DAILY BUTTERFLIES Page 46

We came from here: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/898464/

Well, I don't have any two-tailed Tigers to show off, but here's a Sleepy Orange!

Ok, I mentioned this photo in another thread but here I am to share it with everyone. At MOSI there's this picture on our bulletin board of a statue with a Monarch cat hanging from the statue's ear like an earring. Isn't it funny how they choose their places?

Melanie, your Sleepy Orange looks like he's still sleepy. lol : ) That's a cool picture of the Monarch cat. Just the right spot. : )

And for cuteness sake, this Polydamas cat built his sling ON another chrysalis. How rude! I had another chrysalis that had the same problem, but he had the added problem of having a smaller cat on the opposite side! I went to take the small cat off but he was getting ready to molt so I couldn't move him. They have a whole aquarium to play in, but they have to get right in each other's faces.

Lucy, you have to get those sulphurs before they're fully awake! After that, it's a lost cause...

In butterfly news, the Tiger ST was back the other day. Mom released one boy Monarch yesterday and two girl Monarchs today.

Melanie

That earring pic is funny b/c their chrysalis looks like jade and gold jewelry. It would be a beautiful earring!

Last time I posted a longtail, I said it was a Dorantes and it was really a White-stripe. I think this one really is a Dorantes Longtail.

The earring pic is cool!

Does one attaching so close to another chrysalis cause any damage or problems?

Linda...I missed posting on Daily Butterflies Page 45 - so I'll ooh and ahh about your Two Tailed Tiger now. WOW!!! Send a couple of those further south!!!

~ Cat

Yeah, those are neat! I got all excited. There might only be one TTST around...not sure about that. Wish I had lots. And I never figured out how to tell what sex it is...a female with eggs would be nice! Speaking of eggs, the GST eggs I found on my Hop Tree hasn't hatched....maybe duds. The frostweed is blooming now in time for this influx of butterflies, but the white mistflower is stubbornly not blooming. Ah...fall flowers, fall butterflies! Those are cool pics, Mellie! And I've seen those white-striped longtail skippers from time to time.

Linda, my white mistflowers have been blooming for a month, and all I see on them are bees and other bugs. No BF's. I have Torch sunflowers close by, and the BF's are all over those, but ignoring the mistflower.

Last year a had the West Texas mistflower and the Queen BF's were all over them, and they were in the same place the white mistflowers are now. Go Figure.

I think the White Mistflower will get more popular later on. Seems like I got the most action in October and maybe even early November, if my memory can be trusted. Oh and this year, all the Queen eggs and cats I found have been on the native Texas Milkweed, while last year the Mexican Milkweed was more popular!

I sure hope so, I walk by and check the white every day. Maybe...tomorrow. : )

Linda.... Your two tailed Tiger ST is georgeous. Worth the wait and chasing for sure.
Those of you that didn't get to see it.... http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/p.php?pid=5530059
My white mist (small first year) is blooming and frostweed is beginning to bloom. I have had a few butterflies and now have some Monarch cats too! I have to get them off the camera to share.
Melanie... The earring is a neat picture of "odd places" to find cats seeking to pupate for sure! Hope you get a shot of it after it formed it's chrysalis.

Sheila,That's a gorgeous pic!

Pelle...
The picture was the last entry on our previous thread that LindaTX8 posted....not mine. I just wanted to make sure everyone saw it.
Mrs Ed.... We have to have plants down here in Nov to take care of our Monarchs that are heading to Mexico!

Come on down sometime, Mrs_Ed....you'd enjoy our November blooms! I think Cat down near the border has blooms and butterflies all year long.

Bee, Monarch in flight, Sulfur in flight, & Painted Lady on aster.

Monarch on Dahlia

Painted Lady on Dahlia

Monarch on aster.

Monarch on Sunflower

pretty pics jmorth! I have a few somewhere I took earlier this week and need to post. Finally seeing some bfs here!

Great shots!!

I might just have to do that, Linda! Think Dave's Garden will send me to cover the Butterfly Festival in October??? LOL. Guess someone else will have to write about it.

Guess what? Just checked the latest eggs I found on some milkweed. Almost all hatched, some are Queens...but two only seem to have two pairs of feelers...I think they're Monarchs!

I'd love to see Queen cats on my milkweed. Now the Monarchs here are swarming. I can't believe the numbers I'm having now. Saw some early early spring, a few cats, then boom, they were gone. None at all during the summer until mid August.

I'm so jealous. All I have on the milkweed are aphids. :(

Lovely pics, jmorth.

Cat...they are HERE! I went into the city today and as soon as I got to the highway nearby, I started seeing lots of butterflies. Most of them were SNOUTS~yes, it's that time again! The population has gone way over the top and they're commiting mass suicide by car....groan! I thought no, no, not again. I peeled one off the truck's grill to make sure. But there's also sulfurs, VFs and Queens flying along. And others...not sure. This pic isn't very clear, but you might be able to tell it's sulfurs puddling.

