He's a Polydamas! Or, if it's easier to remember, they also call them the Gold Rim Swallowtail. An interesting fact about the Polydamas is that it is considered a superspecies. Basically, what that means is that it's present on many of the tropical islands and each population has evolved to be just a little different due to being geographically isolated. Check out this link for some pictures of the different types: http://home.att.net/~bret71/B_polydamas.htm
Melanie
DAILY BUTTERFLIES Page 52
I have the hose trickling on the vine, I hope the remaining seven cats don't kill it, in terrible shape, poor passionvine! And I'm sure going to be glad to be in my own house by the end of the month where I can make everything pretty and nice, not like that half painted thingie in the background! Renting is the pits!
I'll go try manual focus on the little hangie guy.
Cats will eat the vine down but the roots will remain and come back stronger and larger next year. Great pictures.
Oh, how exciting! Maybe when it makes a chrysalis we can figure out what he is.
Melanie
Wooohooo, a Gulf Frit. is being transformed! Congrats.
wow, very neat! You must be having fun watching the process!
That's okay, all of us up north don't have anything new to add anyway.
Nice painting Molamola :-)
I have found that Gulf Fritillaries have a wide range of colors, and your black one is just a variation. They are Heliconid butterflies, which are mostly longwings that use passionvine as their larval host. Heliconids are within a larger group commonly called brushfoots, which include Monarchs, Vanessas, and a lot more.
So nice to meet ya! Make yourself at home.
Debnes
Hi Melissa. Thanks for pointing that out about the Zebra Longwing. I don't have good vision, even corrected, so I couldn't tell I was looking at the top of the wing instead of the underside! I am loving your pictures and experiences. Thanks for posting.
I currently have two BST and one GST chrysalids and two GST cats eating their days away. I also have two really big GST cats that crawled out of the cage and have disappeared on the screened porch into the jungle of plants. I hope I find them before we have another freeze. I need to be a more careful flutterbye mom from now on.
I'm in the midst of slowly moving into a house that has a "carport" and I plan to screen it in, and add a screen room for a HEB (Homebuilt Earth Box--a special kind of planter with a big water resevoir) for a vegetable room, haha. Gotta eat!
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/f/boxgardens/all/
Barb, I had to look close and several times! I just knew something looked odd.
And I found someplace 12 to 14 days to a coming out party for my very first butterfly, I wonder if I have a different color variation? I marked my calendar. Maybe more pupae babies in the next few days.
Thank you, everyone, for the warm welcome! I hope I can contribute to this fine dialogue.
And now to go see if I need to add to Bug Files.
Cheers,
Melissa
edited to spell my name right, akkk!
This message was edited Nov 5, 2008 6:56 PM
bjf....Look for the GST cats on the walls especially the screen.
Well, my last BST of the season went to beddie-bye for the winter. Must have been too cold to even wander around, because it simply made the chrysalis on the food source!
Another zebra swallowtail today! This one already knew how to fly by the time I got home so he had to go straight into the butterfly hamper. I'm taking my latest batch to the museum so everyone can enjoy them!
Melanie
I hear you on the digital camera…I was busy taking pics of whozits and whatzits all summer, and some of them just didn’t seem to want to pose for me ;-). That’s a really pretty whatzit (sorry, I don’t know anything about butterflies, although I’d like to learn).
Mrs_Ed, is that chrysalis on a parsely bloomstalk, or dill or?
Yes, it's very young dill stalk. I planted some fall dill. In that bouquet is baby dill, fennel and parsley, though they were found on the parsley. I really find that they prefer the dill at my house.
Found the same preference for dill here, too, Mrs. Ed. Then mine went to seed and they accepted the Bronze Fennel without a noticeable flinch. Wish I had thought to put in a fall planting of the dill. Next year though...
Barb
Interesting...thx :-)
Speaking of fall plantings, after my cosmos and zinnias froze the other night, I pulled them up to discover a lovely fall crop of rapini (broccoli rabe). I wish I would have planted some lettuce and radishes too!
Cat! I swear to God I saw one of your Malachites! It was just now on my White Mistflower and flew away just as I saw it!
I printed out a picture of a Malachite butterfly to show DH (that species not in my butterfly book) and he said that was the butterfly he saw a couple of days ago. He had told me at the time there was a larger butterfly being attacked by a GF outside. But of course, the butterfly was gone by the time I ran outside! I had to take my sick kitty to the vet this afternoon and when I got back I asked DH if he had seen the butterfly again while I was gone. And he thinks it was here again! Darn...missed it! I had never seen one of these before. I checked the Malachite county butterfly reports and all the counties surrounding mine have reported sightings at some time except one...and none for my county, BTW. I see it likes rotting fruit...going to check my refrigerator for fruit!
A couple of visitors today.
Second pic.
Ooooh how I missed those little ones in my garden. I haven't seen many lately. Gardenpom, those are lovely!
Thanks, Lily.
Linda,
Sorry...my computer was in sick bay :o) finally got it back today!
CONGRATS!!! On your Malachite(s)!!! Yes, they come quickly to butterfly brew as well as oranges, tangerines and other sweet fruits. Put your brew or fruit in a lightly shaded spot. Although they will come out into the bright sunlight they seem to prefer to hang around in the shady areas.
Hopefully you'll get to photograph one!!!
~ Cat
ps...they also enjoy checking out scat :o) ...like I told that a kid who was all thrilled that a malachite landed on his lollipop - you just never know where those butterfly feet have been!
...here's a photo of two Malachites and a Mexican Bluewing enjoying butterfly brew last weekend.
