I finally am posting a pic of that chrysalis from the pipevine cat pupating pic. It probably broke the other silks on its stirrup when struggling to complete pupation. I moved it later and put together a little strip of cloth glued onto something to just hold it in place (have done that for other chrysalises). We had a flash flood Friday (10 or more inches of rain that day) and today I went down to the "dry" creek that crosses the corner of the property (was a raging white water creek Friday, now a gentle brook) to check on the plants important for habitat use. Most of the Maximilian Daisy plants are gone, some Frostweed gone, many flattened against the ground...those are nectar plants for the Monarchs and other species in fall. Not sure if the Elderberry Tree is okay...I can see parts of it, but the rest is buried under a lot of soil and debris...will have to be dug out to see if uprooted), the large Hop Tree is there, somewhat damaged, a wild passionflower vine is still there but leaves are shredded. Strange what flash floods can do. One Black Walnut Tree, which hung on many years through other flash floods, is gone...no trace of it whatsoever. Texas Ash Tree across the street on the bank is okay. We have our place uphill on the slope of the hillside, so we just couldn't go anywhere until the roads were open again.
DAILY BUTTERFLIES Page 14
Hi All,
I have really enjoyed the pics and stories. I thought I would share a few of my butterfly images from my container garden. I have a 12 x 18 foot deck with 27 pots of butterfly nectar and host plants. The pots vary in size with the largest being 44 quarts. Swallowtails are very common in Baltimore County, so I have had ample opportunity to study them. Here is one of my favorites, Eastern Tiger Swallowtail on butterfly bush:
Mellie, ZLW usually lays eggs on tips of new growth and in groups (but not always). The ZLW that sometimes visits my yard must be male...no eggs that I know about. I'm green with envy that you have eggs! Oh, and ZLW can also live longer than most butterflies...as long as six months. And...lots of TSTs seem to be around on the forum today. Deb, I have Escarpment Black Cherry and Texas Ash. As far as I can see, they prefer the ash more. I have 3 cats...the other eggs never hatched.
This message was edited Aug 19, 2007 3:04 PM
Congratulations on the ZLW eggs. I would love to see them in our area.
I kept seeing the ZLW nectaring, but the passion vine was always so full of Gulf Frit eggs I thought I'd never get any ZLWs. I was just reading about them, and how they eat pollen, and it made some of my photos make a lot more sense. I saw this ZLW and thought it had something stuck to its proboscis, but now I'm thinking it was pollen. Sorry picture's a little blurry.
Great pictures everyone!!
I released 4 BST Friday and a GST yesterday. Then as I went around my yard with another DGer, I saw big cats that I had missed when they were small. So I have another batch in the oven so to speak.
I finally got around to going to get the fabric that Deb suggested we use from Jo Ann's Fabric, and they had all floral supplies including wet foam on 40% off sale! Four big blocks was about $3.50! So I though I would take this opportunity to post my set up. I use the bottoms of water bottles, or jello cups. Put the foam in wet it, and cover it with the Press and Seal wrap, being careful that all edges are on the bottom of the cup. I place a stick to help hold up limp parsley and for a place that they can pupate. Some use it some don't.
I'm late coming in to this... but from the very top of the thread... Deb, the photo of the monarchs on the skyflower is awesome! My favorite butterfly on one of my favorite flowering trees! Just beautiful! I have wanted a piece of duranta for so long, but I am too far north to find it... I have to grow it inside. I have been in love with this plant since I first saw it at the U.S. Botanical Gardens last year. Ironically, my hubby and I went up there yesterday for a day trip. They have several of them trained into standard form and they are stunning! Below is a photo from yesterday. I would so love to be able to grow one in the same way.
Thanks for sharing all of your photos everyone!
Karen
Ok, Now you've gone and done it, Karen! I gotta get me one of those! LOL
hello everyone...i was directed to this page by a kind soul as i had asked a question on a previous page...was wanting to know what to do if i want to raise monarchs here but what to do if i cant find cats of them...they have been here on occasion...i get swallowtails...which i adore...and of course i wont be able to do anything til next summer i assume because it will be cold here before too long..(i live in eastern oregon)..this whole process is new to me...i will definely read up on it before i take the plunge...but it is all so fasinating to me...please forgive my ignorance..lol
And one of my close-ups...
Does anyone know if you can start this from cuttings? And if so, would any one be willing to send a few for postage, or maybe a trade? Please d-mail me if so... and thanks in advance!
It is a lovely plant, and for those of you who are far enough south to enjoy them in your lanscape, aren't you lucky!
Have a blessed evening and week!
Karen
and by the way the pics are wonderful..!!!...further up the thread i was floored by the one with the passion flower..beautiful
Welcome H1! There's a wealth of info on this forum about raising all kinds of cats, just ask and you'll get an answer. Everyone is so helpful and willing to share their experiences, you'll have a full cat house in no time. lol
VA, that is so pretty as a standard. They get huge and unruly here, I have a small one, I'll see if I can get a piece to root for you.
thank you so much...i will be spending a lot of time reading this forum and other material to find out what all i need to get started...but what will i do if when i am ready if i cant find any cats to raise...then what???
