We came from here: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/918538/
I had another one of my super awesome Zebra Swallowtails emerge today.
DAILY BUTTERFLIES Page 53
I was out weeding and mulching the front of the street today and there were plenty of butterflies keeping me company. There were three Gulf Frits all enjoying the porterweed when they weren't taking a break to bask in the sun.
The White Peacocks were hanging out in the neighbor's yard.
The Sulphurs actually let me get a picture!
Another sulphur in front of my car snacking on porterweed. I also saw some kind of orange sulphur that was very pretty, but very fast!
There were two Polydamas chasing everything around. This one is looking a little worn. Later, as Mom and I were leaving to do some shopping, we saw a swallowtail flying around the plumbagos. I thought it was the Polydamas again, but then we saw flashes of blue. I jumped out of the car and ran over and sure enough it was a Pipevine Swallowtail! I was surprised to see it since it's getting a little late in the year here. My pipevine near the front door is nothing but stems so I won't even think about getting it to lay any eggs for me. But next year...my house will be the place to hang out!
Oh, I almost forgot! Mom saw a hummingbird yesterday out her office window! We had some a few months ago and then they left. I'm not sure if they've returned or if this is a different guy. At least I have enough porterweed to keep everyone happy.
Melanie
Thanks for the info on the Malachite, Cat! I put out just pieces of orange and pear, not wanting to wait for brew. And I put it in sun, no butterfly interest at all...they couldn't tear themselves away from the blooming plants. Tomorrow I'll put it in a shadier area. No Malachite showed up today...hope it's not gone! Wouldn't blame it if it did leave. Lows in the high 40's probably seem cold to it. But it'll be warmer now for a while at night.
Best of luck Linda :o)
Was at the ranch today...must say that little patch of zinnias the deer didn't eat is a real butterfly hotspot :o) Was able to get more photos nectaring butterflies.
~ Cat
A Mexican Fritillary - Euptoieta hegesia --- this one is a new ranch butterfly for me :o)
there is a Pipevine Swallowtail in the background too
A Poodle head - aka Southern Dogface...which probably resembles more of a rubber duckie head than a poodle head :o)
~ Cat
A Pipevine Swallowtail :o)
~ Cat
A cute little skipper...clouded I think...enjoying a huge blossom all by itself. Must feel like King of the Hill!!!
~ Cat
..and had the criminies scared out of me when I turned around and found a huge black snake slithering along. It must've been at least six feet in length...missed out catching the end of it on the photo.
~ Cat
also counted 23 Red-crescent Scrub-hairstreaks (Strymon rufofusca) that were nectaring in about a ten yard strip of Waltheria indica. These butterflies are rare for us and I'm lucky to see one or two a year. Guess there was a brood emergence for so many to be in one place at the same time.
~ Cat
Cat, that looks like an Indigo snake. They get quite large. Does Texas have Indigo snakes? They are good snakes.
~Lucy
We have several large black snakes around the ranch. I guess they are indigos...not sure as the last time I caught one I got bit and didn't much care to look closely at another!!! :o) I was a tomboy teenager...and that thing clamped down on my hand and wouldn't let go! Lots of little teeth in those jaws!!! Learned that the hard way...and those snakes stink bad...UGH!!!
They tend to show up around the water troughs and the pond. Dad says they are good snakes and that they will eat rattlesnakes. I remember being about 7 years old and waking up to the dogs barking...when Dad went outside to see what the fuss was all about there was a black snake eating a rattlesnake in the backyard.
Of course, we all had to get up to go see too. That was back in the days of those old brownie cameras - nobody ever thought to get a photo. I keep waiting for the day I'll be puttering around the back pastures in the golfcart and come across something like that!!! Have camera will travel !!!
~ Cat
It's so nice to see these pics on this cool and rainy evening. Wow, those Malachites are beautiful, I don't think I've ever even seen a pic of one of those before.
Cat, love the butterfly pics, but you can keep your snake ;-)
This message was edited Nov 8, 2008 7:52 PM
ditto what sunnyg said!!! No thanks on the snakes.
I'll take a -benign- snake any day over rats and mice and such! I wonder if there are still those tiny green snakes in Virginia?
I'm glad they generally hide from Humans. There are no snakes on St Croix. We have centipedes instead, ugh!!! averaging eight to ten inches long. Poisonous a stink, but they do run away if they can.
IKKKK! lets get back to butterflies!
Ewwwwwwwwww ten inch centipedes?! SCARY!!!!
Now show me a butterfly with a ten inch wingspan instead :o)
~ Cat
That' why I like a snow white floors, the centipedes hate feeling so exposed and run back outside! Or onto a dark rug, no dark rugs! We'd be knee deep in cockroaches without the centipedes, tho' Everything's a compromise!
