Ooh, look at Elphaba's Hairstreak! Nice. I think it's a Red-Banded as well. I see those and the Gray Hairstreaks most in my area.
Here's a pic of one of my Polydamas cats after he molted. I counted thirty-one little cats and then I have five more in a larger holding tank. I'm glad I have plenty of pipevine!
Melanie
Great photos all!!!
Found this poor moth semi-squished on the drop-off zone in front of our dorm. I was on my way to din-din and picked it up. I think either someone stepped on it or caught part of it under a car tire. It was still twitching a bit - I ended up putting it in a bag in the freezer.
I think it's an Imperial Moth (Eacles imperialis). This one is found in Glynn County, Georgia. I also saw where there are records for Cameron County in Texas which is just one county over from where I live. This is a first for me and I can't get over how big this moth is. Am assuming female?
I doubt I'll ever see one in Texas so am happy to find this one..even if it is a dead one.
~ Cat
That is a really cool looking moth! Too bad it didn't make it, but at least you got to see it.
I just wanted to say that you all have inspired me to try raising a few of these and now I have 4 containers, one with 4 gulf fritillaries, one with 2 eastern black swallowtails, one with a bunch of pipevine swallowtails that are just hatching today, and another with newly hatching monarchs. I was watching a female monarch all afternoon battling the high winds to lay eggs on my milkweed. Last year I never had any monarchs on my milkweed, and no swallowtails on my pipevine. I guess it took a year for them to find them! I am a little concerned I will run out of milkweed and pipevine when these get bigger...guess I'd better be looking for more food. I sure hope I am a good mom to all these little ones...wish me luck!
:) Kim
Good luck to you Kim!
Cat, I raised some of those last year. I found a female moth on the ground and put in a large paper bag and it laid eggs...some on the leaves I put in there with her, some not. The many cats that hatched took a VERY loooong time to develop. I'm wondering if they'll be back this year. I even let some of them use leaves from my prized Bigtooth Maple. This is what a mature cat looks like, although it looks brownish through most of its development.
Kim...it's true, sometimes it takes a while for them to find your host plants. The Pipevine Swallowtails still don't have my place on their host plant map, however, even though it's been years. Guess I'll have to go to a nursery that usually has those cats....AGAIN!
This message was edited Jun 5, 2008 10:58 AM
Linda - thanks for the larval photo!!! Am wondering what they eat out here. There are plenty of pines - but am not sure what a maple tree looks like as we don't have those in south Texas. Am still here for another three weeks so will periodically check the nearby trees for caterpillar munching signs. It's been so hot and humid that I have not been going outside.
Kim - sounds like you're well on your way. It's always a wonderful experience to raise a variety of species. It may take them some time to find the larval host plant but it's uncanny how the subsequent generations seem to find too.
Am not sure how they do it but I've had many of the same butterflies sticking around my yard and frequenting the same nectar plants and for most of their life span. Small scratches or tears in the wings helps to identify them. They are also the same ones that use the larval host plants that are handy in my yard.
I remember last year I had the same Two-Barred Flasher in my yard for about two weeks. It was a male and he was very territorial. He'd zip around the yard then come back and perch on the same plant. I'd find him snoozing under a leaf as evening rolled in too.
~ Cat
ps...you can never have too much milkweed or pipevines or passion vines :o)
The worst thing about being offline for a week or so is catching up!! So I hope you all will forgive me if I miss mentioning anything or anyone, but you have all been doing so awesomely!!
It's nice to see a few of my BW buddies in here too!
Very cool to see what came out in a crevice of your garage Ms Ed! Yep the Swallowtails all overwinter as chrysalids. Amazing how that one found daylight and good work finding it!
Elaine, I figured it was an Am. Lady butterfly. Your last pic of it is GREAT! Would love to have some seed from the plant it was eating... ::-)
CAT >..< That plant the TSTs were on is definitely Sweet Bay Magnolia.. Beautiful pic! Find any of the pitcher plant yet? I will be looking for carnivorous plants if I ever make it to out patch of land in Hardin County. There are supposed to be at least 10 Carnie plants growing there in the basin where 2 creeks converge.
