DAILY BUTTERFLIES Page 17

Thats so neat Sheila! I want some cannas for next year at least. I would like some red ones actually, but I'll take any color people have extra. I know how well they multiply and no one wants to throw them away if they can help it.

Linda, If any of those give any seed, I would love to have some. I sent a sase to butterfliesetc for some plantain they use at Shady Grove. They show the cats getting fatter and bigger from eating the plantain, and some other host they had. Have you seen that?

After losing my one and only BE cat I was so bummed. They were coming here at the first of the season, and now haven't seen any in a while. Wanting to increase their numbers as much as I can. Guess they do a bit of migrating and overwintering as chrysalids too. We may see more as fall approaches.

Awesome Sheila! You are sure getting some great stage documentations. Thank you and your DH!
Nice job:-)

This guy patrolled for hours waiting on a female. He nectared himself on everything.. This zinnia was holding an assasian conference in the basement> Yikes!

He would stuff himself and play chase with frits, sulphurs and hummers, then go rest on the milkweed a long time...Pretty smart fella resting here and waiting like that.

Here is my release of the day. Actually, 3 of them. More tomorrow. : )
~Lucy

Wings open. : )

He's just perfect Lucy! You got the knack girl!
:-S

Those assasin bugs are all over my Passion Vine this year. They are creepy looking and I usually spot them when I have my nose close to the vines looking for cats!!
Great BST pictures Blue. I have had so many released this year that I don't take pictures anymore of the BSTs. Then the other day I wanted a crisp pic of one and couldn't locate a single one that wasn't in a cage. Got to get out and snap more pics of them!

That is gorgeous!! Can't wait to see mine after they eclose -- next spring for the baby cats I have.

I noticed something really odd this morning. It was a little after 7:00 a.m., and I was watering everything again (because Indiana has become the new Arizona) it was overcast, and this ETS flitted by. Isn't 7:00 a.m. and overcast a bit early in the day to see an ETS?

every butterfly I see I think oh that's the most beautiful butterfly!!

Lily, this may sound stupid, but I've noticed that the yellow color butterflies come out first here in FL. Just an observation. But that is a bit early - although this morning I was walking into work about 7:15 and saw a dainty suphur flying around the parking lot. Maybe it was really hungry? : )

When I pulled in this evening, that Pipevine ST was visiting again. I couldn't get a very good pic - it's like they have butterfly attention deficit disorder. Must be a male; neither of the pipevines have eggs - but that's ok - they have new growth and I'm happy with that.

I did find some Gulf Frit eggs - might this be the culprit? By the way, these are Salvia "Mystic Spires" and the bfs sure do like them!

I saw the pipevine ST again and was chasing it around the yard when something yellow caught my eye...

This TST was in my neighbor's yard. I tried to tell him that I had plumbagos too, but I guess neighbor Jim's were tastier (plus mine had already been slurped on by the Gulf Frit and the Pipevine ST).

I like the Tiger STs - they cooperate! They're very photogenic and they tend to stay at the same plant for a while so you can usually get a good shot of them. I always like pictures where I can see the proboscis; I just think it's so neat how that works.

FYI, one of the Zebra STs hatched. I brought in one of the pawpaw seedlings I'm growing and he's chilling on the top leaf. I figure it's good to put him on the same species he was laid on. The other two eggs are nearby so whenever they hatch they'll be able to join him.

That's what I do mel. Put them on the species they are laid on whenever possible. I have 2 different cassias, and same species of sulphurs. I kept feeding them what they were laid on.

Lily~When we go on a long trip we are usually up early to continue on our way so we can get where we're going as fast as possible. When fall approaches the swallowtail s and other large butterfly travelers will do the same thing. When they're residents in summer they will sleep in a little longer. What was the temp there in IN this morning?

Mel~Even the smaller ones will get out early no matter traveling or not. It has not been too unusual to go around to the side of the house and see crescents scatter.
Just some thoughts..:-S

I agree debilu.. the next one is the prettiest, :-)

Here's a skipper I've had hanging around here lately. Nectaring Obedient Plant.. (Sheila these are the plants you gave me, about 4' tall now.)

Deb, it was in the upper 70's this morning, and was threatening to rain. That's interesting that the butterflies tell you when Fall is near. I never paid attention to anything like that before. Thanks for that bit of info, because I'll definitely store that away!!

Oh, no, the Monarchs are streaming in again....and guess what's on my milkweed...again? Besides the butterflies, that is! All those cats I've got are still little. I don't want any more! What is it with these egg-layers, anyway?

Linda, your in Niagra Falls, and here I sit in a dessert with no water!! I would love to have just a dozen eggs on my milkweed.:-(
I have had 2 queens and 3 Monarchs on my plants this year ...total. Whisper my address in their ear and send them on my way!

Well Linda, I told you there would be more this year.. I could tell by what's coming through here, and as they get further south they are more concentrated. How are you sitting for MW?

Sheila have you had any more frits laying eggs since we came over?

Oh yes, there have been several cats on the PV, and a lot more GF bfs too. I have not brought in but a couple or three, because the vine is so far up in my neighbors crepe myrtles that I can even see them, much less reach them, and that is where the laying is going on. Unfortunately the birds have easy pickins too.
More good news... the first Silver Checkerspot eclosed today! Here is a pic when it landed on the deck. I had posted the pic of the chrysalis here http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/p.php?pid=3942446

Shiela,

Great going!!! Amazing how you can see the antenna and wing details on that chrysalis. What a gorgeous little butterfly. We don't get those here!!

~ Cat

My milkweeds are just sticks now. I've taken the cuttings out of the cage and put them in water. They seem to leaf out quicker that way. I'm about to have some starving cats within the next few days. Monarch mamas are flying under my patio cover and laying eggs on the tiny leaves, no bigger than my finger nail, that are trying to leaf out. Hope they like stems, cause that's all they have left to eat right now.

