DAILY BUTTERFLIES Page 23

Becky, no , gross I didnt stomp it (had clean shoes on, not gardening ones) but there was a small ant pile near by and they were happy to get the free lunch. They can be happy until spring when I get rid of whatever small ant hills popped up in fall.

First off...EWWWWWWWEEE! GROSS!!!!! You gotta put that photo on the Butterflies and predators - photo doc post:

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/773652/

-- what's "side of my thump" ?? :o) (Am thinking I'd like to see a butterfly the size of my thump 'cause I gotta big 'un!!!)

Okay, I'm teasing...I know you meant size of your thumb...so it could have been a skipper - as they are usually quite small, could have been a micro-moth or could be one the Bluess. Marine and Cassius Blues use plumbago scandens (white plumbago) as a larval host. Not sure if they use the blue one. The white one is considered a native plant here.

...as for the bait trays...I put cut up fruit and sometimes pour butterfly brew on top so the aroma can reel them in. By the way, that is a female Mexican Bluewing - they have more white spots than the males.

~ Cat

This message was edited Nov 12, 2007 1:25 PM

Cat,
I just added it to the predators thread.
I also had a chuckle when I first read "size of thump", but now you have me cracking up thinking about it.

chris

Sorry, sorry, I meant "size" and not "side" blushing.
Thanks Cat~ for everything. Still blushed. That's what happens when you type 70 words/min. without proof reading. As far as my thumb- I wear a size 5 ring, (on my ring finger) so there we've it. lol,lol.

This is getting funnier and funnier.
Lily you typed...thump...instead of thumb.
Cat typed...side...instead of size.

I type only 30 per minute and still make bloopers. Now everyone go get a glass of wine and we will all bloop together. :)

chris

ROFL, I need a glass of wine is for sure, what's your flavor? Rose, Chaplis? or Burgundy? lol,lol. bloop, bloops.

Oh, man....just brought in more eggs on the passionflower vines again. Darn ZLWs, mostly. Don't they know it's November? Anybody have something with the circle-and-slash over a picture of a butterfly ovipositing? I could put it outside...maybe they would understand?

...actually Lily was the first to type 'side of my thump' - I just had to tease her a bit :o)

The laugh did me good...more so when I got to thinking about the siZe of my thumP!!! Because when I bump something with my thump - the world shakes!!! ROLF!!!

Okay...back to some modicum of normalcy...looky what I found at my bait station when I got home from work at 830pm.

A male Black Witch moth...boy is he ever big!!!

~ Cat

ps...Linda...what's the temp like where you're at? Out here we're 10 degrees above the norm...so it's around mid 80's during the daytime with mild nights about 75 degrees. I was lucky to find two ZLW eggs on one of my passion vines and I raised them. They are both in the chrysalis stage.

Since this is the first time I've raised Zebra Heliconias I just noticed they have metallic markings on the chrysalis...way cool!!!

Tell those ZLW to come to my yard :o)

~ Cat

Wow, the B.W. moth is really big. Would it do my butterflies any good for me to set out a "buffet" like yours at this time of year? hmmm, I don't see many b.f. out there since the temp. is dropping. 70'ish during the days, mid 40-50'ish at nights.

Cat - What a great photo of your male Black Witch moth! What a beauty! :-) :-)

Lily - if the sun is out and you see butterflies still nectaring you could try putting out some cut up fruit - Red Admirals are usually the first on the scene...but many of the brushfoot family come to fruit. You never know until you try it :o)

I went back outside again and found the same male Black Witch moth at another bait station. He was really having a go at the mashed bananas. I went and got the yard stick and took a photo while he was preoccupied :o)

I'd say close to 5.5 inches in diameter...and it doesn't have its wings full extended. Am assuming if he spread out a bit more he'd hit 6 inches.

Gorgeous!!! It's always nice to find big moths visiting the bait station at night too. Of course, I gotta battle the skeeters when I'm out there trying to get photos.

