Wow, that is quite the list. I had no idea that any overwintered as larva.
DAILY BUTTERFLIES Page 53
OMG! They're everywhere! Clouds of butterflies....all competing for space on blooms. Well....I don't know where they all came from, but I'm happy. I'll be busy today...click-click-click!
Clouds of butterflies...wow! I can't wait to see your pics! I almost got a pic of a little butterfly hanging out in the sun this morning. I was soooo close, but then it just flitted away before I could actually snap a pic. I'll keep trying ;-).
:(
I miss butterflies
I have had a couple bougainvilleas for about four years now and they don't bloom anymore for me. I wish the white's would devour them so I could feel they were earning their keep! lol!
Well I had fun yesterday taking pics of the loads of bfs caught her with cool temps and not much sun.
Here is a small sulfur on Indigo Spires.....
A Larger Sulphur on W Tx Mist Flower.....
Monarch on Mexican Mint Marigold...
Queen on Mex. Milkweed....grabbing the last rays of the sun.
Little Skipper on trailing Verbena....
But the larger pictures were better in person!....
About 6 bfs here.....I was smiling like the sun!
Last one has 7 (Monarchs and Queens).....There were more but they wouldn't show up if I zoomed out.
Sheila, fantastic pics! Glad you're seeing a lot! Most of the cloud of butterflies here were sulfurs. These are some butterflies that DIDN'T fly off when I got to the White Mistflower. I'll post more later.
Beautiful White Mist Linda! I see at least a baker's dozen still on there. My WM is only about 8" tall and had one group of buds but it is still alive and next year it will be bigger!!
Awww Mrs Ed :-( When do they come back to your area?
Lovely shots today!
Martha....
Everyone is north of me :o) If I go 15 miles south I'll be in Mexico :o)
Butterflies don't normally overwinter here as we have such mild winters...but we do get a few Swallowtails and silkmoths that do.
Today was a lousy day for butterflies...cloudy and drizzly...but I did go and gather up the newly hatched caterpillars off the passion flowers as the news said we were going to have bad thunderstorms (didn't happen).
The Julia cats are doing well and the zebra cats are doing extremely well...they seem to be growing at a faster rate.
~ Cat
Hmmm...the bougainvillea wouldn't be planted where it's wet is it? The only reason I've heard of for one not blooming is that it is being overwatered. They're nice to have around in the dry season as they look great while everything else is withering. The zebra longwings prefer my purple one.
Melanie
Sulfurs everywhere, all day long. This is one of the few remaining Maximilian Sunflowers still blooming. Guys working on the siding trampled it a while back and it's just laying there on the ground blooming. There's more sulfurs than flower here!
Bordered Patch, I believe. It likes the Mexican Marigold Mint the best.
Okay, apparently I didn't put the pic on there.
I thought it was funny....this Monarch and Queen SO close...I think they're trying to get away from the bees and other butterflies...or me!
Well for a couple years I had them in partial shade/sun (secretly hoping for their demise) Then I potted them again and sat them on the deck with the cactus that we watered less. ....zip!
I haven't fertilized them, the DH does the deck plants so I will tell him to put a bit on them in the spring. Thanks for the info. If I don't get more from them next year they are going to the plant swap!
Sorry....cross posted...watching Survivior!
This message was edited Nov 13, 2008 7:20 PM
Some kind of checkerspot? Maybe Vesta Checkerspot...
Lots of lovelies everyone.
Sunny, I think my first butterfly this year was at the end of April. I have 7 pupa of Black Swallowtails this year so it will be interesting to see when they eclose.
A beautiful Common Buckeye among other butterflies on the mistflower. I never could get a decent pic of the metalmark or the blue today. Or the PVS. And the Zebra Longwing I saw briefly yesterday but didn't have time to chase as we had to leave then didn't show up today. Ah well...I won't be picky...it was a great day!
Debnes, thanks for the wonderful list of how BFs overwinter. I saved it to my computer. About my Monarch chrysalis outside in the cold, it made its home on a wrought iron poker-like stake. About 2-3' long, and impossible to put in a cage unless I detach the chrysalis from the stake. Would that be harmful to the pupa? See pictures below.
Sheila, I would love to have some W TX Mistflower seeds. Thank you many times.
Tremendous photos, Sheila and Linda. Y'all captured the best with your cameras.
