Wow, your pix all are clear and in focus! Those guys are as cute as can be!
DAILY BUTTERFLIES Page 39
Thanks! I wonder if they really are the same. I think it's really strange how 1 set of wings sort of sticks out at almost at 45* angle to the other outstretched wings.
This message was edited Jul 14, 2008 5:55 PM
Ooooh Lily....!!! The VGF is georgeous! I haven't been blessed with one of those yet. Even the chrysalis is a work of art! Take a look on the bug files. http://davesgarden.com/guides/bf/showimage/3944/
Lily - congrats on the Variegated Frit. Do hope they make use of your larval host plants. The butterfly is a real beauty and the chrysalis is extremely pretty too. Out here they use a native low growing plant valled called Nodding Green Violet aka Baby Slippers (hybanthus verticillatus).
~ Cat
Sheila & Cat. Ooooh, I've got to try to look for any eggs and larvae. It's a must, it's a must. I'm so taken by the way they transform! Thank you, for sharing the info.
Kim
Lily, that sure is pretty Varigated Frit. I have had some and I'm pretty sure she laid eggs on my passion vine. Have been checking. Also my Gulf Frits are beginning to show up. They just love that weedy passion vine.
Elaine
snuz, that's a pretty.... skipper ???
Snuzer...great skipper photos! Might be a Monk Skipper or a male Dun Skipper. Am not familiar with Florida butterflies. Not sure if the butterfly in both photos is the same one...the first one seems more brown...but then again, that could just be the underside or a trick of the light.
~ Cat
Yes, it's the 'Maypop' that they prefer, I've various passion vines, but it's the native vine that those were used extensively last year. I'm excited as if I met up with my long lost friends. After all ... it has been months....since I saw those beauties in the garden. lol.
Thanks, Elaine & Cat! I don't know what kind of skipper(s) either. It is very possible that they are 2 different butterflies. They both posed patiently, so I could get very close to them. Thanks for the suggestions. -- Sue
The Giant Swallowtails found my citrus in a big way!! I hope there will be enough to feed them all... My plants are still pretty small but I have 4 trees covered in eggs. YEA!!
I also say this big guy on my way to the house. Can these ones be handled? I would like to bring him in the butterfly house the wasps are patroling the vines pretty regular.
Oh mine!!! Caren, looks like I spoke to soon!!! That's indeed a G.F. cat.!!! On your hardy blue passion vine? I recognized the leaves to be more slender, and darker green than the native passi.
I raised several of those cats. late in the season last year with success. That's a late instar. It should pupate soon.....in matters of days.....I think. Ok, Mellanie, help us out. lol.
I have moved GF cats before. They actually feel kind of soft. I bet you can safely move it.
They can be handled just wash your hands before and after. If possible, just pick a leaf and get it to climb over on to it by pushing it under it's front end.
edited... sorry cross posted!
This message was edited Jul 15, 2008 5:55 PM
I have quite a bit of Passiflora caerulea vines. The GFs do use it...they use all the passies I have. The VF, however, visits the Maypop (as far as passies) and also flax plants.
Had a fritillary stop by after a short rain that didn't seem to mind me taking pictures.
And here is one from the other day in the sun...they really love the flame acanthus...
And while checking out my milkweeds I found...eggs!!! Lots of eggs!!! Should I wait for them to hatch or bring them in now? I wanted to get them now, but I am worried about keeping all the leaves from drying up.
I have never had good luck with bringing eggs in. I usually mark the stem and check them each day to get the first instar as soon as possible. I am so excited you are getting Monarchs, maybe it won't be Sept / October this year for our returning bfs!
Thanks Sheila...I'll wait then. There are too many to mark, so I will just have to go out there each day and check. I am so happy, the last lot I tried to raise ended miserably. Now I get another chance! I do hope I am a better cat mom this time.
:) Kim
Have you tried sticking the leaf stem in a small container of water to keep it fresh a while...with a lid or cover of some kind to keep the cat from crawling down in the water? Or using wet floral foam?
FYI: Wet floral foam works great on cuttings and leaf stems - it's well worth a try!!!
We had our local 2009 butterfly count and ended up with 61 species on Saturday and 48 species on Sunday. A sad count for our area but about par considering we had about 7 inches of rain the week prior and lately it's been in the upper 90's. If we had been counting mosquitoes we would have won grand prize! There were tons of them thoughout the trails! UGH!!!