~ Cat

This message was edited Nov 12, 2007 9:50 PM

My my what big eyes you have :o)

~ Cat

You guys have been really cooking! Some very excellent pics. I have been working on a Skipper project. Maybe you guys will see it in a couple weeks.

Chris! What a clear pic of the dread predators in the Monarch chrysalis! Hard to look at but necessary to recognize. I will get a specific ID for it tomorrow.. Right now my eyes are crossed and blurry.

Between Cat's Predator thread and the Daily, we are getting some super documentations!!! I hope you all have her thread on watch for when you can capture a mugshot of all our serious enemies.

debnes

Actually, it's pretty warm here now. Lows in 60's and highs in 80's. But I hear there's a front coming soon. I just wish it would rain soon. It's been very dry. We went from an incredibly wet summer to a very dry fall.

Thea, thanks for the compliment! You know, my book says those White Peacocks are "strays" in my neighborhood, but global warming must be sending them northward. My dad has decided they're his favorite butterfly.

We had another zebra ST come out this morning and Mom got to release it. She said later this afternoon she saw two Zebra STs fly over the house so she was hoping that the ones we released met each other and are getting down to business! Better start checking my pawpaws...

Lily, the blue butterflies (usually Cassius Blue around here) do live in the plumbagos. It's their host plant, plus they can nectar on it like every other butterfly in my neighborhood! I've always got three or four flying around. Here's a pic of one.

Lastly, everyone check out Lily's thread and see if you can help her Gulf Fritillary: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/782110/

Ah hah! Cassius blue! I may have seen those before in the garden and didn't recognize them. Thanks again, Melanie.
Kim

LoL Linda..
It's been the same weather here... I was getting spoiled not having to water. rats! We did have a teaser yesterday morning... The cold is supposed to arrive tomorrow afternoon sometime. Wondering if and what to bring in at this point.
Sheila I have 4 that just made their chrysalids. There were more out there, but they were smaller. I now rather take them in when they are bigger. Less frass to deal with.
Red Admirals have been flocking to the brew log lately. I made a new batch for them.
So much to do!!

debnes

Deb...when I read your post about the Red Admirals I was remembering there were six on the brew last week...but I haven't seen a single one this week. Odd!!!

Oh well, am still tickled pink at having the Black Witch moth around. I found it roosting on my back porch beam this morning :o)

~ Cat

Cat~
What a gorgeous BW Moth you have there!! I am tickled with you,:-).

debnes

Wow, the cutie has the marking of a peacock, almost! Awesome!
Kim

The Zebra Longwing is getting close to eclosure :o) I have to head out to work soon so if it doesn't eclose today perhaps it will make an appearance tomorrow morning.

Must agree...the beauty of the White Peacock is breathtaking. There are so many slight variations in the coloring. I've seen some that look more brown, others have a green or reddish tone to them. Very beautiful and always a welcomed addition to any yard.

~ Cat

Things are pretty exciting around this forum considering it's November! Mom tried using my camera yesterday when she released one of the ZSTs. I asked her what she was going to do if it had taken off flying around her office and she said. " I had the door closed!" Silly woman. The butterfly made it outside just fine. Next week I should have a couple of Gulf Frits come out.

Glad to see everyone is a fan of the White Peacock. I like them because they tend to fly low to the ground and they land on the grass a lot. Makes it easy to take their picture. I just checked my book and I knew they used water hyssop as a host, but I forgot they use frogfruit too. That makes a lot of sense now. My neighbor's lawn is mostly a collection of weeds - including lots of frogfruit. I wonder what he would do if he found me crawling around looking for caterpillars? Maybe I could get his daughters to join me, but I'd have to treat his fire ants first! (This spring, once I was done using the spreader on our yard, I walked across the street and treated his too - fire ant bites hurt!) This neighbor is across the street from me and I've mentioned before that I take care of the entrance to the cul-de-sac which includes in front of his house (and mine). I guess he's used to seeing me around his fence by now.

