I am in Fort Worth, Tx. I have a butterfly garden which is normally filled with them this time of year. I only see a couple, is anyone else noticing this? We had three generations of web worms last year and I am concerned that the spraying people did caused the larvae to die. BT does not discriminate between web worms and butterflies but of course the bottle doesn't give you that informaiton.
Butterfly population down?
I am not having a lot of butterfly action myself and my butterfly bushes are in full bloom. I do have BST cats out my ears I am raising. But I never see the butterfly. And of course the minute I set the BF free he flies away from my garden into someone else's. No hummingbirds either. I am becoming quite disappointed.
Leslie
Same here not as many butterflies and my hummers seemed to have moved on. Very dissapointing!
My parsley plant was loaded with BST cats last fall - haven't seen any so far this
year. Nothing on my remaining dill & fennel (critter problem). I do have 5 Giant
Swallowtail cats on my rue plant (on fence, out of critter reach). Not one hummer,
tho!
I am having the same problem, I think that the webworm spraying had a lot to do with it.
Let us hope it will wear out soon, and new populations will move in from other areas.
This answer about the lack of butterflies comes from the Entemologist at Fort Worth Botanical Gardens, Gail Manning.
"Sometimes after a big year the population is down. That’s normal. I think the large population supports the increase of predators, which lowers the next year. It’s nature’s checks and balances. I don’t think it’s a Bt issue from webworms"
I have the swallowtails, quite a few and I'm not sure but I think they are painted ladies, but I haven't seen one monarch yet this year! that is very unusual. I have one cindrella butterfly weed in my wild bird garden and noticed a nice fat cat on it, I was surprised to see a cinderella plant didn't realize I had one, I don't pay much attention to my plants up there lol It's been there for years too, I knew I had the purple milkweed there wasn't anything on them I have two of them there and a couple in another flower bed with no cats and the orange hasn't any cats on them yet either.
They haven't been spraying here.
Austin is usually full of butterflies this time of year, but not so this year. At least not in my yard. We have had three spring storms that were really violent with a lot of hail and damaging winds and I thought that maybe this had killed off a lot of them. I did find one dead hummer in my yard after the last storm. But storms wouldn't explain a large geographic problem. This is so sad.... I have all kind of larval host plants this year that I wanted to try out.
I know, I feel very sad and disappointed too, I finally saw a gulf fritillary at the fielder house garden, but no cats yet, hopefully it is a she and will lay some eggs, we shall see.
Every one around here is baffled about their absence.
I heard something about a year with a lot of rainfall in the summer not being good for butterflies, resulting in a lower population the next year. On the theory that the butterflies can't fly, nectar or breed when it's too rainy. Well, we had lots of rain last summer. And I did notice there was quite a bit of disease among the cats I was raising last summer also..and a lot of wet weather encourages butterfly diseases. That can't be a good sign. I do see some GFs, but just less of them. No eggs or cats of the BST have been seen around here...that's very unusual. But anytime there's more spraying of pesticides and Bt...that has to have an effect on butterflies and cats, no matter what anyone says. I know there were a lot of bugs and spiders around last year. If I weren't into what I call butterfly-organic gardening and hadn't educated myself on the harm to the environment (and butterflies!), I'm sure I would've sprayed last year. I remember I couldn't even walk around the yard last summer without running into spiderwebs and the skeeters were about eating me alive. This year the grasshoppers are thriving because they do better in hot dry weather.
I am seeing what you are lostintexas. No action flying around, but I am getting eggs laid on my parsley, dill and fennel. I have 33 in chrysalis and brought in 20 1st, 2nd and 3rd instar cats yesterday that I had missed in the last few days. I released one in the a.m. yesterday then about mid-day two emerged! I had another today! All are BST and like your's fly off to someone else's garden. I have only seen a female laying eggs once.
I have only seen a buckeye, a couple hairstreaks, a silver-spotted skipper, duskywing, and another uknown skipper over the last few days. This is a real bummer of a year so far.
I know Gail with FWBG, but I still think all the spraying of the web worms has something to do with this year's population. They were so horrible in this area, eating everything they came in contact with. They were crawling on the eaves of the house and on vehicles. I cut one branch down and stepped on it, and threw it in my yard cart. Only to come back the next morning to find their web all over the top of the lid! Yep, I sprayed them! They were gross!
There is only a few branches with the webs so far this year. I am hoping the birds are raiding them since our normal butterflies/ moths haven't appeared in normal amounts.
