I don't see any aphids either..............or many spiders, but tons of ants, not fire ants just these little boogers that bite and one nasty wheelbug that is now in my insect collection, I didn't want to take the chance of getting bit.
Butterfly population down?
How about Japanese beetles. I have tons of those. They seem quite abundant this year.
Datura...
I have had a lot of those this year, BIG ones! I keep wondering if that is why I am not seeing butterflies. They are definately caterpillar killers. Plus I read where they will deliver a painful bite to humans!
what are these bugs?
Sheila and Datura what cameras are you using. The macros were nice and clear.
Mine is a Nikon D50. Don't ask me what setting, I just grab it and click. The DH is usually the one who messes with the settings. LOL!
Carol13, I'm not sure if I'm supposed to say I'm sorry that you don't have aphids or not. ? lol I'm sorry tho that I didn't notice you were from MD. It's probably the heat here that makes the bronze fennel so attractive to them. In case anyone is interested, I do have milkweed aphids and some spider mites and am willing to share!
Watch out for those wheelbugs because they can fly too! I think they are really cool. I hate milkweed bugs tho!
I have a cat! Two, in fact. My first cats EVER! I am going to try to raise them. Wish me luck.
This pic is blurry. Only one cat is visible (within the red circle). I don't know what instar it is, but it's an early one. The other cat does not have as much white and is skinnier. In my excitement I dropped the second about 100 times. Poor baby. I hope he is alive.
Mrs_Ed, I'm glad you brought up the question of how far a cat travels before forming a chrysalis. I would never have guessed one could travel so far. Incidentally, how is your article coming along?
Martha
Here is my butterfly cage. I purchased it online from Biogentex Laboratories, Inc./ dba Educational Science.com. It is a popup, so I can push it flat for storage. Strong mesh, and large enough that I won't have to switch to a larger cage (I hope). Zipper at the top for easy entrance. The top is clear plastic. There is a little strap at the top to carry it about.
It is large enough for a small potted plant. Instead I filled a little plastic cup with wet sphagnum moss and stuck parsley in it. I didn't have any floral foam.
Martha
Hey Martha! Congrats! I have two swallowtails now too. Plus one monarch. They are sharing space now in their new large plastic container. I gave a butterfly cage like that to my nephew (age 6). He loves it as they have one at school.
Regarding the traveling, I already knew that the black swallowtails loved to wander. They go around and around in the cage! Sillies. I found the escapee about 20 feet from the cage too. So good to know the monarchs do the same.
It has been interesting to watch the monarch cat. I often find it over on the dill or something, where the BSTs just sort of sit and eat.
Oy, the article. Well, it started out on a butterfly population article with monarchs as a focus. Now I've split it into two. One on monarchs, one on the population. The monarch one is almost finished, then I can concentrate on the population one. I'm *almost* tempted to wait until October to see what the Texas population is like, but I think it will get in sooner.
Mrs_Ed, interesting to know Monarch cats behave so differently from BST cats -- I mean, sitting at the table to eat vs. running around looking for greener pastures!
Two articles now! Great. I look forward to both.
Martha
PS: I fear my second cat has predeceased the first. No. 2 doesn't move and appears to be shrinking. No. 1 shed its coat last night. That means it has gone into another instar? Anyone? It does have a different appearance.
Martha
yah. it has different appearances.
check this out: http://bugguide.net/node/view/2636
(scroll to the second set of caterpillar pictures)
Yes yes yes! That's my baby. Thank you, Mrs_Ed.
Martha
Hi All,
My butterfly population article runs this Friday. Just wanted to let you know.
I will be watching for it.
Josephine.
Last weekend there were many Monarch BFs flitting around my yard and flower beds. I saw a few other kinds but I'm not well-versed enough in BF knowledge to name the species and couldn't get them to sit long enough to get a decent photo. This is my first year of actively planting flowers to attract butterflies.
This morning while strolling among my flower beds I saw six Monarch cats of various lengths. Three were on Butterfly weed (A. tuberosa) and three were on my curly leaf parsley.
I live in east central Illinois.
Gary
Gary,
I'm betting the ones on your parsley are actually black swallowtails, as that is their host plant. they have similar coloring.
Good deal on the first year activity!!
I stand corrected Mrs_Ed. I was wrong on two counts. The ones on my parsley lack the white rings associated with Monarchs and instead of three there are at least ten on there.