Mellie~ Your blues are outstanding!!
Deepest thanks for doing such a great job keeping up the thread!
Speaking of Blues... Kim!! I am so glad to see you here and raising all those butterflies.
It occured to me during my last speaking engagement while talking and teaching how to get butterflies in your garden...
Linda! Your RSPs turned out marvelous! Glad your DH got a chance to see it too.. :-)
One reason why we may be seeing less butterfly action this year...
Y'all remember last year when people were having so much trouble with webworms? Well, some of the nurseries "helped" the desperate patrons wanting to get rid of them and sold them various poisions to apply, EVEN ORGANIC Nurseries were recommending use of BT and saying how it is organic and they would rid themselves of the webworms without worrying.. WELL BT kills caterpilars.. ALL Caterpillars!!! If it isn't used verrrry carefully it can devastate entire butterfly populations as well.
While there are still several other factors, I think this is a major cause of the butterfly population decline. Butterflies perish for lack of complete human knowledge. The nursery people are correct BT is organic.. However "the rest of the story" is it kills every other kind of larvae as well. Now What?
I know I missed mentioning some of the great stuff I've read the last couple threads, but BEAUTIFUL WORK Y'ALL!!
Debnes
Oh btw.. I have been raing lots of Black and Giant Swallowtails, Gulf Fritillaries, and Cabbage Whites... (Still haven't seen as many as I am used to.) :-| Sheesh!!
Even a Wooly Bear, LOL!!
Debnes, Elaine is on vacation, also, so you may have to mention getting some seeds from the plant the Am. Lady butterfly was eating on again, when she gets back, next week. She may miss it while trying to skim over everything she will have to read. : )
~Lucy
Deb....forgot to mention I did see those pitcher plants. They appeared to be about 18" tall. I saw them alongside the road leading to the Boardwalk on the Okefenokee Tour. We didn't stop along the road though so I was never able to photograph them. Haven't seen any on base yet but now that I know what they look like I will keep looking.
Thanks for id'ing the sweetbay magnolia. I had no idea what that was as we don't have that tree in south Texas. Am thrilled to have seen that caterpillar :o)
~ Cat
I think a butterfly got lost with all the high wind recently. And ended up in my yard by mistake. I've got cats and eggs! On my pipevine vines! I was just thinking about going to one of the two nurseries that usually has those. Guess I don't need to go now. I have plenty. An RSP has been around lately also and there's a couple of cats. Two GST cats were found on a neighbor's Hop Tree recently.
I haven't tried to id this little guy, maybe a skipper?
Not a skipper, but it's one of those butterflies I don't think I get this far South. Someone help us out!
Melanie
Don't know the names I just try to take pretty pics!
and a Swallowtail of some sort maybe??
You did good, nanny. : ) Nice pictures.
~Lucy
Oh yes, we have a Silver Spotted Skipper, and a Tiger Swallowtail that appears to be "puddling" (slurping up salts and minerals from the mud). Very nice!
Melanie
I agree the fun part is getting pretty pics! You got some pretty ones there. ^_^
I don't know all the little butterflies names but I can look him up in one of my guides. I'll post it if I find it, if some one else doesn't tell us first that is.
Here's some of the little cats on an A. fimbriata plant. They're so cute the way they park themselves side-by-side!
Thanks! slowly some of the information may sink in! I am on the Birdwatching forum and I am starting to learn more birds as time goes on!
Linda, I have Polydamas cats on my pipevine, too. My mom was looking at them and said she likes how they "snuggle together". No use trying to dissuade her so I just let her believe that. I do wonder though, of all the caterpillars - especially swallowtails - why do they engage in that behavior and not others?
Maybe, it's safety in numbers. I've always heard that. : )
Meredith - did you get a photo of the topside or can you describe what colors you saw? How about the size?
Am leaning towards perhaps an Eastern Pine Elfin based on the wing shape and coloring of the underside.
Elsewise maybe the BAMONA site can help you narrow it down based on what's been recorded for your county in New Hampshire.
