Well...I think its a Spicebush ST. If you have Lindera benzoin, the eggs are very pale greenish eggs and laid on the underside of the leaf.
DAILY BUTTERFLIES Page 37
Here is a great site for side by side comparison...
http://www.naba.org/chapters/nabambc/frames-0species.asp
I think you have a Spicebush too Lily! Congrats!
I've heard spicebush also use sassafrass, so if you know of any in your yard, I'd check those as well.
Melanie, I've rooted porter's weed from cuttings by just sticking them in a glass of water. I have a huge porter's weed about 6' tall that was a four inch cutting not long ago. Thought I'd let you know in case you can't find enough for sale to satisfy the need!
I'm so excited this morning! I have 8 baby Black Swallowtails. At least that's what I think they are. I was looking at this pretty fennel at the nursery a few months ago and the sales guy mentioned that it was good for attracting butterflies. Of course I bought it and then in my butterfly book, the only mention of it was under the Black Swallowtail. I haven't seen any butterflies on the fennel, but now look! It's such a pretty plant that I'm a little sorry it's going to be eaten. Is one plant enough for 8 cats? Should I go get some more? Does it matter what kind of fennel? Are y'all going to tell me that this bronze fennel is going to kill these guys?
Morning all!
Yesterday was an exciting butterfly day for me!! It was the first time I ever saw a Zebra Swallowtail in person let alone in my own backyard!! I must have taken 100 pictures of her/him. She was here for a good hour feeding from my Milkweed and butterfly bush! I wish I had a PawPaw!
Then later on what I think is a pipevine swallowtail flew in and was on my zinnia & lantana. I hope now that they found my yard they will be frequent visitors.
Here are a few of pics
Lisa
A side view
Is this a Pipevine Swallowtail??
Side view
Elpha...The BST cats will enjoy your bronze fennel, no worries. You might want to get another plant or two since the female BSTs will be continously laying eggs now that they have found it. They will also use parsley and dill. Be careful when you water it not to use a stream that would knock off small cats or eggs. They don't eat much when they are small but that one you are showing is getting pretty big and the appetite increases with size.
Are you going to try to raise them inside? It is so easy and protects them from praying mantis, lizards, frogs, birds, and wasps etc. If you are interested check out the links in the "sticky" thread at the top of this forum.
Great shots of your TST siouxsie!! I don't get those. I do think the other is the Spicebush Swallowtail, but I didn't look it up, and haven't seen them in my yard.
This message was edited Jun 10, 2008 9:26 AM
I'm going to look out for those beautiful butterflies today. Yesterday I saw a brilliant blue wing, large butterfly, but wasn't able to capture a pic. I don't think we have any camphor trees in the area, but I've seen sassafrass, so hopefully I'll run into some lucks. And those TST are lovely!
Oooh, I've got fennels different varieties, still I don't see any cats taken residence on them yet. Some of my fennels are over 5 feet tall. They need some help for size control. lol.
Kim
Whoohoo! An excuse to buy more herbs!
Lisa, love your ZST and whatever the black one is! It looks like it has two rows of orange dots on the underside, so I too think it's probably spicebush.
This GF cat is on the pitiful new growth on the purple passion-flower. Hope he has enough to eat.
I may have to raise those little BST after all. A Carolina Wren was in the brush around them and came out three times with three different big cats that I didn't even know were there. I looked, but I couldn't see any more. He'll be back though and they were right under the pot with the fennel. I think he found one of the swallowtail cats that have the big fake eyes. In one picture that I took, it looks like he found a big BST cat and then in another photo that didn't quite come out, the cat looks long and red. It also looks like they were on a penta. I've had the fake eye ones totally devour my pentas before even though I haven't seen pentas listed as a larval food.
I hate it when my love for birds and butterflies collides!
This Silver-spotted skipper finally stopped yesterday.
An Eastern Black Swallowtail on a red pentas.
The Swallowtails were doing a mating ballet.
bsharf, I love those pair that are doing the mating dance. elphaba, it's funny that you mentioned. Since I got myself involved in birding, I've seen the decline of butterflies in the garden too. Sob sob, but I couldn't bear to see those cardinals without some feeders to help feed their youngs. Maybe I'd move the feeders further out to the woods. Anyone know how far should I move my bird feeders from the vicinity of the flower beds?
Lisa,
So glad to see more Zebra STs! I have two cats I'm raising right now and i need to go out and find some more. I'm also in the middle of harvesting pawpaw seeds so everyone who wanted some expect an announcement soon.
Ok, time to put on my teacher hat. Bsharf has a lovely swallowtail on her red pentas - a great butterfly plant by the way. However, what you have there is a Palamedes Swallowtail. How can you tell? Well, if you look at that picture, you will see a yellow line on the inside of the wing that runs parallel to the body. Only the Palamedes have that line! It's a quick way to ID them. They happen to be the most common swallowtail here in FL, so I'm getting used to seeing them and IDing them "on the fly".
