Come to think of it, pford, you're right!! No bees on the sunflower (a volunteer from the bird feeder nearby) yesterday afternoon. I think they're happy enough with the Veronica, that plant has been covered with bees all summer, next year I want to grow more of it for them.
Like you, I want to try passionflower (Maypop). Another DG'er just sent me Maypop seeds and I'm envisioning Gulf Frits all over my yard next summer!!!
I'm surprised you have a BST cat, I haven't had any BST's around for a few weeks. My parsley plants have come back after this summer's onslaught of BST cats, and I guess I'll be able to go back to using it for my salads. I'd rather have the BST's, boy, what a fun summer I had with them! They're the first butterflies I've ever raised, and it was so exciting!!!
DAILY BUTTERFLIES Page 22
Yes, yes, and yes. :^)
I too have a volunteer sunflower but I doubt it will open.
That's the plant that I showed above - with the leaf-footed bug on.
It's about 3 1/2 foot tall, but I'm afraid the first frost will stop it in it's tracks.
I had a BLAST with sunflowers this year. Even the hummers were all over them.
Tons of bees of all kinds.
Still haven't made up my mind about the maypop or passi plants or seeds.
I think I've already got way to much to get started and take care of in my little yard.
I too had lots and lots of BST cats - for the first time.
I was trying to manage and take care of them early this summer - before I discovered Dave's Garden.
Needless to say - they were poopin all over the house, and Dear Wife wasn't too thrilled with that.
Then, they started their crawling stage just before pupating, and they were crawling the ceilings. ha.
After that, I got some cages for them. Live and learn.
But - I'm going to plan a Dill,Fennel,Carrot flower planter box for them next year with netting so the wasp will leave them alone. I'd like to give the chryssalids to my firends, with small kids to share the joy of a brand new BF. It is SO cool to watch a new BF emerge.
So hopefully, next year will be even bigger and better with the BST.
I told someone that my dream BF would be for me to get some Tiger ST around here.
I didn't see the first one. I'm sure they did stop by, wile I was at work.
ta ta for now.
I hated the darned wasps, I've never seen so many, all over my huge dill plant!!!! Plus the cardinals kept swooping in and carrying off the little cats. That's what drove me to finding info about bringing in the cats. I had two big nylon and mesh KITTY cat carriers, from when we drove with our four cats to move from CT to SC last year, and they worked out great for raising the little cats in. And all the great butterfly fanciers on DG were incredibly helpful, I don't know if I would've even tried raising them without DG.
But if you put netting over your host plants, that's going to frustrate the potential mama BST's who want to lay more eggs! I've been wracking my brains, trying to think up solutions to keep the cats safe from the wasps and the cardinals. And oh yeah, the little lizards, which I otherwise love; they probably eat the tiny cats don't they?
Thea...that looks like a Sleepy Orange (Eurema nicippe).
Check out the picture on our local NABA website.
~ Cat
http://www.naba.org/chapters/nabast/Sleepy%20Orange.html
Hello everyone,
I saw a pair of pipevine swallowtails in my yard for the first time yesterday. They spent a fair amount of time around my Aristolochia grandiflora vines, but I didn't see any actual egg laying. I was able to get a pic of the male as he rested on some weeds. I couldn't get too close, so I cropped the pic and then resized it.
Mark
I also saw an American Lady for the first time, and got my closest ever pic of a Buckeye (though her wings were a bit tattered).
Here's the American Lady:
Mark
Here's the Buckeye. I was able to sneak up, and get the camera about 2 feet away.
Mark
I was also able to sneak up on a Monarch.
Mark
And we have lots of gulf fritillarys this time of year. I saw a couple that were much smaller than usual--I guess from cats that ran out of vine before reaching full grown size.
Mark
Wow, Mark, those are beautiful, and the clarity of the pics. and its coloring. Nice job!
Awesome photos, Mark! Boy! Are you getting a nice selection of butterflies! Send some my way! :-)
Great Shots LouisianaMark !!!!
Isn't that great fun!!!
BEAUTIFUL BUCKEY. It's colors are just brilliant.
Thanks for sharing.
I took a few pics today, but I don't have my laptop with me, so I'll upload the pics tomorrow.
I've got a cool pic of that scorpion fly that keeps hanging around.
It would have also been perfect for this halloween night.
Booo ooo ooo ooo.
I've really had too much of the kids candy.
I guess we'll have candy around until thanksgiving.
goodnight
Nite nite, Paul, have some more candies for me. lol
Gorgeous butterflies everyone!! I'm glad ya'll are able to see them this time of year.
