There is fewer of these coming through all the time...this one preferred the Lion's Ear and the White Mistflower.
DAILY BUTTERFLIES Page 52
This one must have just got here, because it was running around nectaring all over like mad!
I'll have to look up that skipper in my books when I can move. Melanie overdid it in the garden today. I finished clearing my plot for my vegetable garden. Pulling some of the roots out of the ground was a little much for my back. So I loaded up on ibuprofen and watched some football. Then, when Dad got home we went out to a horse stable/riding lesson place where we got two cubic yards of composted horsie manure! Of course, that involved more shoveling which was rough on my back. While we were there, I had the good luck to step in a pile of fire ants. But I came home, took a shower, and rubbed hydrocortisone all over my legs.
While I was taking a break this morning, I saw these Gulf Frits basking. It's been a little cooler here with highs around 80 and lows around 60. Just perfect for gardening and going caterpillar hunting.
While I was weeding, I saw a thing that kind of looked like a mud dauber, but it wasn't. It seemed to be carrying something that at first I thought was some kind of cocoon. Then, I realized it was a caterpillar! I picked it up and looked at it, and I think it was some kind of moth.
The Polydamas was flying around again. So were the Long-Tailed Skippers including this guy.
Melanie
P.S. I think some of my Zebra Swallowtails are going to emerge soon!
Yahhhh...love those Long-tailed Skippers!! The NABA park was full of them today. We had our monthly meeting. Got to see five Ruddy Daggerwings!!! I'd never seen more than two in the same day...but they came in full force.
I took lots of photos but my laptop crashed. I was able to get it going again using the system boot CD and make a back up file of my personal files, photos and programs but the graphic program files for resizing photos don't work. Will have to re-install them...now if I can only find the cds!!!
Oh well...will have to drop the laptop off with a computer buddy next week.
~ Cat
Ouch, Melanie! Hope your back is better soon. :) No worries about the skipper ID. It'll wait.
Cat, the thought of that happening soon gives me shivers... only it's my desktop and it's 9 years old. :(
Have a question about a couple of the pics I took today of the Zebra Longwing. One clearly shows a coral or pinkish color on the underwing down near the body of the butterfly and the other does not. Was I missing things and photographed two different butterflies? Is the color indicative of the male or female? I can't seem to find anything on this. First I'll post the one with color.
Thanks!
And the one without...
Linda, thank you for your comments regarding GFs and cold weather. It helped me decide to place the Frits back outside on what little passi remained.
Martha
I still have cats on my vines too Martha. They are not afraid of our temps evidentally.
Apparently not, Sheila. I found a Monarch chrysalis, too, attached to the base of my shepherd's crook where I hang a bird feeder. I read somewhere that when this happens, the cat will overwinter and not morph until spring. And, the bf will be smaller than regular summer bf's.
Martha
I think my skipper pictured above is a male Zabulon skipper.
The Zebra Longwings all have those reddish spots. Maybe that one lost some scales so it wasn't showing? The males and the females are similar and both have the spots. I didn't even realize they had them until I raised my first Zebra Longwing and got a good look at it.
Speaking of zebras...two Zebra Swallowtails emerged today. Look at my picture and be jealous! I missed them coming out because I had to go to Best Buy to get a new battery for my camera. Mine just stopped charging.
Today at the museum I saw Gulf Frits, Zebra Longwings, Monarchs, White Peacocks, and several skippers flying around. I only collected two Gulf Frit cats, but that's better than nothing!
Melanie
Well...I didn't think I'd get any this year, but today I noticed four of these cats on a couple of Rue plants! Cool...hope they make it! I brought them in, of course. I haven't been seeing any cats other than the GF, which are fairly numerous.
I went out today to look for butterflies on my White Mistflower and found it covered with lots of bees. So most of the butterflies stayed away. Just 2 skippers and a metalmark were trying to nectar. This skipper was clever and mostly stayed on flowers that were down into the foliage while the bees were mostly on the sunny upper flowers. Not sure what kind of skipper.
Thanks for your kind words about my monarch pics. I hope to go back and get better shots soon. I also just wanted to say I love looking at all the great pics on this thread! Here is a shot from August (I hope that is okay). I don’t know what this is, but it was hanging out on some amaryllis leaves for a bit.
Got my graphic program re-installed and working :o) Was out at the ranch today and had fun taking photos of the butterflies on the zinnias. You remember...the little patch of flowers that the deer did not eat?!!! :o)
There were numerous skippers, sulphurs, variegated frits, a couple of black swallowtails and pipevine swallowtails and lots of beetles and bugs on the blooms. Am definitely going to plant gobs more for next Spring :o)
Here's a Poodle Head enjoying some nectar.