I love all the pretty pics. I rarely post here but I do enjoy them!
I think of them as fly jewels in the garden.
Teresa in KY

Well I had my first Monarch last night. I was out feeding the birds and saw something flying around and had to go check it out. Sure enough it was a beautiful Monarch. He hung out on my buddelia (sp) for awhile, a good five minutes, then flew off and came back to the same plant. I kept showing him/her where the milkweed was but never saw it go near that plant. I was thrilled though as it was the first I have seen all year. Guess they are heading this way.

Leslie

My milkweed is doing okay so far. But then, too, the group of Monarch cats I'm raising right now aren't in those late instars yet and not eating that much. Good thing I got that half price milkweed early on. But I may have to buy some more containers to keep cats in if this keeps up. After the last front we had passed through, that's when butterflies started appearing that weren't here before. When I go out on the roads anywhere now, I see butterflies just flying along the roads. The migration is going on.

Gulf Frillitary on Plumbago

2nd shot

Bsharf, have you been hanging out in my yard, LOL?

Teresa, you can aways drop in and praise us - we like that! One of the fun things about the forums is you can "virtually" experience all sorts of gardens. It's helped me to overcome my extreme jealousy over people who can grow fields of daffodils. : )

Melanie

Not too much action this evening probably due to some rain, but I did see a Tropical Checkered Skipper, and the Pipevine Swallowtail was back again. Still no eggs on the pipevine so I figure it's got to be a male. I hope he can find a ladyfriend soon!

Update on the Zebra Swallowtails...I had three eggs. One hatched, but he never seemed to act quite right. He kept falling off the leaf. Two hatched today and now that I see them, I think the other one might have been deformed. The ones today are all silvery-gray with little black heads. The other one's tail end was also very dark like his head, and I thought it was normal until I saw the other two. Seeing as how he hatched a day earlier, maybe he was premature? Either way, the two today are acting very much like caterpillars. After they hatched on their (now dried up) leaves, I placed them next to my pawpaw seedling and they climbed aboard. The first one has already eaten a hole in the leaf! (See picture) The second one must have hatched within the last hour or two, but he's very active. He climbed right up on the leaf, and now he's climbed up the plant to the top leaf where the other cat is. He also seems to move pretty fast for a cat. In the few minutes since I started typing, he climbed next to his sibling. Let's all hope for the best!

By the way, the eggs when they're laid are green, then they turn a coppery color. Right before they hatched they were sort of gunmetal gray, which makes sense because that's the color the cats are.

Gorgeous frits bsharf! Thank you for sharing those!

I love the daffies too mel!

Sheila~ When I get a clutch of monarchs worth carrying over I will do that, so we can impermiate a little eu de Moarch in your secluded garden! It is so beautiful where you are, and your property is such a hide-away. Once we install a few fragrances the butterflies will put you on their map for sure. Even if we have to do it one species at a time, lol

debnes

Here is a Black ST I released today.. couldn't resist putting him on the new Pride of Barbados. As he sat ther a paper wasp kept coming around close. Finally I took a piece of quick cage fabric and shewed it at the wasp. Black ST took off thinking I was swatting him, maybe, but he is safe and free now.

Looks great mellie!

Lovely shots of the GF!!! Cute little cat there Mellie.
Thanks for the tempting offer Debnes! I keep seeing little holes and looking for cats or eggs, and can't see them. I found two eggs last week brought the leaf in, and they hatched. They are Monarchs!

I had one of my two queens eclose today, but had to leave before it happened. The other is due in the morning so I hope it does before my WW meeting in the am. Here is the shot I took before I left this morning.

Here is the sweet looking babe as I released her this afternoon.

What a beauty, Sheila, just perfect! You must be a proud mom.
Oh...I wanted to ask if anyone has raised Imperial Moth cats. The way I came to have these eggs was so "just meant to happen". I was working outside earlier and wanted to check a potted pipevine plant. It was behind some other plants so couldn't see it much and then I thought I saw a yellow leaf and reached in to remove it. Only it wasn't a leaf, it was a moth. I recognized it right away then. I'd found one years ago. Then I remember that someone who raises moths had told me afte that time that you can put those in a paper bag if they are female and mated and it can leave some eggs in the bag. But at the time, I'd already released the moth before I heard that. So earlier I put the moth into a big paper bag and went to look for a picture showing the two sexes. I decided it was female, but didn't really think it would lay eggs in that bag. It did just that within a few hours...how cool is that! Anyway, my question is since all the eggs (there's a dozen, I believe) but two are on paper already, can they just be attached to leaves on the cut-out little pieces of paper? I had put sycamore leaves in there with her hoping she'd lay eggs on the leaves, that's how two came to be on a leaf.

Yes Linda, I think you can put the cutout peices of paper on some supple host leaves. I usually lay the leaves on top of wet floral foam that has been wrapped in paper towel. This keeps the leaves very moist if you watch the foam doesn't dry out. I pour a little water in under the foam if it bgins to dry.

You ask, "how cool is that!(?)" Very cool Linda!!! The Imperials are beautiful!

Oh Sheila! You've done it again.. Excellent Queen you have there. She is so brilliantly colored. From my screen it looks as though I could reach in and pick her up!

In a few I will get dressed and go out to meet the new ones I have eclosing today. So far the Tersa Sphinx came out in the night, and I hope I can get some decent pics. It was dark when I checked, and pics would have been no good. I also have a couple BST chrysalids that have turned dark, one was darker and wiggling :-)

I will check back here in a while..

This message was edited Sep 8, 2007 10:56 AM

Look who's enjoying the Shrimp Plant today....

another fan of the Shrimp plant...

doesn't this guy blend in well with the patio?