Funny story - he has these cute little vincas around his mailbox. It's about the only thing he hasn't killed. Well, last winter they had died off but I could see where the new growth was coming back up. Finally, I couldn't stand it so I took my pruners and trimmed off the dead tops. Then next time he came out I saw him staring at them like, "Did the garden fairy come visit?" I still laugh when I think about the look on his face. When I cleared and separated the bromeliads of the neighbor next door to us he told my dad he "didn't know if someone was trying to help him or run him out of the neighborhood". One yard is just not big enough for me! (That's why I volunteer!)

Melanie (the part-time garden fairy)

Great Bling bling there Mel!! It's beautiful!

Your making me wish you lived next door to me with the neighbor story and all...lol!!

debnes

Oh how I wish we had those ZST's around here, I would LOVE to see them.

LOL about your neighborhood stories! You crack me up, Melanie! Lucky neighbors! You need to move to my street. I am about the only one with a flower garden. No wonder when the butterflies do come back south, I get quite a few in my yard on any given day! LOL!

Love your ZST! Those are some that I have NEVER seen around here! But I do have my little bitty PawPaw growing. (Hopefully the cold weather won't kill it off!)

Too funny Melanie!!! Love that ZST...we don't get those here :o(

But ah...one of the Zebra Longwings eclosed today. I barely had time to get a couple of photos before I had to hit the road to work.

Had to set it out in the yard while it was still damp. Hope to see it flitting around tomorrow :o)

~ Cat

Nice Zebra LW Cat! Great lines at that angle too!
That one was ready, might just need a place to stop and hang.
Had to do that in a rush many times. It actually seems to toughen up better than babying. . . So delicate, and very tough. I've had them behave like they were drunk...("sea legs" as Nana used to say about the babies learning to walk.)
Much better to release too early , than too late.

:-)debnes

It's funny about your neighbor Melanie, Oh wouldn't I love to have you as my neighbor too. Only I'll have all kind of questions for you while you're trying to crawl on the grass hunting for butterfly's eggs. hahahahaha.

Cat~ the Zebra LW is beautiful!

Glad I'm amusing everyone with my stories and pictures. I actually started gardening as therapy. I was really depressed after getting dumped (after seven years). I was unhappy about other stuff, too (job, living situation) so I quit my job, moved from Nashville back home to Tampa and now I live with my parents and my older brother. It's like we never left, LOL! I found that pulling weeds is good anger and stress management. I figured I could sit inside and mope or keep myself busy doing something. It started with weeding the azaleas and grew from there. And since no one was taking care of the front I decided they wouldn't care if I did it. Others had tried, but they were weak (evil laughter). Plus, they had red tips out there and we had this bad disease go through the area and killed most of them. Add in the invasives and it was a mess. So now I do what I want and nobody has said anything negative. In fact, one time a neighbor lady stopped and gave me $25! I was shocked!

The bling on that hand is Mom's. Dad bought the rings from the BX in Vietnam. He sent the engagement ring to Mom who was stationed in England (they were in the Air Force) and the wedding band went to grandma back in Pennsylvania. If that isn't sweet enough, they got married on Valentine's Day! I know, my parents are too cute.

I'm jealous now because one of the ZSTs came out this morning and Mom got to play with it while I was in training all day. Plus, I've got two that are going to eclose tomorrow and I'll be in training again! Oddly enough, the ones coming out tomorrow are the ones being held to the cage by scotch tape.

This is the view out Mom's office window in the front of the house. Her computer monitor faces the window (she works tech support). That's a bougainvillea growing on a trellis in front of the window. Below I have some bromeliads, gerbera daisies, and a couple of plumerias (that lost their leaves this week). Why Mom set the butterfly on the windowsill I have no idea. I guess she thought it was cute. One of these days we're going to have a butterfly loose in the house, I just know it.

Love the zebra longwing! My passies are still kind of small but I'm sure they'll explode once we get some rain. Then, the zebra longwings are allowed to visit. You know, I usually have a few flying around but I haven't seen them lately. They fly back and forth from the bougainvillea to the porterweed. I didn't see any ZLW when I was out hiking this weekend so maybe they're having some downtime right now.