Speaking of Monarchs...I thought my plants were temporarily clear, or at the very least I just had a few babies roaming around. Then, yesterday I was out walking around killing slugs when I saw FOUR Monarch cats on my milkweed. And they're on the old raggedy stuff - not even the nicer looking milkweed! And these guys are like 3rd or 4th instar. Where do they hide?!

So as I was walking around with caterpillars in one hand and the salt shaker (for the slugs) in the other my neighbor pulls in and asks if I've seen any of those same butterflies again. This is the neighbor who asked me about the Spicebush STs who were mating the other day. I told her no, but that I had some Monarch caterpillars at which point I stuck out my hand. She has two daughters and the one was literally hanging out the window wanting to see. When I told Mom it was ok to touch them she let her daughter pet one. Once the younger sister did it, the older sister had to do it, too. I told her I raised butterflies and that I volunteer at MOSI, etc. So she said they'd have to come visit me and my butterflies soon. It's so fun to get kids who are excited about simple things like caterpillars.

And in more Monarch news...Mom released one boy and three girl Monarchs today. Luckily, I had the girls in the butterfly house and the boy in the critter keeper. Not intentionally - just worked out that way.

Here's a picture Mom took of a Monarch today. This isn't one she released today, but we've been releasing a lot lately so I like to think it's one that decided to stick around.

Melanie

The Frostweed plant must be especially good nectar when it starts blooming. But I wasn't quite sure which hairstreak it was on it.

Another one on Frostweed...a sulfur.

Linda...

...and they're still flying up your way too :o) We still have thousands and thousands of Snouts on the move. Some Sulphurs, Queens and a few others that get mixed in too. I see lots of the big rigs at work and their grills are covered in Snout snouts! We're expecting wind and rain from Ike tomorrow and the weekend - shouldn't be too bad since we've been lucky enough to avoid another hurricane's direct hit.

Good going on the sulphur puddling photo. I just love seeing them puddling in groups :o)

~ Cat

Well, I was checking the milkweed again today even though there are only a few ratty looking leaves left. And I found FOURTEEN caterpillars! Fortunately, I still have other milkweed plants on the corner because the ones next to the house are just stems. Although, when I was out there I saw a Mommy Monarch laying eggs on my nice milkweed so it may not last.

As I walked out the door a Tiger ST flew right up at me and then promptly turned and flew over the house. So no pictures today. : ( Oh, and the Zebra Longwing was hanging around the porterweed again.

I did manage to sneak up on a White Peacock. Mom and I are going to the USF botanical gardens tomorrow for their Gesneriad and African Violet Plant Sale. I always check out the butterfly garden while we're there so I'll be sure and take lots of pictures for everyone.

Melanie

I haven't read any of y'alls posts, so I apologize for being rude. The pics look great though.

Thought I'd share these little ones who will be hanging out in my garage during Hurricane Ike. Last time I checked they seemed really happy and were eating ravenously. There are 7 big ones and 3 little ones.

This picture is horrible. I took it accidentally and yet it was the only one that even came close to being in focus.

Sheila that ST is gorgeous, that pic is the money shot!

VERY artistic. Can't believe it was accidental.

Oooh I love those peacocks! Those are a butterfly zone envy for me : )
My butterfly populations are pretty decent now, but I can definitely tell it's the end of the season. I will soon only be able to enjoy all your butterfly photos because here, everything will be hibernating soon, including me lol. I can't believe how fast the season changes here, you think since I've lived here my whole life I'd be used to it .... but I'm not.
I have been busy collecting seeds and planning for fall garden tasks. I've mostly had Fritillaries and Monarchs but yesterday I was very excited to see the only viceroy so far this year. I think I may have only seen one once before.

You know, it's odd that I have hardly any butterflies right now, when NH seems way more north! I am only seeing cabbage whites. I see by Journey South that the Monarch migration is amongst me. I might go out tomorrow and look for some roosts.

http://www.learner.org/jnorth/maps/monarch_f08_roosts.html

I think our climates are very similar, except you may have a longer growing season by about a month earlier in spring and a month later in fall. Weather patterns probably have a lot to do with it too, we've had a pretty hot & dry summer as far as new england goes. We had about 5" dump on us sat. night, it was the remnants of Hannah but we were really overdue for some rain. Everyone's lawns were turning brown even with watering. It was overcast all day and it's been sprinkling since late afternoon, so no butterflies today. Doesn't look like a good weekend for butterflies either. Here's another of my Viceroy : )

This message was edited Sep 13, 2008 8:51 AM

Meredith, I've lived here all my life and I still can't believe how long it takes until it cools down! According to the football game (USF v Kansas) it's 84 degrees and 85% humidity right now. Believe it or not, I'll be preparing the soil for my vegetable garden this weekend. I plan on the first week of November for sowing seeds.

Glad to know I can inspire butterfly envy somewhere! Between the Red-Spotted Purples and the Two Tailed Tiger, I was feeling pretty jealous. We should all remember to be grateful for the butterflies we have - and use our vacations to visit the ones we want!

Melanie