If you plant the host plant, trust me, they will come....ask anyone on here! You must check everyday though....the poor things have a lot of predators.
Hummer1, if you are seeing bfs in your yard, trust me, they are laying eggs somewhere around you. So, why not at your house? Right? Like Rox said, plant their host plants and they will come.
You're so right about reading all you can. There is a sticky thread at the very beginning of this forum that has loads of information. That's a good place to start. Also, there are many veteran butterfliers on this forum who can help you. They have helped newbies like me who ask questions that they have answered 1,000 times over but never mind helping out another newbie and can ususally link you to a thread that covers your question too which is always helpful. We are all in this together; raising bfs and learning from them.
Late summer and fall is a great time to see butterflies and learn by watching their activity in your yard. It's fun trying to identify all the ones that visit your yard. That's what I'm trying to do now. Learn the names of the ones I see most often. Then, try to plant those bf's host plants or sow host plant seeds in my yard. Here is a great site to find out which ones live/visit your state and county. http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/map?x=39&y=57&_fc=1
Which Swallowtails have you been seeing in your neck of the woods?
Deborah
Holy cow!! I am absolutely floored by all the incredible photos - not to mention the outrageously beautiful butterflies! I'm just lurking for now, but maybe next year . . . ???!!!
thank you deborah
awesome!...yes i saw that thread at the beginning and have been digging around in it...so i have my work cut out for me on not only making a list of sightings and identifying them but learning what the eggs look like etc...so i will keep reading and asking ...you can be sure....ok as far as the swallowtail...from what i have seen here on the thread , the one i get here around my place is the one tail...black and yellow(hope that made sense..lol)
well i better get off of here for the night...have to work tomorrow...sigh...it has been fun..so i will be back
Thank yoy, fly_girl, for offering to root me a piece of the skyflower!
8*)
Karen
Those Cloudless Sulphur cats are very pretty!
Hi Crystal! Ni to meet you, and glad you chimed in! You have a great camera for those close-ups of the TSTs.. WOWIE!
This one of yours is an excellent example of a male TST>
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/p.php?pid=3874980
Your other TST in post>
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/p.php?pid=3875000
is an excellent example of the light form female TST.
Deborah! Your pictures beginning in post>
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/p.php?pid=3874875
is a great example of the dark form female TST
Gorgeous shots ladies!!
Linda~ Sorry to hear the storm took so much with it, I hope more of it grows back.. We got an inch or 2 also, and the lightning was the brightest I've seen all year. If I hadn't been driving I would have been snapping away with my camera.
The PVST chrysalis is really something! Who knows, maybe it will turn out to be alright....I have seen worse that pleasantly surprised me. We'll see in about a week.. Thanks for posting the pic!
D
Mellie! I'm so tickled about your ZLWs!! Fantastic!! They are more gregarious than the Frits I've noticed. The cats are soo cool too! You and mom are going to have so much fun raising those. Keep showing us as they grow..:-) Congrats!!
Welcome hummingbird! So pleased to meet you! This is the perfect time for you to begin planning your butterfly garden for next year. Most of us start preparing in late summer and fall, plus the good seed trades will be happening soon. You are in the loop now!! When Becky (beckygardener) gets back, (I miss her).. the Round Robin trade for November will get going too. Here is the thread>
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/753756/
If you have any seeds forming on your good nectar plants, now is a good time to be saving them for those fall trades. We will see to it you get plenty of what you need to have a great butterfly garden next year.
:-Deb
Hey there Murmur!! Nice to see you, glad you spoke up! This is where I've been since butterfly season began. I still have lot of birds out there that I feed and watch, but been too busy to get over to the Bird Watching forum to post them. I will be more involved over there when the last Swallowtail makes it's chrysalis to sleep for the winter. Especially when Ruby Crowned Kinglet returns! Now I have a few resident hummers instead, and they are a joy! Bet you have some up there too! Feel free to share your hummer pics.
So far this year I have released almost 200 butterflies of almost 12 species. These little wingers are keeping me very busy.. hehe! Please pop in anytime, I really miss all you wonderful folks over there in BW!
Linda! Great shot of the Cloudless Sulphur cats. (Mine are not even an inch long now.) Which Cassia is that? ..(I'm takin' notes..)
Hey yall! One of my Silver Spotted Skipper chrysalids eclosed this morning!! It was pretty windy, so it was hard to hold. The skipper flew out of my hand and clung to the passionvine on the back fence. It was still shady there, so I had to tweak the pic in Photo Studio a little bit. Maybe the other 2 will be easier to get pics of.
Thanks, Deb! I really am amazed and in awe of these gorgeous little creatures!
