Thanks everyone! I had fun, but it's good to be back. That is indeed a Spicebush and if it's hanging around your sassafras you had better check for eggs and cats! I've never raised any Spicebush cats before so I'm excited to have a few. Here's my largest cat.
OOOOOOH! Look at those markings, I'll feel like I've hit the jackpot if I will ever spot one! Thank you.
Kim
So here's a question, where did you find all these beauties? Was it a state park with prairie plantings, etc? I just don't see too many varieties in the yard. Lots and lots of cabbage whites!
Kim, the Spicebush ST cats are leaf rollers. They will silk the leaf so it is rolled up around them and they can hide. So if you're looking at the sassafras look for leaves that have been rolled up. The smaller cats will roll part of the leaf over so look for that too. That's how I found those guys.
Most of the butterflies I saw were either in Grandma's yard or up the hill in her neighbor's yard. It's very rural where she lives and there were tons of wildflowers in bloom so I think that helped. Her neighbor is deceased, and behind his house there was a large field that was overgrown. There was a lot of sassafras, cherry trees and milkweed which I'm sure helped to attract butterflies. Having host plants around brings even more butterflies than nectar plants. A lot of those butterflies were very small so it helps to have a good eye, too!
very good. I just wait for them to come to my garden and hope I'm there with the camera. LOL
I am in IL as well, and not seeing much but a huge amount of Cabbages....only a few others have I seen in my Moms Garden....I have a large amount of Host plants also. Not sure what the problem is this year. Last year this time she had skads of everything including cats.....I have found none of those either....
TJB
I think it is just starting to change… we're late I guess. I've been seeing monarchs for a couple of weeks and just found a pretty good sized cat on my tuberosa. Lots of Eastern Tiger Swallowtails earlier in the season though!
It's hard for me to tell seasonal changes since we don't really have seasons in FL. Well, as we say here, there's "hot and hotter". But since we get butterflies nearly year-round I have difficulty judging if the butterflies are late. I know many people on the forum said this year started a little later than usual. I'm sure it depends on many factors including rainfall and temperature. Hmmm...I just thought about the fact that Grandma lives on the river; I wonder if being near water increases the number of butterflies in the area?
Melanie, I think living by water does affect how many BF's are around. I have a friend here on DG that lives on the river, and only 4 miles or so from me. Her yard is full of BF's, and I have only a few right now.
She also has woods around her with lots of native flowers, where I have to plant native things for them.
~Lucy
Having a source of water does help attract lots of wildlife. Once I really built up my bromeliad garden I started noticing tons of our native green anoles (lizards) and lots of frogs. Most of them are Cuban tree frogs, but since I've begun my eradication program (i.e. smashing invasive Cuban tree frogs) I've actually seen a few native green tree frogs. One of them was really big!
Even if you don't live near water, a lot of butterfly books recommend making a place where the butterflies can puddle. Since standing water can attract mosquitos, I like the idea of placing a dish with gravel or rocks in it and then filling it with water. Mosquitos need to have a flat surface to lay their eggs so the rocks should keep them away; of course, the butterflies can reach between the rocks with their proboscis.
