Finally able to start a new thread...continued from http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/797771/
I was having lunch outside today when this fella flew into the yard to bask inside of the (browned) Blue Mistflower
So Kim, don't worry about your GFs eclosing .. They will be fine!
Got a few shots... LOL as if it were some rare species... I crack myself up!
Here is the infamous sequin side view... Warming his wings and keeping his eyes shaded from the bright sun. It was over 60 and sunny today.
As usual keep on sharing what all of you get in your necks of the woods!!
:-)
debnes
Isn't it a treat to catch a peek at them this late in the season? Ok, I'll hold fast. And wait on my GF chrysalids, thanks debness.
Kim
I've been seeing quite a few Sulphurs, and Long-Tailed skippers, lately. And today, I saw a Gulf Frit and a Zebra Longwing. : )
A couple of days ago, I saw this lil fellow on the patio door. He was so cute. The spider web you will see in the picture is on the other side of the door. : )
I haven't looked up what kind he is, yet. Maybe you all will know. : )
I will show you 3 pictures of him. Front, back, and a comparision shot.
~Lucy
These are taking a couple of minutes to download. Be patient. lol : )
Last one. Excuse the finger. : )
Didn't know it was so small with out the nail to compare. Just a wee, but beautiful thing. Glad the web didn't get it.
Yes it is a treat Kim, ty!
Sweeeeeeeet Lucy! It's a: Southern Emerald Moth - Synchlora frondaria beautiful!
I didn't find an entry for it in Bug Files.. You might check with Kennedyh to see for sure. If there isn't, you need to see how to put it in there. :-)
Very cool little guy!
Ah, he is cool alright! Congrats Lucy. Thanks Sheila, and debnes, I'll keep you updated with mine....
Kim
He was a cutey. : )
I found alittle more info.
Southern Emerald Moth: Synchlora frondaria
Family Geometridae (Geometrid Moths)
Subfamily Geometrinae (Emeralds).
I'll try to find Kennedyh, tonight.
Thanks for the ID, Deb. : )
Wow, that is a small moth! Very pretty.
Well, I'm glad we're talking about Gulf Frits. I saw one downtown today when I was on my morning break. It was flying over traffic like it didn't have a care in the world. Mom also saw a GF today and the sulphur that's been hanging around. This evening I was picking up trash outside; I live at the front of the cul-de-sac along the main road. While I was out there I checked the passionvine and wouldn't you know I found an egg and a caterpillar? I still have one in chrysalis and one pretty big guy who has been eating as if he's never seen food before.
All the advice you guys have been giving about overwintering the chrysalids has been right on. I've still got three zebra swallowtail cats that I'm tending. It's not like they're hurting hanging out in Mom's office so I'll give them a while longer.
I bought a new laptop today so as soon as it arrives I'll be high tech! Until then, I'll keep posting on this old thing. Here's a picture of my new friends - GF cat and egg.
Melanie
He's looking so healthy!!! Ooooh! It's the very first pic. of an egg that I've ever laid eyes on. Thank Melanie.
Kim
I went by a nursery that has a modest butterfly garden hoping they'd have blooming plants still. All was pruned back quite a bit. Looks like they got hit with winter frost also. I saw one butterfly, a RA, I think. The only blooms were on the potted plants inside. So I picked up some pansies. My Bigtooth Maple still has leaves on the lower part of the tree. That's the most colorful part of the front yard now, nice peachy colors.
All I have blooming are pansies too Linda... :-)
Kim~ How are your frits doing? Its suppose to be nice and sunny in AL today. It would be a great release day.
debnes
Good morning, Debnes;
The temp. is to peak out on the mid 50's only today. Although, it's bright and sunny outdoor. I'm really concerned about my frits. They just hang tough, I did spray/mist them and will watch and see.
Kim
Put them inside... When they eclose they can be released into the 50 degree day. They have a great way of basking and absorbing heat from the sun. You might gently touch one between your fingers and see if it wriggles at all.
:-)
Thanks debnes, I'll try the slight touch test. :-)
Kim
Ah hah! I've found your posting on the spot-light today, Debnes. This was on our fun random image a little while ago. :-)
Kim
http://davesgarden.com/guides/bf/showimage/3427/
Lovely little Emerald Moth - they are so cute..and so dainty looking! Good to see the frits are still around...not many butterflies here today. It's still a bit cool outside.
Was out harvesting mistflower seeds and saw this little hummie coming to the feeder. Was able to get a photo :o) Sorry about the weird looking eye - I was on my back porch facing outwards towards the sun so had to use a flash :o)
~ Cat
He's precious!! Cat! Great pic!
Which hummie is he? Can't see all of his bill..
