The Gulf Frit came by for about ten seconds to hit the porterweed.
Daily Butterflies Page 45
My Phaeon Crescent was hanging out again. The White Peacock was also on this flower, Bidens alba, but I couldn't get him to hold still. I actually saw several White Peacocks today, but no luck finding caterpillars on the frogfruit.
My Duskywings are always nearby! They probably nectar on the widest variety of flowers in my yard, but they really like Bidens alba. Actually, all the butterflies like the Bidens genus, but most people here consider them to be a weed. And they do spread rapidly and take over your beds. That's why I let them grow down by the road, but not in my yard.
And of course, my Polydamas posse is still hanging around. Mom's light therapy is working, too. I've got two that eclosed today sitting next to me on the couch (in their critter keeper, of course).
And just because I thought they looked really cute today, check out these Zinnias. I got them from Select Seeds this spring; I think they're the "Chippendale" kind, but let's not quote me on that!
Melanie (who is going to release her two Polydamas now and then take a much-needed shower)
uh oh...I killed a little brown guy in the garage yesterday..... but now I know what to check! I had know idea what is was when you mentioned in the post about yours.
I have to go look this one up...it is the bigger yellow sulphur!! LOL
The Buckeye really like Agalinis plants also. That's where I've found them in the fall. I have that plantain you mentioned and also the Plantago coronopsus (sp?). Maybe one of these days I'll find out if the Buckeye cats like those here. My two older Queen cats both pupated. I was worried because one of them fell down onto paper towels at the bottom of the container while in the J stage. It pupated down there...seems okay as far as I can tell.
So I'm planning my butterfly garden for next year (a brand new one, say buh-bye to the sand box) and I'm wondering how I can grow a paw-paw tree fro zebra swallowtails. LOL!!!
I really do not have many BFs right now. I was looking forward to some Admirals as I had them last year in September. Even the cabbage whites have slowed down.
I' m trying to figure where I can grow enough milkweed.....lol
I hear ya, nanny...so many plants, so little space!
I found this site today...would any of these be good/ or one type better than another?
http://www.swallowtailgardenseeds.com/perennials/butterfly_weed_peren.html
I don't know if one is better than the other, but the monarch cats couldn't get enough of the Asclepias incarnata, aka Swamp Milkweed http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/539/. I bought it this summer as a small clump of straggley looking sticks with dying leaves, but it leafed out in no time and shortly after that, I discovered the cats on it. Plant files says it's susceptible to aphids, but I didn't have nearly as many on it as I did on the 'Hello Yellow' asclepias.
Asclepias tuberosa is a prennial and does very well here.
Painted Lady
another view: actually, same view...
This message was edited Sep 7, 2008 12:44 AM
Cabbage White
Monarch on Fall Clematis
Monarch in flight
Double Buckeyes working on little Buckeye's...
Good morning! Out taking pictures this morning! Here's a Gulf Frit. mama laying an egg next to a Gulf Fritillary cat.
Happy Butterfly gardening everyone!
Deborah
Lucky you, nanny! I haven't even seen one Buckeye here yet! But I have faith... they will arrive. Last year they had a good time after all that rain. In the few habitats Agalinis grows in, there were quite a few plants, flowering all over. I'm hoping that the recent construction by one San Antonio place where Agalinis grows wild hasn't destroyed much.
This message was edited Sep 7, 2008 12:55 PM
Nanny and others.
This is a great site for bfs in TX and maybe a lot of them in your area too. It has host plant lists by bf and by plant names.
http://www.dallasbutterflies.com/ (click on butterfly gardening on the left)
Example: This is the one for the buckeye...
Common Buckeye (Junonia coenia): ACANTHACEAE: Snake-herb (Dyschoriste linearis), Violet Ruellia (Ruellia nudiflora), PLANTAGINACEAE: English Plantain (Plantago lanceolata), Pale-Seed Plantain (P. virginica), Buck-Horn Plantain (P. coronopus), Dooryard Plantain (P. major), Common Plantain (P. rugelii), Cedar Plantain (P. helleri), Tallow-Weed (P. hookeriana); SCROPHULARIACEAE: Beach Gerardia (Agalinis fasciculata), Flat-Flower Gerardia (Agalinis homalantha), Slender Gerardia (Agalinis tenuifolia), False Foxglove (Aureolaria grandifloria), American Bluehearts (Buchnera americana), Texas Paintbrush (Castilleja indivisa), Prairie Indian Paintbrush (Castilleja purpurea), Butter and Eggs (Linaria vulgaris); Snapdragon Vine (Maurandya antirrhiniflora), Toad-Flax (Nuttallanthus canadensis), VERBENACEAE: Common Frogfruit (Lippia nodiflora), Lance-Leaf Frogfruit (Lippia lanceolata), Brazilian Verbena (Verbena bonariensis).
Hey look! I thought this was a Giant Swallowtail at first, but on closer inspection, I think it's a Palamedes! Slightly ragged, but cool to see in my yard.
Yup, that's a Palamedes! You can tell by the yellow stripe on the underside of the wing. Plus, they have striped bodies. I haven't seen too many here this year, but we've recently had a surge in the butterfly population so I hope to see some more soon.
Melanie
New skin!
Camankin, I see that you have a Monarch there, but what plant is it on? It just doesn't look like milkweed so I was curious.
Melanie
They are all over my cosmos!
wow, that's odd.
Shelia, great site! Could that be added to the sticky?
I wonder if there are milkweeds near those cosmos?
Yes, I planted them side by side.
Probably not so odd. Caterpillars do leave the plant sometimes to do an instar.
Moth cat?
Bristle brush!!
Looks like one of those boot scraper things!
Melanie
LOL!
Here's another shot of it..I put him back out side now. So I hope it was nothing really cool!
It was a fair day for butterflies here today. I saw a Tiger Swallowtail as I went out with my camera but she took off before I could shoot.
I did get a couple of Sulphers for the first time today. This was the smallest one.
The second larger one.
Buckeye Love