My yard has been bare of butterflies. Did see one lone Monarch, a Guava Skipper and a Brazilian Skipper on Friday. I keep getting home late from work. Perhaps I'll have better luck at the ranch this weekend.
I can't wait until the fall season count. Am sure we'll get at least 150 species then :o)
~ Cat
oh...I did photograph these eggs ??? on Vasey Adelia at one of the parks on Sunday. That tree is a host for the Mexican Bluewing butterfly but I know those are not Mexican Bluewing butterfly eggs. Have no idea what they are and we left them on the tree. Guess we'll never find out...
This message was edited Jul 15, 2008 8:25 PM
Cat, what kind of training do you have to do for the butterfly count? We just had one here and I guess they do it nationally all at the same time?
Pretty eggs.
I posted caterpillars of the American Lady several months ago on a weed. I just found out it is a narrow leaf cudweed. So don't kill all your weeds, they might just be food for a butterfly.
Elaine
haha, but don't by floral foam for dried and silk flowers like I did, because it sure won't soak anything up!!
Mrs_Ed, thanks for the tips. That's exactly what I had in mind, and was wondering....I need to hunt for the right kind of floral foam. Thank you.
It's usually called wet floral foam - very soft to the touch....unlike that hard green styrofoam type - which does not soak up water :o)
No special training needed for the Butterfly Count aside from being able to spot a butterfly!!! NABA had them going on nationwide during a two week period
The majority of folks that participate in our counts are members of the NABA South Texas chapter...and well, of course, it helps if you can identify butterflies on the wing :o) Sometimes you just get a glimpse as they fly off never to be seen again!
A few folks that are not members participated and they were the ones carrying a copy of the Kaufman Focus Guide :o) We've got lots of great folks that can quickly ID butterflies. A couple of our local Texas Parks and Wildlife officers participated too. The more eyes out there looking and counting the better!!!
It really is a great experience to meet fellow butterfliers as well learn markings, flight patterns and other quick ID tips. Several of our chapter members know all about birds, dragonflies, spiders and other insects too so we often stopped to look at those as we walked around. :o)
~ Cat
Got this pretty one yesterday... Is this a BST??
This message was edited Jul 16, 2008 11:09 PM
and this one...a Tiger Swallow??
Has anyone in zone 9a grown clematis with great luck? I would love to cover my arbor with the purple ramona! I see a few little plants and they look very under nurished to say the least.
Yvonne
Nanny.....They are indeed the BST and the TST. Poor TST doesn't have the tails anymore, but still beautiful. You have a great pic on the BST. Please consider that one for the photo contest when they have that. They did a calendar last year!
Thanks...am trying to learn ID's! And big thank you for the compliment!
Yay!! A Monarch couple was in my garden yesterday! The female ending up laying eggs! They still haven't bothered with any flowers so I had a very hard time getting a picture. So here is the best I could do. : )
BTW - I have been following along all the wonderful info and enjoying all your beautiful pics!
I've this silver spotted skipper visitted today. And, guess what? Woooohooo, I'm a new mamma!!! Got myself a G.F. cat. finally. Say 2nd or 3rd instar? I'll post pix of the tiny todd so you can help me determine what trimester the baby is?
Lookie, lookie, how cute is that? lol. I'm tickled pink. I'm raising this one indoor. Got to go and look for some of those wet floral foam to take fresh cuttings of the passi. daily. Wooohooo!!!
Congratulations mamma! : ) Sorry that I can't help with the question.
Thanks Meredith. Hang on I've to pass out some cigars. lol. Have you got any milkweeds in the garden for your Monarch? They don't usually get here to my zone later in the season. I can't wait until I see those in the garden this year too.
The little red/yellow flowers on the background is the Mornarch/Queen's hostplant Milkweeds.
Yes, I have quite a few different types (puffing cigar ; ) and I only saw her laying eggs on the ones in your picture (Scarlet Milkweed). Except mine are much smaller because they are annuals for me. Last year the Monarchs hardly used those type at all, but I had Tussock MOth caterpillars up the kazoo, so we'll see what happens this year.
Milkweeds are annual here too. Meredith. Did you mention Tussock moths? Ooooh their cats. are one cutie pie! I wished I have them here, but I've never seen them in person yet. What do tussocks use as hostplant?
Beauty of the day? Look at what I've found in the garden! A luna Moth! A male I think.