I really didn't pay much attention to it...but I think it's a female rufous as they are the ones we see all year around.
~ Cat
That was going to be a guess, but I wanted to see what you thought, hehe! Gorgeous colors!
The broad-billed also comes to your part of TX in winter...
:-)
You're welcome Kim! It's amazing how much that little guy ate in just one night. If you're looking for eggs on your plants you can almost always find them on the tendrils like in the picture. Sometimes you'll find them in other spots, but I always look at the tendrils and baby leaves on the tendrils first.
No butterfly sightings today but it was pretty breezy. We're supposed to get some rain and then cool down just a bit. It was close to 80 today so I'd like it to cool off a few degrees. Speaking of things blooming - one of my bromeliads just did! My billbergias usually bloom about now, but this one was an aechmea (which can bloom anytime but tend to do so in the summer). Crazy weather - I just had to cover them from the frost and now they're blooming! I have a bromeliad whose leaves are yellowish and I notice the sulphurs land on it an awful lot. I couldn't help but wonder if they realize it's the same color as them. Hopefully, I'll get some pictures for everyone this weekend!
Melanie
Lucy - Love your little Emerald Moth. Great shot! I do agree your photo should go into bugfiles!
Glad to see and hear so many of you have butterflies still showing up! It is very warm here. Much more than I ever remember. It was warm last winter, but it seems even warmer this one. When I do get the chance to cruise my garden, I can not believe all the butterflies out there. I'm so excited to see the Zebra Longwings are back, but no luck photographing them.
My hummers are still around and using the feeders and all the blooms. Yes, I have blooming plants! LOL! This is so weird to have so much green and blooming colors in my yard in January.
Cat - Love your hummer photo. I have had NO luck getting a photo of mine. A friend at work who loves hummers and has one or two each year told me that her neighbor came over to her house the other day and commented about the large bees that my friend had all over her Jasmine bushes. This neighbor said she had never seen bees that big. My friend was curious as to what this neighbor was talking about so she walked over to the bushes and low and behold she saw HUMMERS, not bees!! She said she counted 8 of them! She was so excited. She said they were all over the bushes drinking from the blooms and squeaking in delight! She had never seen that many hummers at one time in her yard ever!!! So, now I am excited to know that there are larger flocks of hummers to be found here on the east coast of Florida.
My dh told me yesterday that he watched as one of our hummers flew up and down my Morning Glory vines that are in pots out on our outdoor patio. He got the biggest kick out of watching the little bird looking for and drinking from the blooms! Such fun!!! My dh and I are newly fascinated by hummers and now look for them whenever we are outside or near a window. :-) Such a treat!
How fun Becky!! Must be awesome to watch them on the MGs. Glad you got all the videos, I really do love how you put that together!
Need coffee... Y'all keep posting your butterflies and hummers!! Even if you make a separate thread, I welcome some of those here as well!!
debnes
Quick!...Put a camera in the DH's hand Becky, and you will have him hooked!! LOL!
I'm back for those who need their butterfly fix. Not too much today - we have a cold front coming through and it's been alternating sunny and looking like it's about to pour down rain. But I at least got a chance to pull some weeds, harvest some senna seeds, and turn my compost. I was bringing my stuff back into the patio when I saw a sulphur on my neighbor's orchid tree (bauhinia). FYI, bauhinia are listed as invasive here in Florida and I do not recommend them, no matter how pretty they are. This one keeps growing over the fence into my yard, but my neighbor is cool, "If it comes across the fence, feel free to chop it off". Which I do on occasion. Oh, I also found another Gulf Frit cat on the passion vine. This guy is almost full grown; I don't know how I missed him the other day.
Melanie
I finally caught a picture of a skipper! Definitely kept my neighbors entertained as I did various yoga moves and maneuvers, trying to actually snap a shot with the bf in it! Dang, they are fast!
Saw a Yellow Sulfur breeze throught the neighbor's yard, but that was it.
Planted some more milkweed seedlings in the garden, just waiting for more Monarchs.
Cathy
Drats...it's still cool out here although the sun came up and warmed the day. It was so pleasant I decided to sit out in the back yard and read the paper. Saw what I think was a Mexican Bluewing flit right through - I quickly got up and poured the last of the butterfly brew and cut up some tangerines that had fallen from the tree...but it never came back. The usual suspect did show up those...a faithful Red Admiral :o) Also saw a long Monarch pause for a brief rest then it was off again.
Really need to clean up the backyard...cut back lantana and duranta that was gotten overgrown...and put in some obelisk trellises my brother made for me. I want to use those for passion flower vines as they tend to get out of hand as well and want to reach over and climb over everything.