There really aren't nearly as many inects here as Virginia. Only a dozen around a white porch light.
This moth had a wingspan of about 1/4 an inch, tiny!!
You know there's an old saying out here that the birders turn to butterflies when they've seen all the bird species they can and are bored.
Once they get over the butterflies they turn to dragon and damsel flies and then they turn to moths.
AND...once they are truly bored with the big and medium sized moths they turn to the micro-moths!!! Now considering there are thousands and thousands of micro moths...that should keep them busy for a long, long, loooooooooooong time :o)
~ Cat
Looks like some type of duskywing...that one is really dark...wow!!!
Mellie...or anyone else who has raised Zebra longwings....is this a zebra caterpillar? Or could it be a Julia Longwing caterpillar?
I found a couple of these small instars on a passiflora vine. There are gobs of eggs on the vine was well.
I had a lone Julia Longwing flitting around a couple of weeks ago so not sure if it could be one of those. However, I saw a really beat up Zebra Longwing ovipositing on my boomerang passion flower vines this morning.
I found this link to a Julia caterpillar on the internet...sure looks like this one. What do ya'll think? Oh please let them be Julias!!!
http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/2089754230046103377KWKtQd
~ Cat
This message was edited Nov 9, 2008 11:36 AM
cat~ check this out--- http://www.dallasbutterflies.com/Caterpillars/Caterpillars%20of%20North%20Texas.htm
And I'm almost getting photos.
Mola,
Thanks! I'd completely forgot about Dale Clark's website having caterpillar photos. Am leaning towards Julia Longwing...but with that beat up Zebra laying eggs today, there's no telling who left the little presents :o)
~ Cat
Zebras don't have that stripe down their back so I'm going to say I think it's a Julia. It's been a while since we had any at the museum, but that does look like them. Especially the head; don't know how to describe it, but the head looks right.
Came home from the museum today to find this Orange-Barred Sulphur laying eggs! Also, I was talking with my boss at the museum about how we haven't seen any Monarch cats in weeks. The ones at the museum got this white fungus that covered their entire bodies; my boss had never seen anything like it before. Well, today I found four Monarch cats (all healthy). Three of them were on the Giant Milkweed that was recently planted so that was exciting! I also let some kids pet the Polydamas caterpillar which was fun. Of course, I had to show them the stinkhorns, LOL!
Melanie
Looks like a Julia to me Cat...
Congrats, Cat, looks like a Julia cat! I just love those, the colors/patterns close up are amazing. Well, the buckeyes are here! If they had been here earlier I might have had some cats on my agalinis...or maybe even the other host plants. Oh well, I think it's too late now. One of my four BST cats is pupating. Here's a buckeye so faded & tattered I could see the leaves through its wings. The larger, fresher one didn't want to pose.
Here's a Texas Crescent that's been coming around.
I think this is an American Lady. Seems like everything is on the white mistflower nowadays.
Linda and Deb...thanks too!!! I emailed Brock and he said it was a Julia caterpillar...that confirms it! YIPPEE!!! WOOHOO!!! JULIA LONGWINGS!!!
I put the two caterpillars into a cat cage. Too many spiders and predatory bugs around looking for an easy meal!
Also found a teeny Zebra Longwing caterpillar and put that into the cat cage too :o)
There are still gobs of eggs on the passion vines...but no telling if they are Gulf Frits, Zebras or Julias. Will wait until they hatch and well, if they are anything but GFs, I'll put them into cages. Sorry...Gulf Frits are just too abundant out here - I let them fend for themselves :o)
Here's another photo...just for reassurance :o)
~ Cat
ps...am also going on a caterpillar search mission next weekend. Brock said I should try to find out what native plants the Red-crescent Scrub-hairstreaks (Strymon rufofusca) are using at the ranch and to look for caterpillars.
This message was edited Nov 9, 2008 5:35 PM
..and I think this is a first instar Zebra Longwing caterpillar. The hairs/spines are much longer and lighter in color than those of a Gulf Frit first instar.
~ Cat
ps...have I mentioned how nice it is to have butterflies ovipositing during the winter months?! I do hope we have a mild season - but just in case...I made several more cat cages :o)
This message was edited Nov 9, 2008 5:33 PM
I have GFs still laying eggs here too! This was taken today. I don't bring them in anymore either. They fair very well and are abundant by all appearances.
Love the TX C. Linda, and the Buckeye. I said earlier on a thread that I hadn't seen any this year. That was until today!!
I even got to take a few of some sulphurs. This one almost blending into the yellow leaf.
Several Painted Ladies were fliting around today also.
As were some Queens.
The Skippers were out if force too. This one was trying a larger set of wings on for size. lol!
Cute pic! Here is my contribution.
