Daily Butterflies Page 54

Hey Martha....
The GF cat like others will be dormant for about one day everytime it changes from one instart to the next (sheds skin); don't worry. Just don't pick it up to move him unless he is crawling. That way you aren't interrupting during a changing stage. I have also noticed that they really don't eat as much as the Monarch or Black Swallowtails do. It just seems that way because usually there are so many of them!

Oh...btw that was Debnes that put that over winter list on the thread. It was pretty extensive and will be a big help. I tagged it and it can be accessed by "overwinter" I think.

This message was edited Nov 25, 2008 8:05 AM

Thanks for that good info, Sheila. I'll be sure that I'm hands off the cat during growth. BTW, the cat is alive and well, along with all the frass and stuff it owns! LOL

Debnes, forgive me for mistaking Sheila as the one who posted the "How BS's Overwinter" list. It is indeed a great reference list. I figure that if my passi leaves last long enough for the GF cat to pupate, I'll move it to a cooler place and hope it stays in its chrysalis til spring. If it emerges before, I'll just have to release it and let it take its chances.

Cat, I just knew there had to be some warm places where Monarchs hung around. Gardenpom, is Melburn north or south FL?

Martha

Melbourne is in East Central Florida, just south of the Kennedy Space Center and close to the Atlantic Ocean.

Martha... Glad the cat is still going. I miss having any cats...come on spring!!
If possible dump the frass out to keep down bacteria. You can put a paper towel down to allow easier clean up too.

Where the heck have I been? I missed this whole thread. My thanks to all of you for your congrats. I was very excited to win especially in the insect category since the photos there were just amazing. I've never won a photo contest before, so naturally, I danced around the house while my dogs barked at me and nipped at my heels. It was quite the parade of joy.

Mrs. Ed, I thought I was voting for one of your swallowtails, but it turned out to be someone elses! Darn it!

LOL Elph. That's okay, if you like the other one that's all that counts. Plus, your's was awesome, so I hope you voted for IT!

Apparently, you've never seen me dance! The dogs were barking for a reason!

I thought my four BST chrysalises were going to overwinter. But I noticed one had eclosed this morning. Now I'm afraid the others will come out also. Fairly warm during the day but last night got into the 30's, even though it was supposed to be in the lower 40's. And Sunday night's forecast says 37. But the butterfly turned out very pretty, anyway!

We've been in the low 40s lately and had some upper 30s and the Polydamas are still flying around. Even where the Monarchs live in Mexico during the winter it gets down to freezing. The important thing is for the butterflies not to get their wings wet since ice crystals can form and prevent them from flying. As long as they stay dry they should be fine. And hopefully, he'll figure out which way is south!

My Palamedes pupated while I was sleeping last night. And this evening my Spicebush ST has started changing color so he should pupate in a couple days. No more caterpillars for me. But - in exciting news, we have Variegated Frit eggs at the museum! I've never even seen the butterfly here (although my book says they do live here). I asked my boss at the museum where she found them and she told me there's a patch of wild passiflora near the museum where she generally sees VF flying around. She just followed an ovipositing female and collected the eggs. Now that I know where to find them I am on a mission!

Oh, we also have a new volunteer starting at the museum and I get to train her! Also, we're having "high tea" service in the butterfly garden on Dec 7 and 14 which are both Sundays (my volunteer day) so I will get to share all my butterfly wisdom with the visitors. I just hope we have enough butterflies in the flight cage. I may have to go out in the garden and net some!

Melanie

Ok, I know I have an insane interest in caterpillar poo, but I wanted to share something interesting with people who appreciate it! I've been watching my Spicebush cat all day and I find it fascinating how caterpillars have developed certain behaviors to help protect or disguise themselves. In this case, the Spicebush cat will rest on the leaf, but when he has to poo he either backs up or bends his tail end so it hangs off the edge of the leaf. Then, the frass falls away from where he is and hopefully doesn't pile up on the leaf right below him or anything. I've raised several species of swallowtail cats and the Spicebush is the first one I've seen do this with any consistency.

Melanie

I've seen that also, Melanie. And not just with spicebush cats. But I can't remember what other species I saw it with. Getting too old to remember everything!

I will have to watch that next spring. Don't remember seeing only hearing it fall.

Update on remaining Julia caterpillar - it has been crawling around the cage with like crazy. Not sure if it is getting ready to pupate or maybe parasitized. Two Zebras in the same cage already started their "J"

As a precaution I moved the Julia cat to a separate cage with new leaves and a twig to crawl up in case it does pupate. Noticed the thorax part looks different - like there is a waxy build-up or something around the neck area - almost like caterpillars look when they start forming a chrysalis. This is odd as it has not attached itself to anything. I do hope it wasn't parasitized as an egg or first instar. Remember I'd found two on my passiflora biflora and the other cat had died a few days ago.

Oh well...time will tell. Here's a photo of it crawling around - you can see how the thorax/shoulder area looks different.

~ Cat



This message was edited Nov 26, 2008 11:25 PM

I've seen my Gulf Frit cats start to change appearance like that before they make their J so that may be normal. Keep us posted!

Melanie

Yep....here is a pic of one of my GFs with the bulge.
Hope your Julia finds a spot and settles down soon. Could be the other cats were distracting to it in the previous cage. Hope all is well by morning.