I have one chrysalis left, that I really thought was going to overwinter, but apparently I am wrong. Looks like it will eclose today, which is probably not a good thing. :( Granted, we're still in the 60's, but it's getting into the 30's at night. I had kept the chrysalis in my plant room with no lights on, and at cool temperatures. But, on Sunday, I brought all my tropicals in and put some in that room, and have been keeping the light on for 12 hours a day, and had put the chrysalis out of my mind. I think the light issue has played a big part with this chrysalis. I'd hate to see it eclose only to have it freeze one night. :(
In_Lily;
I rescued a G.F. Chrysalis on my Passi. outdoor to keep it safe from spiders. Along with it I brought in 4 of its siblings on the vine. I hope they'd hurry up and molt and be on their way. Our Northern part of the State already experienced some light frost. I'm not ready for the cold weather, nor my catterpillar friends. lol
If it does eclose, you can always ship it down south to be released! :-)
Nice pictures Mark!
Hmmm,
Ok, Sheila where do I find more info. about shipping those babies? lol.
I couldn't find a step by step, but here is a Q & A from a company that ships them. Read the "How butterflies survive shipping".
http://acclaimbutterflies.tripod.com/frequentlyAskedQuestions.htm
I had participated in a tag and release earlier this year and offered about 8 of my Monarchs to the Botanic Garden. The lady had me place the bf in a glassine envelope and place it in a plastic sandwich container with a slightly damp sponge, then place it in the refrigerator. She said that they ship bfs that way, using a cold pack and overnight delivery.
Just a thought.
Great pics Mark, and everybody!
I was sort of out of socket with my Granny's funeral yesterday. We gave her a lovely send off 'home'. She was 93...
You guys are doing great!!
Amazing how well butterflies ship Sheila!
debnes
Sorry of the news, debnes. May God bless.
Kim
Kim,
Please be glad.. Granny was ready to rest. She had had several strokes and was always asking why He hadn't taken her sooner. It's all very good.
debnes
Debnes, I'm happy for your gran but sorry that you will miss her. My lovely kite flying, mountain climbing, always interested in everything mom had a devastating stroke 12 years ago at the age of 72. Since then, she's been unable to talk, walk, rationalize, recognize, enjoy life at all; she lives in a nursing home, in a wheelchair, and even with my stepfather's constant company, and family visiting all the time, I know she would rather be in that place your gran's gone to, and I wish it every day for her. Let's hope it's filled with butterflies and flowers and all that is beautiful, with no wars or pain or ugliness. Mom always believed that heaven is what you want it to be...
Condolances for your loss, but thanks sent for a peaceful end.
I guess that heaven will be a place with all the beautiful things we love, WITHOUT WEEDS!
chris
Deb, here's a Queen in honor of your Grannie. This is my first year to entice them in (they loved the Blue Mist Flower) and I've spent hours ooohing and aaahing over them.
Carla
Deb - I am so very sorry to hear about your granny. I'm sure there is a beautiful place in Heaven that our Maker has made just for her! ♥
Ok, ever since you guys said on here that you have to make a wish when you release a butterfly, I've been doing it. I consider them my little messengers to God. So the next one I release is for Deb's granny!
I released one zebra ST today; it was ready to get out of there. It was the one that made the chrysalis on the cheesecloth, then I cut the square of fabric and put it in its own container. It had come loose while in his sling and I had scotch taped him to the cloth, but once he made the chrysalis I put him in a safe place away from other caterpillars who climb over the chrysalis like it's their personal springboard. Once I saw he was ready to eclose I used a safety pin to attach the cloth to the screen in the butterfly house. Long story short - I'm glad my "special" butterfly made it.
The preserve where I normally go hiking spans two counties. Hillsborough county (Tampa) leaves it pretty much "as is" with basic trails. Pinellas county (St. Pete, FL) has an education center and does a lot of events like guided hikes, lectures, and photo exhibits that highlight Florida nature. Well, today in the paper it said they were giving a talk about "The Wonders of Migration" on Saturday and they'll be talking about Monarchs. Then, they're going to lead a short hike to try and spot some Monarchs! I'm hoping I can make it. The weather is supposed to be beautiful - lows in the upper 50s, highs around 80. I love Florida! I'll be sure to tell you all about what I learn, and of course I'll share any good photos.