Melanie
Ok, I found a picture of a Palamedes and circled the line I'm talking about in red. Hopefully, that will help explain what I mean. Oh, by the way, when I left for work this morning at 6:30 the hummingbird was right outside the door! He hovered in mid-air for a second and then zoomed toward my neighbor's house. My grandma loves hummingbirds and collects things with them on it (great-grandma collected owls, we're a bird family I guess). Dad told her we had a hummingbird and she asked if we had feeders and he told her no, just the porterweed. I really prefer to create a natural habitat if I can. I know feeders are good in some of the cooler climes as a "last resort" for stragglers, but I feel like in Florida there's always something blooming so I should just try and provide a wide array of food. My yard - the buffet!
Melanie
Bsharf, beautiful swallowtail! Melanie, thanks for the circle. I'm still waiting to see one!
A Giant Swallowtail just let me take a couple of pictures. Here's the normal one.
Here's the fun one.
Great pictures everyone!!!
Melanie- Lucky you for having those ZST cats!! I figure there must be some PawPaw around here in one of the many wooded plots of land. I know my g/f up in Citrus County has some PawPaw on her property. She says she sees the ZST's every once in awhile but has never found any cats.
Thanks for the lesson on Palamedes :)
Lisa
Lisa, you are most welcome! I happen to know a certain protected area of land (some call it a preserve) where the pawpaw grows. I also know a few cow pastures where there are one or two growing. But out in the wild you'll find dozens of the plants together so it really brings in the butterflies. It's great to go out and see five or six Zebra STs flying around. They're my favorite butterfly, and the cats are pretty cute, too!
Melanie
Does anyone know how long it usually take for a fritillary cat to make its chrysalis? The first one fell off the stick and then died, and this one made its J 2 days ago and is just kinda swollen towards the head.
:) Kim
Whoo hoo!! Kim it is getting almost time now! Should be tonight and in the morning it will be hardened. Here is a great pic step by step for the GF. Sorry about the one that didn't make it.
http://www.sasionline.org/fritillary/fritillary2.html
That's cool. Thanks for the ID.
Hmmm....thanks Sheila....unfortunately it still looks the same this morning. The swollen parts don't look like part of the chrysalis but more like just swollen parts of the cat....the one that died had the same thing and had fluid come out of these parts when it fell. I guess I'll just wait and see. I now have two swallowtail chrysalids....any idea how long they take to come out?
Kim
Hopefully it hasn't been attacked by the tachnid wasp. Fingers crossed it is going to make it.
Well, this morning I was leaving for work again and I crossed the street to pick a few pawpaw leaves for the Zebra ST cats. Last night I researched hummingbirds, so I was pretty confident I was hearing their call. I got back to my car and buckled in. I turned my head to the left and right outside the window, hovering over the porterweed, was a hummingbird! But this one was different. I think it must have been the female because it was a little larger and had no red. The sun shone on it and I could see it was an irridescent green; it also had a white patch on its throat. It stayed for a few seconds so I got a good, long look at it. I think it even looked back at me. This weekend I'm going to have to run around the yard in a red shirt and see what happens. I don't see how anyone ever gets a picture of these things - they are super speedy!
Melanie
Sheila....good thinking about the wasps...didn't think about that. I moved it into it's own cage so it won't be disturbed. And that way if anything hatches out that I don't want I can get rid of them without affecting anyone else. I've got two other cats...but I think they are variegated fritillaries.
And the monarch cats I have now are eating me out of house and home...lol!
mellie....I can't ever seem to get a good pic of those either unless they are sitting at the feeder and I just happen to have the camera out...it's only happened once!
:) Kim
Melanie- I think the only type of hummingbird we get here are the Ruby throats. And yes the female doesn't have the red throat....just the male does.
This is the first year I have had one in my yard. And it seems to favor the porterweed over the firecracker bush....go figure! I have a feeder out as well and it hasn't gone near it. It just wants the porterweed lol
Lisa
I was outside and saw a hummer having a good time with Red Yucca, salvias, Desert Willow, Flame Acanthus and Turk's Cap. I never seem to get a good pic either. If I even get close enough for a shot I just snap a pic quickly without aiming much, because I know it'll be gone within seconds. This is an example of what I usually end up with.
I found this guy on my kishu mandrin
Ooh, Steph got a Giant Swallowtail! At Bring Your Child to Work Day I told them how this "ugly" caterpillar became a beautiful butterfly. When I showed them the picture of the adult bf all the kids went, "Ooooh". It was priceless.
Melanie
Kim...I haven't been blessed with the Varigated GF yet. Still hope to get one.
That hummer is a speedy fellow for sure.
Congrats on the GST steph!
Cat to other cat in front: "Hey, you there...is there any food over there? Because we're out of food back here! If there's food over there, would you PLEASE move over and let us get to it?!"
Cool pic Linda! LOL!
Lol! That is too cute!
Well, I think they are variegated frits, I could be mistaken. I have gobs of passionvine so I get quite a few visitors. I know I did see a vareigated frit butterfly yesterday nectaring on some verbena bonariensis. Everybody seems to be loving that stuff.
:) Kim
Enjoyed catching up on all these beauties. Just got back from Florida. Here is Zebra Swallowtail on my aunt's white dewdrop.
How beautiful is that ZST! And the cats' caption is so so cute!
Not sure what these are? I was getting cuttings from my mom's hibiscus when I saw them.
Well...got home tonight and the cat is still just as it was. I don't think it is going to make it. I wonder why two of these have done this now? Perhaps it just wasn't meant to be.