Off topic - just had to share this photo of my "March of the Maraschino Mice" cookies I just got done making. Saw them in one of the cooking threads and just had to make them for myself! They will be part of tomorrow Thanksgiving feast. Hopefully all who see them will be as tickled as I was and perhaps make more as Christmas nears :o)

~ Cat

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/680252/

This message was edited Nov 26, 2008 11:42 PM

Cute! I made some one year; but your's are so neat with them on the cookies! Nice job, I am sure they will be a hit!

Have a great Thanksgiving!!

Happy Thanksgiving! Elphaba, your photo was definitely “dance-worthy”…great shot! Lovely and interesting pics on here as usual. I am watching and reading, and learning bit as well ;-). Cat, I’ve never seen those cookies before…very cute indeed.

Probably because Cat and Linda are both from Texas, I seem to invariably transpose their names one for the other. Forgive Cat and Linda? In all deference, I am not decrepit, I'm spastic! I believe I confused Debnes with Sheila too. My, my! I simply must pay attention.

Melanie, I would not be surprised in the least if you grew butterfly wings! You know so many interesting and intimate tales about BF's from egg on up. BTW, good luck at "high tea."

Cat, I've been told that cats will travel far and wide looking for a safe place to pupate. Someone said that BST's will travel up to 20 feet. Perhaps Julia was distracted by the other cats, as Sheila pointed out, and is doing some ASAP hustling to find a good spot. I hope that is the case. Additionally, your "March of the Maraschino Mice" cookies are absolutely adorable. Thanks for that post.

To everyone: Happy Thanksgiving!

Martha

Oh Cat, those are so cute! I love finding new things like that.

Martha...no problem....Debnes and I are good friends and both live in FW. We both volunteered at the Tropical Butterfly Exhibit last year at the FW Botanic Gdns. So we posted a lot of the same pictures. But she is much more knowledgeable on official plant names than I am. I told her one time "I don't cuss". LOL! Also she is the one that got me interested in the caterpillar raising a couple years ago. Deb also gives wonderful presentations at garden centers and other groups on selecting the larval host plants on through releasing the butterflies. I am 20+ years older too!
So if I get confused with her....I don't mind at all.

Heck...I confuse myself...all by myself!!! :o)

Does not look good for the Julia cat - it is curled up on the bottom of the cage. I tried putting in the plant but it wouldn't grab hold. Perhaps my house is a bit too cold for it - since I made those Maraschino Mice and Nutter Butter Santa cookies I turned the air-conditioner (yes, some of us way down in south Texas are still using the aircon! - unlike ya'll up north with heaters going on full blast this time of year :o) - anyway, since I made those cookies I wanted them to stay cool - elsewise the warmth out here would soften them up. Oh well, am hoping it's just a tad cold and curled up :o) Time will tell...

One Zebra has made a chrysalis - I swear those are the freakiest looking things! Like I've said before...they are scary looking and I'd never want to come across something like that six feet in length hanging in the woods somewhere!!!

~ Cat

This message was edited Nov 27, 2008 8:43 AM

LOL Cat! I hope the cat is just curling up temporarily... I've seen a few do that, and be okay.

Aw Sheila, Thx for the big plug! The main thing is that more people are able to see how easy it is to contribute to the butterfly populations. Tomorrows children are counting on us.
By the way, I will be 50 in 4 days, so I think you're much less than 20 years older, LOL! You seem very young to me, :-S

OK, what's the deal with Monarch migration? I see Sunnyg's pics and would just love to see that first hand. I see Monarchs in the fall and spring but they come one or two at a time. This one visited this morning. Do you have to go to California to see big groups like that?

I'm editing b/c I forgot to wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving!

This message was edited Nov 27, 2008 11:10 AM

Burp :o) My brother and sister in law made everything this T'day. Ooooh that turkey was deeeeeeeeeelicious! So was the dressing and mashed taters and green bean casserole and sweet tate pie and...and...and...oink!!! It's been a couple of hours now and I think I'm ready for a left over turkey sandwich :o)

Good news...got home a little while ago and found the Julia cat partially pupated (is that the correct term?) anyway...the little bugger looks to be doing well and on it's way to making its chrysalis. Odd that it didn't climb up on anything to pupate...but am glad it didn't die on me! Am still thinking it's odd that it was still crawling around while its body had already started to metamorphisize!!!

~ Cat

This message was edited Nov 27, 2008 3:32 PM

Oh, Cat, that's great! A Thanksgiving chrysalis! Did it attach to the paper towel?

No, it's not attached to the paper towel. I still find it odd that it just made a chrysalis without attaching itself to anything :o) but won't question nature...just hope it pupates completely and emerges healthy :o)

~ Cat

Wow, that's a really cool photo, cat.

Another Monarch cat.

I've been worried about them because of the cold weather here, but they seem to be OK so far.

Shots from today.

You can really see the beautiful colors here.

Really small one.

GP, I love the one where you can see the blue back on that long-tailed skipper. It looks great with those flowers!

Thanks, I also love when that turquoise blue patch shows up.

Very nice shots Gardenpom!
Cat....great news on the chrysalis progress! Hope it will emerge for you.

Gardenpom, great pics. Very clear.

Martha

Look who stopped by today!