Hi, Mola. I love BFs and I'll be around this thread more often to see the BF splendor this winter.
Cat, I rest my case! I am apparently north of everybody here, but I'm at least not yankee! lol.
Martha
This message was edited Nov 13, 2008 8:46 PM
Shhhhhh...I was born in Illinois. When we moved to Texas I got picked on at school because I had a northern accent...the kids called me a yankee.
And these "Texans" don't think they have an accent???!!! Which now by the way, now they say I have a southern accent...GO FIGURE! :o)
Here's an updated photo of one of the two Dryas Julia - Julia Longwing caterpillars I am raising. They are now approximately 5 days old today. Once their life cycle is complete I will post a photodoc of it on a separate thread.
~ Cat
Cat, you little devil! From Illinois! LOL
Great pic of the Julia. I look forward to your thread. Be sure to guide me to your thread after you make the documentary. I won't know where to look for it.
Martha
Martha, that doesn't look like a Monarch chrysallis to me. I think it could be something else.
Marth...Linda is right...I neglected to look closely at that photo...looks more like a Black Swallowtail chryalis???
~ Cat
Perhaps it is a Black Swallowtail. I thought Monarch because I first saw the cat near my Milkweed, on some Basil.
Martha
Martha~
Do you have any parsley, dill, or fennel among the herbs? If so it is definitely a Black ST. Now that one will indeed overwinter.
Are you familiar with the quick and easy gladware cages? You can gently peel away at the silk and remove it from the wrought iron fixture and place it inside the glad cage to keep any birds or such from stealing it. The chrysalid can be attached inside the container with double sided tape. Put a folded paper towel on the bottom side... Now put it in a cool undisturbed place until March.
Just took this little pictorial to show you 2 of a dozen prepared this way..
Gladware- 2 qt. rectangular container with the lid cut out around, leaving the full rim.
Piece of chiffon fabric about 12" x 14"
Double sided tape
1 paper towel, folded
As many as 6 will fit in one conatainer.
This message was edited Nov 14, 2008 9:46 AM
My latest addition to the zebra swallowtail brood.
Melanie
Wow, I've been excited about all the butterflies around lately, but they are nothing compared to y'alls. I love that Julia Longwing and the Zebra Swallowtail too. That sulfer on the Indigo spires is beautiful. I love that Bordered Patch too. Just amazing.
Here's a boring old Orange Sulfer.
Aww...I like the orange sulphurs. Getting them to sit still is an accomplishment! The Julias are neat, too. I live a little far north of their usual range, but I hope for a stray. I had a lady tell me at the museum she had seen one lately and I first I doubted but she described it exactly. So I have hope! My boss at the museum acquired some Julia cats earlier in the year from one of her friends farther south so we had them for a bit. Last year at the USF butterfly fest they had a tent set up with free-flying butterflies including Julias. Here's me feeding one Gatorade from a cotton swab.
Even my friend who lives NE of San Antonio is excited over the butterflies! And wouldn't you know it, she saw a Julia today! I told her to get a photo if she could. Last night I went out in the yard with a flashlight to look for a kitty that got out and I spotted a smallish butterfly hanging from my big rosemary bush. I couldn't be sure what it was and remembered to look it up this morning. Well, I'm pretty it was a Janais Patch (Crimson Patch) although I haven't seen it today! And I saw a pair of Queens mating...they were gone before I could get over there with a camera. I'm just wondering WHY all this is going on! A cold front is coming here, possible freeze in some areas. Poor butterflies!
Martha....you have dmail.
Nice Zebra and Julia Melanie!
Cat...So jealous of your Julia....good luck with it!
Elphaba...No way any Sulphur is boring to me! I think you got a great picture, it is hard to keep them still long enought to get one.
Debnes, thanks for the info. I put it on Dave's as a tagged post. Then promptly forgot how you get back to those! Doh!! I will look it up later.
OOOhh!!! I cross posted Linda....Had to come back and say those are so neat!! Gobs of wings...love'm.
This message was edited Nov 14, 2008 3:37 PM
I've got at least 11 monarch cats on four milkweed plants.
This is a buckeye from a few weeks ago. This was out in the wild. I've only seen them out in the wild where there are dirt roads and trails. This one is on a bridge railing, but usually they are on the dirt.
Nice Buckeye Kelli, I wish I got to more of them.