~ Cat
This message was edited Nov 2, 2008 7:24 PM
A Variegated Frit on another blossom :o)
~ Cat
A White-Striped Longtail Skipper that has seen better days...but it's nice to know even these die hard back forty butterflies like zinnias.
~ Cat
A couple of skippers :o)
~ Cat
Another skipper - was enthralled at the proboscis on this bugger! Talk about dexterity!!!
~ Cat
Neat shots Cat. I haven't seen the poodle head before lol!!
But I have seen a DogFace! LOL!
This message was edited Nov 2, 2008 10:32 PM
Sunny~ Your u/k butterfly looks to be a Common Checkered Skipper, Pyrgus communis,
http://butterfly.ucdavis.edu/view_image&img=16
...though it is uncommonly beautiful! Lovely shot!
Cat~ I've been collecting Zinnia seeds for you...
:-D
I have never posted in this forum but saw the butterfly topic and thought I would share this photo I took recently. And this link to a video of some butterflies in my yard.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/quiltdiva/2974727955/
I love watching them, don't know all the names though.
Welcome cactuspatch!
We're glad to have you. Feel free to post here in the dailies. Great pics and vid on flikr! Thanks for sharing it!
Debnes
Thanks for that lovely welcome! I have been here at DG a long time just found this forum though.
Welcome cactuspatch. I've visited Alamogordo a few times...but that was a good five years ago when my brother lived there. I wan't into butterflies back then but it sure is nice to see that huge Tiger!!!
~ Cat
Love your Tiger Swallowtail (TST) pics Cactus!! Post anytime, and stick around and the bf names will start to sound familiar!
Sheila_FW
At least there weren't many bees around this time! Once the Monarch tastes the sweet nectar of the White Mistflower, it keeps coming back...until it's ready to fly south.
This message was edited Nov 3, 2008 6:54 PM
Irresistible Linda! Would you be saving any seeds from that WMF? If so, put me down for some. :-D Pretty please?
Thanks so much for the ID on the Common Checkered Skipper, Deb! This has been my first full gardening season in this area, and we've taken our tiny yard from lifeless parched dirt to brimming with plants. I am loving all the new critters which are stopping in and checking things out. I don't know much about them, but am very curious :-)
Lovely pics as always on here! That white mistflower is really neat!
Does anyone know what to do with monarch eggs this time of year in my area? I just found them the other day, but I am afraid that if I start raising them and we get a frost they will starve. Although if I leave them outside I guess that they'd freeze or starve too. Should I give them a try or leave it to nature?
Kim
Thanks Texas and Sheila, learning the names is part of why I decided to start checking out this forum.
It wouldn't hurt to try to raise them, Kim! I took in some BST cats with the hope that they will make it inside. Of course, the BST can overwinter as a chrysallis, unlike the Monarch.
No problem on the White Mistflower seed...I'll collect some when they make seed.
This message was edited Nov 4, 2008 5:05 PM
Hi guys, we have a nice forum member looking for a caterpillar ID. Check it out here: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/920082/
She's in the Virgin Islands and I don't know what butterflies they have there. From the looks of the cat it's got to be one of the brushfoots. Also, it's eating passiflora. Kind of looks like an all black Gulf Frit, huh? Does anyone know who this caterpillar is?
Melanie
I had to go pick pawpaw today so of course I was on the hunt for butterflies and cats. It was overcast and in the upper 60s all day today - not a good day for butterflies. The only one I saw was this Carolina Satyr. He's kind of blurry because you can't get too close to these guys!
Now that I know what bay trees look like, I'm dangerous! I found myself a Palamedes ST cat today. He was just sitting there waiting for me. I figure if I can find them this time of year, I should be up to my ears in caterpillars next spring! The brown spot on his body is some kind of injury. I don't remember seeing it when I picked him up, but when I got home there was a little bubble of fluid. I took a paper towel and gently touched him and it seems to have healed just fine. He's been hanging on the side of the Gladware all evening. Oh, and he stinkhorned me when I picked him up (I had to pull the leaf a little harder than I thought to get it to let go). Again, the stinkhorns on these guys are just foul! I'm sure the whole forest was like, "Ugh! Who did that??"
Melanie
Imagine if you were a predator and saw this! I think he's still got his Halloween costume on, lol!
What a cute little 'stinker' And my what big eyes you have, my dear.
Elaine
what a cutie!
Gee, thanks, Melanie!
Here's a -- umm, -- "Haven't-Memorized-His-Name-Yet" Swallowtail. Since plants were imported freely long ago into the Virgin Islands from all over, there are all the bugs, pests, dieases that are in the States and everywhere.
Milkweed grows into small trees here, I've found Monarch cats on them. Now I'll have to go take a photo or two.
Melissa