~ Cat
Wow, cool pics everybody. Here are just a couple of pics that I like of a Texas Crescent.
Here's the underside of the TC. Wish I could get a picture of this giant sulfer that keeps going by!
Elphaba - good going on that Texan Crescent!!!
Hey LindaTX8...wasn't it you that raised some Texan Crescents last year??? Gotta love all those little poly cats :o)
~ Cat
Yes...I'd love to find some of those this year also! But I haven't seen very many of the butterflies even.
Ooh, I like that Crescent! We only get the Phaeon and Pearl here.
Lots going on this weekend. I went to orientation at MOSI and then did some more training in the butterfly garden. We have lots of Cabbage Whites that I cleaned up after and we harvested lots more milkweed for the very hungry Monarch cats. I also found a sulphur cat on one of the cassia plants so that was neat!
At home, my Queen decided to make her chrysalis. Here she is in the J position.
When I got home from work the other night I saw this Giant ST on my plumbagos. There was a Palemedes too, but he was skittish and flew away.
Gulf Frits like plumbago, too!
I was watering out front yesterday and the Zebra Longwing made it's usual stop at the porterweed. The silver thing behind it is my car. I park right in front of the house so I get to see all the action as I pull in. I also saw a mud dauber on the porterweed so many bugs apparently find it yummy. I'm home sick this morning so I sat in Mom's office to stake out the porterweed. Sure enough, I saw the hummingbird!! It's super fast and super small and is dark brown with a ruby throat. I also saw a little white around the red part. He came to the purple porterweed for just a second but I definitely saw that it was a hummingbird. So to all the hummingbord enthusiasts, I say add some porterweed to your yard. I don't even try to attract the birds and I got one.
And finally, my second Monarch came out and this one was a boy. He hung out in my yard for a long time. I mean, I went to Target and when I came back he was right where I had left him. Here I posed him on the porterweed. That's the report for now!
Melanie
Love all your butterflies everyone! I agree the one in my pic was a Eastern Pine Elfin, he flew off after that pic so I didn't get the top. My neighborhood is full of pines, so there is plenty of habitat here for them.
I finally captured a pic. of Eastern Tiger Swallowtail? The purdy seems to enjoy my Duranta's blossoms.
That one is not so clear...but I'm thinking it might be a Spicebush Swallowtail instead.
I was thinking Spicebush as well. The blue looks a little different to me, and the Spicebush has those nice spoon-shaped tails as you can see in the pic.
Melanie
Oh wow! I've just newly planted two spicebush (sweet shrubs) to the back yard. And here is the butterfly that has discovered them already? Wooohooo, I'm on a quest to look for its larva. Thanks all.
Kim
Apparently the blue porterweed is coming back into favor. I went outside this morning and had two Zebra Longwings in the area. They were going back and forth between my neighbor's firecracker fern and my porterweed. While I was chasing one, I had a Giant ST fly by me but I haven't seen him again. We had a good thunderstorm last night, and chances are high for the rest of the week. It looks like the summer rain pattern has started up again! Also, this weekend is the USF butterfly and herb fest. I will be the one buying up all the purple porterweed, LOL! I hope to get some herbs as well - for the cats and for the kitchen. Lucky for me, Friday is pay day!
Kim, are you talking about calycanthus "Sweet Shrub"? Spicebush is lindera benzoin.
Melanie
Hummm, I must have the calycanthus floridus. Oh, I've got to chase that pretty butterfly to where there is the lindera benzoin locates at. lol.
Kim
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/550/
Here is a lateral view of the beautiful b.f.
Kim,
They'll also use camphor trees so see if any of your neighbors have one. Camphor is considered an invasive pest here in FL, but at least the butterflies use it. My dad likes to chop it up and use for his woodworking projects, lol! The MOSI bf garden has a camphor tree and that is what they use to rear their Spicebush STs. I bought my lindera benzoin from the good folks at www.mailordernatives.com I have two and even though I transplanted them after changing my mind about where I planted them, they still leafed out this spring and appear to be growing.
Melanie
