Butterflies have been busy in my yard

I've been so busy this week I haven't had the chance to look around my yard. Seems the butterflies have been busy!!!

I also found out I have termites so had to call in the exterminator....they had to drill through the foundation outside and inside...but did explain to them when they came to give me an estimate that I raise butterflies and didn't want the plants or yard affected. I also semi-converted four men!!! The two that came by yesterday were really impressed - they wanted me to show them eggs and caterpillars....so I showed them various eggs that were on different larval hosts as well as caterpillars and of course, a few different species of butterflies were flitting about. The Giant Swallowtails flying about were impressive...ya'll know how those big beauties catch your eye and a female even laid eggs while they were watching!!! The two that came today to do the work were curious and said they didn't know people actually raised butterflies and moths. They wanted to know what I did with them when they emerged...and I said, release them to continue the cycle in my yard :o)

One of the men was telling me about how superstitious people are when they see a black moth - saying it foretells death. I told them most moths are seeking a shaded place and that's why covered porches attract them. Also explained the deteriorating natural habitats leave them no other option but to seek out food sources in our landscapes.

I say semi-converted because alas, killing pests that eat plants and wood etc is their business...but they said they would tell their customers about how the butterflies lay eggs on certain plants and that the leaf damage is done by caterpillars and won't kill the plant. The also said they'd ask their customers if they would prefer granules that pests like ants, roaches and termites eat over spraying everything and killing anything that comes into contact with the chemical.

Since the majority of my butterfly plants are not up against the house I think the caterpillars are pretty safe. Most stay on the plant and pupate on nearby trellises and such.

Here's some of the eggs I found and showed them. By the way, they took a breather on my covered back porch and watched as butterflies flitted about. They said they'd never much paid attention to them...but I have opened their eyes.

~ Cat

Giant Swallowtail eggs on citrus - tangerine leaf.

Gulf Frit eggs on passiflora.

~ Cat

more GF eggs...

~ Cat

Queen egg on milkweed

~ Cat

Guava Skipper eggs on Strawberry Guava bush leaves.

~ Cat

tiny Queen cat

~ Cat

Giant Swallowtail on rue

~ Cat

Black Swallowtails on rue too

~ Cat

Had the usual Giant Swallowtails, Gulf Frits, Queen, Longtail Skippers, grass skippers and Sulphurs flitting about...but just had to take this photo of a Queen and Theona Checkerspot on milkweed.

~ Cat

and a Theona on a leaf. There must have been a recent emergence of Theonas as I counted five different ones when I went outside.

~ Cat

also showed them the White Striped Longtail skipper cats and the Forbes silkmoth cocoons. :o)

~ Cat

Yeah for educating people! It's sad that so many young people are growing up with no real connection to nature (I'm 27 and already preaching about the "young people"). Even if someone doesn't like caterpillars, it's still good to know how things are important for the environment. I mean, I don't like vultures, but they do a critical job. It's great that you explored alternatives with them and opened their minds a bit. And I love that Theona - we don't have those here!

Melanie

Like Melanie said, good for you!! Maybe as people become aware of the fact that we are destroying the homes and food for so many things, they will become more careful of the products they use around their homes.

Meanwhile, I love that Theona!!

Cat-
Well done, indeed! Education is KEY!!!
I love the colors on the the Theona. I've never seen one...so thanks for the treat! The Mama's have been busy in my yard as well! Just this week I've found Spicebush,Palamedes and Giant Swallowtail eggs! So exciting!

Adrienne

Oh, TPP--so fun to see all your different butterflies and their eggs, too! You are so lucky to have such a wide range of species!

Thanks for showing us the pics and telling us about your visit with the exterminators. Good story!

Keep showing us your pics!

wow Cat your yard is very busy.

What amazes me is that there's not much blooming in the backyard at this time. I pruned back the duranta because it had gone to seed but they still seek it out - to nectar from the few remaining flowers. Orange honeysuckle is doing well and the hummies are enjoying that. There's still some blooms on the butterfly bush and milkweeds and the firebush in the front yard is the only stuff in full bloom...but the butterflies aren't frequenting that. Guess they're too busy laying eggs...which is alright by me :o)

~ Cat

A Little Yellow - these are so dainty :o)

What a great group of BF's and eggs. Lucky, lucky you. Going to keep you busy I would imagine. It is raining so hard here I am praying my GF's don't decide to eclose in the next couple of days. I don't think I will be seeing many BF's here for a bit as it is sooo wet. We need the rain though and I never complain about rain.

Thanks so much for sharing and enjoy.

Leslie

Well, they say hurricane Dean is heading this way and should get here Wednesday or Thursday. I have to go out of town next Tuesday and won't get back until latel Thursday so will most likely bring my cat cages inside in case there's strong winds and rain. Am going to risk leaving all the windchimes and suncatchers hanging from the eaves...so I do hope it misses us. I have way too many potted plants in the backyard to move. UGH!!!

~ Cat

A couple years ago when Florida got all those hurricanes I got so tired of hauling pots in and out of the patio. I just saw it on the news and Dean is one scary storm. I know it's got to hit somewhere, but I just hope it's not where many people live. Stay safe and keep those bfs protected!

Lots of good luck with the weather down there this coming week. Sounds like Dean could be trouble but I hope it blows away some where out to sea.

I feel for you about Hurricane Dean. We have been waiting all day here for city flooding because of the rains from the last hurricane that hit down there somewhere. We got about 9 inches of rain since last night and today we are on disaster warnings and everything. One person has died. Very tragic. These floods really scare me. It does it so rarely here because we usually have drought so the city is not well equipped for that much rain. So then we have Dean going to hit down there and that should affect our weather as well. The neat thing today was the sun finally came out about 3:00 and I went out side to check out my garden and saw several butterflies having a ball flying around and just glad to be out of the rain I guess.

Good luck to you and will be praying for you guys down there come this week.

Leslie

I feel for you people in Texas with too much rain already, and now the possibility of Dean. You are in my thoughts and prayers, and hopefully, Dean will diminish before it hits land.

Great egg pics Cat!
One of the TV news channels with a piece about the webworms told the viewers that BT can be used to get rid of them, and it IS organic. *Yikes* I sure hope my neighbors don't get any big ideas. One false spray and, ....well..

:-D