DAILY BUTTERFLIES Page 19

A buddy and myself drove out to a wildlife refuge and we parked the car at one stop and decided to walk down one of the trails to take a quick look at the Rio Grande River. Best idea we had!!! We saw one Sailor, numerous Mexican Bluewings, dozens and dozens of Zebra Longwings and about 20 Malachites within a small stretch of about 50 yards.

Now since we're in south Texas...it was extremely hot and humid and we were sweating from just being outside. I told him to stretch out his hand up to a Malachite that was perched on the edge of a leaf. It quickly climbed onto his finger and up his hand...enjoying the saltiness off his sweat no doubt!!!

~ Cat

Deb - Some very nice folks on the MG forum decided to enable me in my newest gardening addiction by sharing some of their MG seeds with me. Actually, Cat got me started with them first .... lol! It's her fault!!! LOL! LOL!

Melanie - I, too, have been seeing Sulphurs in my garden..... probably because I have Cassia Plants that they come to. My Privet Cassia is blooming again and here come the butterflies! lol Still no Monarchs or much of anything else. Love your photos! I hate it when I hit a butterfly while driving, too! (sigh)

Cat - Great photo of your friend with the Malachite! :-) I am so JEALOUS that you saw a bunch of Zebra Longwings!!! I so wanted to see them in my garden this year. Not one showed up. My Maypop vine is outta control again. No butterflies whatsoever around to eat them. :-(

I was wondering today why the ZL mom doesn't seem interested in my Maypop. She spends a lot of the day just looking for really good places to lay eggs. So far, I've only seen her appear interested in P. caerulea, P. lutea and the Incense passie. Maybe she thinks the Maypop has too many cats (GF) already...I don't know. I found 4 more small milkweed cats also...not excited, because the milkweed foliage is about gone. I might have to make that long, long drive to get "cat-safe" milkweed. Why can't milkweed grow on trees?

When I got back yesterday from a three day vacation, I went to look for cats in my garden. Here are BSTs babies on fennel.

I don't know if that host plant was fennel or dill. Anyway, lots of cats for me to raise again.
This was a surprise to me seeing Monarchs on rotting fruit. They were going to town on it.

This crystalis is hiding in the cannas not too far from the milkweed. This cat made it safely in the wild thank goodness. Appears to be just about ready to eclose.

Nice surprises when you got home! You must not have as many wasps as I have. They would have picked off those babies long before now. I may need to put out some of the butterfly bait mixture and see if the Monarch's will go for it.

Great shots!
Is the fruit, rotten apple?
Wow, thats alot of new BST babies. I think I have too many chameleons to have that many babies survive.
I only see a few at a time.

chris

Oh no, Sheila, I thought the wasp only got the crystalis. I'll be sure to rescue these babies today. I have lots of wasp flying around.
I've seen RA's at my rotting fruit but Monarchs were a first. They certainly were going for it.

Me too, Chris. I think someone called them noles? Those little green lizards that can turn brown just as quick as green. That's rotting plums in the birdfeeder. I had to sit my cage in the garden while I was gone. You can see it next to the rotting plums and banana. I don't know if these three Monarchs eclosed from my cage or not. I'd like to think so.

Great job Deborah, What a nice thing to come home to!

Cat!! What great sightings for 50 yards of treking! Please show us some more pics in the new thread. :-D! This one is getting overloaded, lol!

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/776737/

debnes

Deb, take a closer look at those butterflies feasting on the rotten fruit! I believe those are not Monarchs, but Viceroys! Lucky you...as far as I know, I haven't spotted any of those this year. Viceroys are often called Monarch mimics, supposedly using the resemblance to avoid predators. But recent research has found that they are also somewhat toxic to predators.

Definitely Viceroy's on the rotting fruit. Another way you can tell the difference between Monarchs and Viceroys is that Viceroys are smaller than Monarchs. Very pretty flutterbyes! :)

Oh my goodness, you mean I have a new species in my garden! Wonderful! Viceroys have that extra black band don't they? Now I've got to find out what they're host plant is and plant some of it too! I'm so excited! Thank y'all for letting me know.

I think Viceroys like shrubs and trees in the willow family. Carolina willow, Black willow, and Weeping willow. : )
~Lucy

My DH won't let me have a willow tree. (yet) I love'em though. He thinks they look sad and depressing.
I may have to go with a cottonwood.

Cottonwoods are sure bad for people with allergies, plus just making a mess with the cotton droppings.

Oh dear, DH has allergies. What else is there for zone 8a that I could get for a Queen host?

Buy you one of those tree faces that smile and put it on the willow. Then it will be happy. LOL : )

I took a picture of my kissy tree face in the rain a minute ago. He's not smiling tonight. lol
~Lucy

Personally, I think the willows look very delicate and graceful. Almost like an angel on her knees praying. :-)

There ya go, Becky. I'll remember that the next time I mention Willow tree to him. I like that description!
Lucy, ROFL, now that's a face ya gotta love.

LOL I confess y'all. I didn't look close at the pic with the Viceroys, oops! (Thx Linda).That would make sense as Viceroys are more of a fruit feaster than Monarchs.

Deborah, There are other Willows besides the weeping ones (altho I like them too Becky). I agree with Sheila about cottonwood. We had a huge one in Hurst when I was growing up. I loved the giant tree, but the fuzz gets on everything, including yours and your neighbor's air conditioners. They also get these really cool borer bugs that live inside of the tree.

debnes

C Dawg, the Ash is a host plant for the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, maybe that will be a good tree.
http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species?l=1372&chosen_state=13*Georgia

ok, great! I'll try to find some around my area. There's a tree farm close to me.h

The gulf fritillaries are all over the passion vines and the cats are eating it up.

Nice colorful picture Kim, need to put that one in the contest that is going on.

Smiles... Just a reminder to meet me at the new thread, This one is getting rather full, LOL

debnes

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/776737/