yet airy isolation with some of the plant you found him on. Take a clear picture of it inside if you can, or in natural light. Looks like the flash was too bright. Even Photo Studio couldn't get the bright out.

This message was edited May 19, 2007 7:01 PM

Heyyyyy Critterama!! So you made it back to MD? Hope your friend gets to keep what you planted for her!
Sounds like you have some realy good host selections. Tiger ST and Red Spotted Purple use Cherry Tree!!! Love those! ( I have one small Cherry Tree:-, and Spicebush.)
Sasafrass will get you some Spicebush STs! Awesome! The Mulberry will get you silkworms... They are really cute moths...They can make huge nests up in those MB Trees. If your neighbors have Mulberry Trees they can get them too, LOL!
Glad you joined us!

I think your right Roxanne, Suzy's cat is definatly not a SBST..

I hope the leads can help you Suzy. Hard to find good pics online. So I checked the Caterpillar book out from the Library. It doesn't include the information on how they morph in any great detail, but the other info and pics are pretty good Post it on Bug Identification too!

Yep, made it back just fine. I hope those plants stay where we put them, LOL! We ended up with the Vitex, 3 dwarf Pentas, and 3 Salvia faranacea that I hope will attract some winged critters for her... also found (finally!) one 'Munstead' lavender, and added 3 Artemesia 'Silver Mound'... yes, I know that won't do a thing for the butterflies, but they look nice at the front of the bed. I have seen some little butterflies nectaring in my herb garden, so the blooms on the Mother of Thyme and the English thyme that we put in along the border also might attract some attention, and the same goes for the spearmint and peppermint that wy installed in a couple of empty spots (they can duke it out with the Vinca major). Thanks for your assistance! She has promised to keep me posted on any butterflies that visit those flowers, and I'll report in the daily thread. :-)

That's great Critter, I can't wait to see what comes to her now! She's blessed to have you as a friend!

:-D

Thank you both, and no I am not sure it's a Spicebush Swallowtail at all. LOL! I thought I saw some faint markings on him and assumed. I have a Sweet Bay magnolia and hoped he'd be happy there.... it might be an okay replacement for Spicebush and Sassafras.

Fast forward................ I looked at caterpillar sites and found this Colias philodice (Common Sulphur). It looks like him. Has the little pin head and the dorsal yellow line. However when I went out to get him, he was gone! I shouldn't have left him unattended, but I remembered buying the parsley and forgot it was for a striped caterpillar.

I have been searching and searching for the name of a common caterpillar that is cabbage green with the "eye spots" on the back end....BIG eye spots that are black, ringed with white and then circled with black. I thought that was what he was because I could see faint eye spots on the back of him.

Still working on this -- Achatia doesn't look very common. (I checked butterfliesand moths.org and it isn't anywhere on the map that I could see.

Welcome back Critter -- and don't forget those Maypop Passion Flowers! I asked the place where we had our meeting today and they let me take 3 cuttings from their big one. We'll see if I can get it to root.

Suzy

Suzy - I couldn't tell what kind of cat you had from your photos. But it looked to be a good size. Probably in it's last instar. When they are getting ready to go into the chrysalis stage, they are usually on the move. Which may be why you saw it on a plant that is NOT a host plant. They can move quite fast! So it is probably in it's chrysalis stage now. You'd have to know what you were looking for and have very sharp eyes to find it. But that would be near impossible. (Unless they are in plain view, I can never find them! LOL!) They blend in with their surroundings so well.

In about a week and a half to two weeks you may see a new butterfly in your yard!!! Keep a look out! :-)

Good point Becky, That it was on the plant looking for a place to pupate...

I still tink it was a moth, a pinion or a skipper even, (couldnt see the head real well). Might look for a silky mass rolled up somewhere too. Not so much a chrysalis.

A lovely little Crescent... Asters are their larval host.

The Chaya (Spinach Tree) seems to be attracting a lot of butterflies. Here is a Gulf Fritillary

Ooh, that is another reason to grow that plant! I only recently found out about it, when a DG friend in FL offered to root and send a cutting of his plant to me. Looks like the butterflies and I will both enjoy it!

I have had it less than a year. It is a fast grower, Here's a monarch just hanging out. See more Chaya on Zebra LW thread.

Right critter!
The Chaya looks like a wonderful plant..Snuzer, great pics! Your Monarch seems to be tasting the leaf while 'hanging out'.

:-D

Pic here> Newly eclosed Pipevine Swallowtail taking his first drink of Duranta>

Thanks ... Beautiful pipevine swallowtail. I have not ever lured them to my yard.......(yet)...

They're coming!!!

~Adrienne

Cool Adrienne!! Very nice pic too!
I can always count on GFrits for movement and a playful atmosphere in the garden. They are really chompin down the Blue Crown..It's about 1/4 bare stems now...I hope to hang up a few new chrysalids tomorrow,

Thanks for sharing the pic!! It's beautiful!

:-Deb

Needed some stress relief after a long work week, so I figured nothing would be better than going for a hike in my favorite wetlands preserve (even if everything has dried up this time of year). Saw a crescent. They're so pretty! I never noticed them before. That's why I like this forum. Before, all I ever noticed was the monarch types or the swallowtails, but now I'm taking notice of even the tiny little guys.

That purple thing he's on was popular with all the bugs today - butterflies, love bugs, dragonflies, bees, etc.

I can't believe this photo turned out as well as it did. I'm so glad no one sees me running around chasing butterflies, or crawling around on the ground to get a better picture, LOL! Anyone know this fella?