Yay! I love them. I raised 9 in july and I have two more right now in the pupa stage.
That is some good news! Get those babies fattened up and to pupation. When they are ready, send them on their way south!
The last couple of days have seen my yard full of GFs. I mean everywhere! It was one of those days yesterday when I went out and had to almost duck because they would be flying right at me. I have a huge patch of blue mistflower surrounded my some wild pink salvia that has come up on its own which in turn is surrounded by a lot of milkweed plants. That is where all the action is right now. Curiously, my huge zinnia patch is pretty much vacant and that has been where I have seen what action there has been thus far this summer.
Annie
Pictures please Annie! That sounds so delightful to see them in groups; I am so bf deprived right now. I can't wait to see if the Monarchs come back this year.
Okay, Sheila, I tried. These butterflies hardly stay still and when I take a picture, the click sends them scurrying everywhere. This is the best I could do.
One more attempt.
Annie
The Queens are so pretty! Here they are usually ahead of the Monarchs. Hopefully you will get a lot of Monarchs too this year. Watch your Milkweeds for eggs and cat babies. The cats look just like the Monarch but with three sets of the black feeler things...forgot the real name. Tube....something.
I've had Gulf Frits in my yard all week. I also haven't had any better, nor as good as, luck getting them to pose than you have AnnieJo. The few pics I took none would open their wings and were too far away. They're fast. I'll give 'em that. *grin*
Hey, Sheila. Good correction on the Queens. I assumed because about a week ago I pulled off some red, spikey cats off of my passiflora that my yard was full of GFs. I better check the milkweed better! The only thing that I keep finding on the milk week are these evil looking little red bugs which get evicted very quickly. But they are on there everytime I look. Will these guys eat cats?
annie
is it this bug? http://davesgarden.com/guides/bf/go/872/
I had it on my a. tuberosa
I have had quite a few monarchs around here and even saw a Pipevine swallowtail, so pretty.
My bugs are not quite shaped that way. When they are little all I see is red. As they get older they are red and black but a longer body.
Guess what? There is a little fuzzy green cat on my milkweed. I have to go research. Is it a queen?
Annie
My bugs are apparently called milkeweed bugs and are harmless to cats. They eat milkweed seeds, says the Internet. Hmm....anything red and black just looks mean!
oh, it's not a box elder bug, is it?
Do you get these down there?
http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/horticulture/DG0998.html
annoying but harmless.
oh, cross-post. oh well… they look a lot alike!
Okay, here is the little cat on the milkweed. He doesn't look like the Queen cats I see posted on the internet although he is small. I.D.?
What a darling little cat, AnnieJo! It is really exciting to know everybody (except Sheila = boohoo!) has a plethora of butterflies. I worried butterflies were becoming extinct!
My garden has had lots of visitors too. I'm raising a Black Swallowtail that recently pupated. Yesterday I watched a Monarch laying eggs on my Milkweed. I snipped a couple of stems and brought the eggs in to raise with my BST. This is the first time I have ever done this. It's more fun.
Mrs_Ed, congratulations! I will look for your article.
Martha
I could be very wrong but your little cat looks to me like a Hoverfly larvae. It eats aphids but doesn't turn into a butterfly. You might search thru the Bfly forum old threads because I know it's been discussed before.
Well, that just stinks. I knew it didn't look right. Oh well, I took him back outside because I always have aphids for him to eat. With all th Queens out there, I have to have cats somewhere! I will just keep looking! Thanks for the i.d.!
I've got a couple of Queen cats. Just took this photo today, so maybe it'll help you recognize them if any are there. The eggs look whitish, looking much like Monarch eggs.
Linda, your Queen looks exactly what I thought was my Monarch cat found on milkweed. It is still a very tiny cat, but I took a pic anyway. Tell me what you think -- Queen or Monarch?
Martha
Edited to say: After closer observation, I see a difference. My cat's stripes completely circle its body. Your cat has colorings that look more like extended spots. Does that make sense? My terminology lacks the proper Lepodoptera jargon!
This message was edited Aug 30, 2008 6:21 PM
Of course that makes sense! And your Monarch cat has only two pairs of feelers (I think filaments are the technical term, but usually people just call them feelers or antennas). The Queen cat, on the other hand, has 3 pairs of feelers.