Mom was using my camera again; I'm going to have to give her lessons this weekend. The green thing in the picture is another chrysalis. Which reminds me - I totally forgot to say that I finally got to see one make it's sling. I spent so much time watching that stupid thing! It happens fast so you gotta be sharp. Mom was on the couch with me so we both marveled at it. They hang, wrap it from one side of their body to the other, then back their heads back into it. It's basically like watching a contortionist combined with a trapeze artist. When he was done Mom echoed what I always say, "It sure is tough to be a caterpillar."

And while she was outside Mom apparently saw our friend the Gulf Fritillary (on the plumbago of course). You know, I saw a Gulf Frit today during my break. The training facility is at the Port of Tampa, right on the water. We have plumbagos downtown so I see lots of Gulf Frits. I've got two GF chrysalids right now, but something got to two of my caterpillars. I think a spider sneaked in. I've got to put some weather-stripping on the butterfly house this weekend. I've got another small caterpillar in there somewhere, but I haven't seen him in two days. Even the big ones can blend in really well.

Oh, I did have a report from Dad who is hunting somewhere in North Florida. I think he's near Steinhatchee, but I wouldn't swear to it. As he was leaving the woods he saw two butterflies (some kind of swallowtail) settle down on an oak tree. He said they blended in really well; he only saw them because he watched them land. I told him he probably saw their roosting spot. He says there's also lots of sulphurs, but he said he's seeing more mid-size ones, and ones that are more lime-green color than yellow. Dad is a little color-blind, though. That's the news from Tampa!
Melanie

Ok, I was playing with my cats and took a photo of one of the chrysalids that should emerge tomorrow. I've got them under a bright lamp like I can fool them into coming out tonight. I forget - but I think this is one who built his chrysalis in a weird place or else I ripped him loose from something. Anyhow, he's scotch taped to a bamboo stick. I still think it's weird how a large butterfly can squeeze into that tiny chrysalis. I mean, look at it in comparison to my thumbnail! How is he fitting in there? Oh, and in case you've missed my earlier photos, that's his proboscis making the black line down the middle. His eyes are at the top, and those are his wings wrapped around him. The stuff at the bottom -OH! Now I remember! This guy was fine until one of the other cats purged right on top of him! Ewww...I tried to clean him up but I couldn't do it without removing him. That's why the silk stuff at the bottom has that reddish-brown color. I figured it was better for me to clean him up and move him than to leave him like that. Glad to see he came out okay!

Mellie......Nice sentiment attached to the rings, but I know Deb, and that wasn't the "bling" she was commenting on! LOL!! We are loving the Zebra stripes floating on your finger!!! LOL!!
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/p.php?pid=4193735

LOL! I know you are right Sheila about Deb's bling comment!

Melanie - Love the story of the rings and I must say ... You have COOL parents!!! I think that is neat that they have taken an interest in the butterflies, too! I had a couple of Cloudless Sulphurs eclose today and they dropped fluid all over another chrysalis that was hanging lower than them. What a mess!!! I had to carefully dapping the liquid off it!

Here is a photo of my 2 CS releases today. I think there is 4-5 still left to eclose. I now have about 10 Monarch and 2 Queen chrysalises all in the bigger cage. Looks like the butterflies are starting to head south to my area! YAY!

This message was edited Nov 15, 2007 9:32 PM

Ooooooh how sweet is the sight! Two younguns begun their journeys together!!! Even with our cooler temp. here. I still see those sulphurs flying in my garden. Not many, but a few. They dart about pretty fast though, I couldn't catch up to take pics. Congrats, Becky!
Kim

edit to correct spelling...

This message was edited Nov 16, 2007 7:03 AM

Thanks, Lily! After they first emerge, they are kinda sluggish ... so they pose well for photos! LOL!

I gathered that much, but what chances are there to get two of them to eclose together, likes twin! You're so luckyyyyyyyy!!!!!!!!!!! Double congrats I should have said. lol

Awww, thanks Lily! I do so love those cute yellow butterflies. So cheery looking! :-) I call them my Sunshine Butterflies! :-)