After writing the first post, so far I have noticed that I some visitors...Gulf Fritillary, Pipevine Swallowtail, Female Giant Swallowtail, Sulphur, Skippers and Hairstreak. The only reason I know the GS is in the yard is because she laid her eggs on my citrus as they do every year, but I have not seen her. I grow parsely, dill and fennel and have not seen any eggs on any of those. The fennel is usually pretty full with eggs by now, but I see nothing. Very disappointing!
Yes, we had an awful time with 3 generations last year and I still think people were spraying anything they could to get rid of them. I was working the phones at the Hort. Extenison office as a Master Gardener when those calls came in. We assured them that they will do no harm to people, pets, etc. and just let it play out. For those that had to do something we recommend dish soap in sprayer and to blast the web open. I was very specific in telling them what can happen if they just spray a broad spectrum insect killer, but I am sure most were too upset to take my word. I also think that many people think that the stronger they mix the killer the better it will work. UGH!
Found this female Cloudless Suplhur today..maybe things are looking up
Went to the country today (Glen Rose area) Saw a huge Giant Swallowtail at the top of Sis' Mimosa tree. Also a sulfur and a silver spotted skipper.
I saw three monarchs today 8) Hey that's more than I've seen at one time this summer so far lol I looked for eggs on my hosts plants today and haven't seen anything :( My pink swamp milkweeds are usually full of cats by the time they get seeds on them and the seed pods are forming now and no eggs!
I'm experiencing the same loss of butterflies so far this summer. It saddens me. I've planted lots of things especially for the butterflies but they aren't here. sigh
You know something else too, I haven't seen any milkweed bugs and that is unusual. Not one yet, not that I miss them!
At the beginning of spring I had four lone Monarch cats that I raised and I killed about 6 Milkweed bugs, but loads of assissian bugs. But as you said, haven't seen any for a long time now.
I'm not seeing many monarchs around here, either, and this week is supposed to be one of the busiest of the year for them in Ohio.
Will keep watching...and perhaps if the sun comes out the butterflies will too this month! The next few weeks should be 'high season' for the butterflies here so I'm still hopeful.
For those who are butterfly gardening up here in the northern climes, have a look at these butterfly descriptions from Ohio Lepidopterists giving the temporal flights of the most popular butterflies in our area...
http://www.ohiolepidopterists.org/bflymonitoring/species/photos.htm
I think all the Swallowtails ended up here this year. There are not many in my yard but I took a ride on the ATV with DH and I must have seen hundreds in the old overgrown cane fields behind the house.There were BST, Giant ST, and Pipe vine ST out there. I could kick myself for not bringing the camera! The Swallowtails must really like to nectar on the Brazilian Verbena that has overtaken the fields
Last year I had lots of Monarchs but this year I have maybe seen 2. All my milkweed is tall and overgrown sadly, with no holes in the leaves! I would say it may have something to do with the mosquito spraying but we have been so dry there has not been a need to spray. I'm hoping they are just a little late this year.
Caren
Wow! that's pretty impressive to have hundreds in your field! I've never seen anything like that!
The sun came out today and we had a few visitors in the garden when we drove in from the baseball game~~ 2 zebra swallowtails, 2 tiger swallowtails, some fritillaries, sulphurs, cabbages (of course) and even a monarch on my milkweeds, which surprised me! All in a couple minutes of viewing (which is a pretty good number for us).
I'm going to buy some adirondack chairs to place next to the butterfly garden so I can enjoy our bf s this year~~ the season's off to a slow start, but I think there are many more on the way!
I got lucky and saw a Painted Lady in my garden today, also a Silver Spotted Skipper.
I thought I had some painted ladies maybe in my nectar garden on the thistle and Centaurea Centaurea orientalis but from the link t sent they look like the Great Spangled Fritillary, they really love those plants they were all over them!
I watched a monarch cat yesterday searching for a place to make a crystal yesterday, never did pick a spot out I gave up watching him lol I'm not sure where he came from I've been watching the pink milkweed that's near by but haven't seen any chewed leaves or cats on it and I wouldn't have missed him surely he was so big lol Bur I guess I did miss him and I saw another one on one of my milkweeds out back so they are here I just haven't seen them, maybe I need my glasses changed! lol
Last year at this time the Gulf Frits had already eaten my 3 PassionFlower vines to a nub. This year I haven't seen a single solitary GF as yet. Not a one. Last year my flowerbeds were alive with Emperors, Question Marks, Monarchs, GFs, Swallowtails, etc. This past weekend I saw 2 (yes - two) Horace Duskywings on my Lantana. That was it for my entire yard.