Melanie
Melanie - Sounds like your area has some great places to visit nature! Yes, I heard about the weather going into the 50's (possibly) and was soooo excited! Yay! Finally a little cooler weather! Now if all this rain would stop! (sheesh)
I don't have any butterfly photos to share, but my Candlebush is in full bloom and I have seen Orange-barred Sulphur Butterflies laying eggs all over it. Somehow some of the cats have made it (despite the notorious wasps hunting them down by the dozens!). I actually saw a wasp carrying off a cat after it stung it. I tried to knock it to the ground but the wasps had a mission and managed to fly away. Freaks me out everytime I see a cat in the clutches of a wasp!
I have been finding cats almost every day and most of them look like they are in their final instar. :-)
Here's a photo of yellow and green cats. And some pretty blooms!
Becky,
The picture is so cute of the different color cats, on the bright Casia. Which variety of Senna is it? I can't grow bicapsularis here in my zone because the 1st frost gets to the blooms every time! Next year, I'm trying Cassia Alata, looking forward to have some of those sulphers' cats. They're lovely.
Wasp snatching cats.? How about spiders? I've those battles here, spiders is benificial in some respect, but barhumbug! Not so, when they come after my cats. lol.
Lily_love - My bush is Cassia/Senna Alata. It grows fast and provides dappled shade for all plants around it. Which is good here in my zone with the intense heat of the summer! :-) This is the first year I have grown it and am interested to see if it will be an annual or a perennial. We'll see if the colder weather kills it.
I have spiders and other bugs, too. But rarely see them with a cat in their clutches. The wasps are ALL over my yard. I was surprised to find so many large cats. I guess with my bushes loaded down with blooms, there were too many places for the cats to hide. :-)
Here is what my 2 bushes look like currently. They total about 5' tall and 7' wide.
This message was edited Nov 1, 2007 7:50 PM
I extend my apologies as well debnes.
Also - ofering this rose in sympathy.
I understand that you're happy that she's in a better place - I know that you are at peace with that event.
Here's my late scary picture.
She's a Scorpion Fly.
BOO - okay - that's enough of that outta me this year. ha.
Here's a little checkered skipper.
Anybody heard from username: Magpye ?
She had tons of great pictures, but I haven't seen or heard from her.
And actually, her username is no longer active?
Oh Deb, I am sorry about your Grandma, Bless her, and you too.
Josephine.
Sorry for your loss Deb and family. She did live a long life @93! What a fantastic life span in history, with all she had seen and done throughout her life. I am sure she was an interesting lady. You were all blessed to have had her that many years, but I am sure she was ready to go home as you said.
Say there everyone, did I miss the ID on the chrysalis that Blue_Eyes posted in this thread??
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/p.php?pid=4124113
Thank you Sheila!:-)
I think Kim might need to put it in a fabric cage, or Glad-cage to see what it ecloses into. It is so hard to tell about chrysalids sometimes.
Kim~ Sorry we dropped the ball... What plants are near the chrysalis, and what plant is it attached to? Caryopteris? Which Spiraea is that?
debnes
Becky!! Yaaay on the cats!!!
Your Cassia looks totally different than my Candletree Cassia alata. It is definatly a Senna, but which kind exactly? It does resemble the other Senna I grew from seed.
Sennas> http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/adv_search.php?searcher%5Bcommon%5D=senna&searcher%5Bfamily%5D=&searcher%5Bgenus%5D=&searcher%5Bspecies%5D=&searcher%5Bcultivar%5D=&searcher%5Bhybridizer%5D=&search_prefs%5Bblank_cultivar%5D=&search_prefs%5Bsort_by%5D=rating&images_prefs=both&Search=Search&offset=0
Cassias> http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/adv_search.php?searcher%5Bcommon%5D=cassia&searcher%5Bfamily%5D=&searcher%5Bgenus%5D=&searcher%5Bspecies%5D=&searcher%5Bcultivar%5D=&searcher%5Bhybridizer%5D=&search_prefs%5Bblank_cultivar%5D=&search_prefs%5Bsort_by%5D=rating&images_prefs=both&Search=Search&offset=20
My Candletree is not listed in either of these areas.. I don't see in either place>
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/371/
Gheese! These Cassias are almost as confusing as the cats and flies that use them. LOL!
debnes
Deb,
I rescued 4 of the G.F. Cats. and a 10 days old chrysalis to keep them indoor in my cage. There I provided Passi and willow sapling for them to pupate on. :-)
Should be great Kim!
I have lots of frits in the yard today... Mostly on the Duranta, but all over!
debnes
G.F. enjoys the nectar from the Duranta's blossoms, but will the cats. eat the leave? I brought my duranta indoor, the blooms ceased, but only seedpods.
I'm hoping these (cats.) will eclose in time so I can release them back out to the wild. Before it turns too cold out.
Kim