Hmmm...maybe next weekend I'll get around to it :o)
Here's a photo of the obelisk trellises (4 of them) that I'll be putting to for the coming Spring. I stood them next to my backporch eave so you could see how tall they are...which is about 8 feet. They'll come in realy handy for those vines that love to climb upwards - am also hoping I'll be able to contain the vines better using this type of enclosed trellis.
~ Cat
Looks like some great trellises there Cat!
I need to sow some vines now.. where to plant them.. What's the YMG looking like? ANy seeds yet?
Beautiful Skipper Cathy!
Nice "full grown" Sulphur Mel!! Thanks for fixing us, lol :-)
Cat, are those made with the livestock fencing? Look great! I want to do a few freestanding and stake around the bottom to keep them from blowing. I have so many seeds for vine plants and no place to give them what they want.
Deb...the YMG seed pods are still green. Was able to harvest about a dozen from a few dried pods I found. Am just hoping we don't get a freeze....so I can have lots of seeds to harvest. Keep reminding me :o)
~ Cat
Melanie - Your photo of the Sulphur is beautiful! Enjoyed it!
Cathy - Is that Cosmos plants in the photo?
Cat - Your obelisk trellises look great! I am jealous!!! What is YMG?
Deb - I sowed the majority of the seeds from the swap today. I know we will probably get a freeze in February sometime, but I just couldn't resist gettting those seeds planted. I did the dump and toss. Dump the seeds in my hand and then toss them randomly in my garden beds. We'll see what comes up! ;-)
Cat, those obelisk trellises are so neat. : ) What are they made of?
~Lucy
Mel, how on earth did you get a pic of a Sulphur? I don't think I've ever even seen one land!
Cat~ those trellises are cool! I think we all want the secret recipe for them...
Becky, the Skipper is on Fernleaf Lavender http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/2862/
It's one of my favorite purple flowers, doesn't have the yummy lavender scent, but it fares well in the humidity here. The long flower stalks dance in the breeze...
Cathy
Cathy - Ahhh yes, I see that they are Lavender now. I wasn't looking close enough at the blooms. I had that plant and the regular Lavender plants growing in my yard and a freeze killed them a couple of years ago. I, too, loved them. The regular Lavender smelled soooo good! I grew the fern leaf one from seeds! Grew really fast and was so pretty!
I am hoping all of the seeds I planted yesterday germinate, grow, and bloom this year. Should be pretty if they all make it. I used to be so careful how I planted everything and marked everything. But I have several large and long garden beds and it just got too time consuming to do that. I remember Paige saying she just tosses seeds out there in her beds, so I have been doing that a lot lately. My gardening style is country cottage gardening. Lots and lots of wild flowers! Right now my Giant Cosmos plants are just covered with butterflies during the day! Those plants get so tall. I am going to try to prune them to keep them shorter. Has anyone done that?
Ahh planting seeds! I guess I need to break out the milk jugs today. I am definitely going to do the dump and toss with some, probably most of them. 2008 is going to be an interesting year!! We have so many new things, thanks to all in the swap!
About the Cosmos... It is a Giant, so I'm not sure if it will grow shorter. Any way you can transplant it to a better place? I don't think they have particularly deep roots, so if you're going to trim them it may work. They can take a trim ok.
Buddelia can be sown now, and I have some more really good ripe seed from the light lavender and the ruby red. I will be harvesting those today. The dump and toss is the best way to sow them.
Anyone thinking about having extra citrus for the GST can use seeds from your limes, lemons, and oranges etc. They will germinate very well. If you live in FL or TX Rio Gr., just put them in the ground and cover good if it freezes there. All other places plant in pots about 1/2 inch deep, keep lightly moist and in about 70* with lots of light. The babies love the new tender leaves.
Get the Parsley family plants going now too! In the ground is best, just cover if you get a hard freeze, and by April you should have a nice big patch to welcome the BSTs. I will show y'all mine after while.
YMG is Yellow Morning Glory.. :-) and yep I will keep reminding ya Cat! :-)
debnes
Sulphurs are hard to catch, but sometimes if you see them feeding they will stop for a few seconds. I think the coolor temps have helped slow them down a bit, too. I had to watch that one for several minutes. It kept flying up to the higher blooms in the tree so I had to wait for it to come to a lower branch.
Well, when I got home today I had two surprises. One, my new laptop came! I'm typing on it now, and boy do my pictures look a lot better! Also, Mom told me that my Gulf Frit had just eclosed! Sure enough, there he was. He's staying in the butterfly house tonight. It's supposed to get down in the 40s but he's on the patio where it's always warmer. I went out to pick some more passion vine today and I found another silly caterpillar! Those GFs sure have been busy.
Melanie