I'm also not seeing the usual number of Hummingbirds either. I don't know what to attribute that too -- are they migrating later this year? Is there more "natural" food for them, so they're not as attracted to my yard?
It's a puzzler.
Carla
Carla, I think we are all having the same kind of trouble in the DFW area, it is so disappointing, we think it is due to the spraying last fall by many people to combat the web worms, but we don't really know for sure. It is really sad.
Josephine.
Although I don't see them, I have BST eggs a plenty! I have seen a southern white or cabbage white everyday this week, so that is encouraging. But that is one bf I don't have host plant for!
Today I saw a Hackberry Emperor puddling on the wet rocks where we were cleaning the pond. Finally gettting it back into service! We should finish it up tomorrow morning! We being my son and a friend.
Shelia, those cabbage whites are pests here, I kill all of the cats from those, when I grow the ornimental cabbage I have to put row covers on it to keep them from laying eggs and putting holes all over the leaves! They don't have a certain host plant I think they eat everything lol
The EBS were at least 2 weeks late here in Central Florida and while I could barely catch a zebra longwing last year it seems like i'm bumping into them this year. We started out late but I think were up to speed.
Adrienne
I haven't ever put the orn. cabbage in my garden to know what they do. If I put them in it would be for them to eat though. I had a Pekinese / spits mix white dog several years back. She would run like a rabbit with her ears flopping in the wind. When Chelsea passed on, the first white butterfly I saw reminded me of her. My husband was learning Spanish at the time and I had picked up on some of it and said "Mariposa Blanco...my Chelsea". So each year especially when I first begin to see them I think of her and say her name. I can still see her bouncing across the yard and I watch those spastic cabbage white butterflies!
But we are so deprived of any butterflies right now I wouldn’t care what they ate! LOL!
The following is an excerpt that I posted in the Mid-South Forum yesterday:
Y'all, I am afraid for Mississippi, or my area of it anyway. My neighbor has two Luminous Glory Bower trees in her yard, in full bloom. Every summer these huge blooms are alive with bees, butterflies, wasps, and more. You can hear the trees humming from my yard. This year -- nothing. I am concerned for our insect population. All I have personally seen are bugs, several bumble bees, wasps, and a few tiny moths. Once I saw what I thought may be a small butterfly. Have you similar instances out there, anyone?
Out here at the Reservoir they do spray for mosquitos. However, they sprayed in the past and the bf's still came. Does anyone think the mosquito spray could have a cumulative effect?
Martha
That's a sweet story about your baby Sheila, I'll think about Chelsea next time I see a white butterfly now :)
Martha I'm experiencing the same thing here in my part of Texas. I haven't even seen many wasps like usual at this time of year. I have seen a few bumble bees and a few honey bees. Have seen only three butterflies in late June early July. We live in the woods and no spraying is going on around here. We are in a drought right now but I don't think would deter the butterflies. In fact I would think it would draw them to us. Only good thing is I don't have swarms of grasshoppers like I usually do in a drought time. I do have lots of lizards and have seen a few toads.
My vitex is fixing to bloom and I looked yesterday for butterflies and didn't see any. Very weird and very scary.
Lin
Even though my butterflies are way down, I do seem to have plenty of wasps and other bees. Does anyone think we are going to have problems with pollinization of plants without the butterflies? I have a few hummers, too, so I guess that will help.
Annie
Annie I don't know for sure about the pollinization. I sure hope not. I have about 4 hummers I see from time to time.
One finally found is way in to my yard. Yea!!!
She likes the Mexican flame vine too!
I saw a Queen today and one BST yesterday at the Fielder Garden.
I've got a Butterfly watch going on here at my house. ;)
Lin
Golly, Karen. Congrats. I believe you have a Giant Swallowtail. It's the first one I've seen posted this year.
I don't know about pollination either, Annie and Lin. I tend to think like you that the bees, wasps, and hummers will be a big help. The US has very sparce honey bee population from what I have read. There is concern about crops being pollinized. Scientists are puzzled. Some think the bees may have been attacked with a deadly virus.
Martha
I saw a Swallowtail and a couple of other small butterflies this morning in my gardens. ;)
Lin