Queen Butterflies

Ya know it's been kinda Butterfly-less here. Well, today I was out in the yard and had some VERY friendly visitors. 2 Queen butterflies were playing chase around me. I guess they thought I was a colorful tree or something. They were within 12" of me. And flying around and around me chasing each other. Even when I moved it didn't seem to phase them. Perhaps they were hand-raised by someone locally.

Here's one of them resting on some potted Milkweed. I had just pruned back all my milkweed and the rain we've had the last couple of days has really sparked the growth on these plants. They are in pots to be used in the butterfly cages.

Here's a side view of the same butterfly.

Trying to catch them in a photo while they are in flight is near impossible! In this photo you can see them if you look closely.

The last photo. I caught one and the wing of the other.

Heh heh...Queens! Really is good to see someone so excited about them. I must confess I don't pay them much attention as we get them by the thousands out here. They really do love nectaring on the native mistflower (eupatorium odoratum).

Hope you get to raise some caterpillars...gotta love those three sets of tubercles :o)

I always end up with caterpillars that vary in color...some have more yellow at the base of the tubercles and others more maroon...although the black is the norm. Same goes for the chrysalids. I get lots that are a light pink to almost white instead of the usual green associated with monarch chrysalids.

Maybe you'll get lucky and see some "Kings" - that's what we jokingly call the Queens that have more pronounced white marking that look like chevrons...or maybe you'll see some aberrants like Linda did last year...lots of white and others almost all white. Really freaky looking.

Of course, you could also get some Soldiers in the fray. I've never raised those...but if I ever see a gravid female laying eggs I will.

~ Cat

That is gorgeous, Becky! I'd definitely be excited if I saw one in my yard, that's for sure!!

Oh Becky- I;m so excited for you! I don't know that I've ever had one in my garden! Yay for you!!

Adrienne

Congrats Becky! They are pretty, I haven't seen any here and would really like to see the cats with the 3 tubercles.

Thanks y'all! If these beauties had been laying any eggs, I'll be looking for them. I can't tell the males from the female Queens, so not sure what they were doing. But they were on the milkweed and there are no flowers since the plants were pruned back. So ..... possibly they were there to deposit the next generation of butterflies.

Cat - Ironically, the Monarchs are much more common here than the Queens. It's a treat when I see one as they are rare in my yard. I have never seen 2 in my yard at the same time. And then to be chasing each other that close to me .... sure made my day! :-D

I love your action shots, Becky. You did good. : ) Your house is like my house....butterflyless. I have a few sulfurs, and hairstreaks, and I saw an orange one from a distance. About a week ago, I saw a tiger swallowtail fly around for a few minutes, but it didn't land anywhere. : (

Boohoo for us.
They will get here one day,....soon.......I hope. : )
~Lucy

Glad they made your day!!! They also love Mexican Flame Vine as a nectar source.

~ Cat

I have planted Mexican Flame Vine seeds twice, and they didn't come up. I'm just gonna have to find a surrogate mother, I guess. lol : )
~Lucy

Here's a kitty with the three sets of tubercles. This one has more maroon/red than black on them.

~ Cat

great pictures... thanks for sharing

..and another with more yellow on the tubercles.

~ Cat

Lucy - Thanks! I love the last action shot for some reason. It's just neat to see how they hold their legs when they are airborne. Just watching them made me wish I could fly and join them in their little game of tag! :-)

It's gotta be the heat and drought conditions as to why we seem to have so few butterflies this summer. I don't remember it being this scarce the previous 2 years. Sure seems strange to have all these host and nectar plants and no butterflies. It's downright weird. I'm glad that I am not the only one in Florida noticing this. I would otherwise be thinking that pesticide or something else was killing them off. I also notice that no matter how much I water my plants ..... when it actually "rains" .... the plants grow so much better and faster. Especially my vines! I wish we'd get afternoon showers every day or every other day. I usually see butterflies after it rains, too.

Awwwww ...... love all the Queens on your Mexican Flame vine, Cat. What a beautiful picture! I haven't noticed them at all on my MFV. Don't know why, but none of my vines are blooming lately. (Except the white and purple hyacinth bean, some of my morning glories, and the Spanish Flag.) I wonder why that is? Does intense heat and humidity play a factor in blooms?

The Queen cats that I have raised in the past looked more like your cat with the yellow tubercles. I've never seen them with maroon/red. Makes them look like they are on fire! LOL!

It raining right now here, I just ran out to check on some plants, and it started pouring and I had to run back. lol

I think the reason our butterflys are late is because of the drought. I've seen more in the last week. Maybe it will pick up now that the rains have started.

~Lucy