I am sure you will see a lot when you get home. All that wind that is blowing up from Mex is sure to bring in a few soon.
DAILY BUTTERFLIES Page 58
I heard that Carol Goolsby of the NABA Butterfly Park in Mission was going to speak at one of the local NPSOT (Native Plant Society of Texas) chapter meetings, so I went to it last night. It turns out that that chapter is trying to do a field trip to the NABA park this spring, so that's why they had her there. I had a very nice time, very interesting! She said the expert on plants who was originally supposed to be there with her was sick and couldn't make it and admitted limited knowledge on botanical plants. I told her about the crotons and the Tropical Leafwing cats from year before last. Even among native plant gardeners who like butterflies, not many would think about crotons to add as host plants for Goatweed or Tropical Leafwing butterflies. It was good to hear from someone who's really into butterfly gardens...we don't seem to have a large butterfly garden here locally.
Linda,
Glad you got to meet Carol. I haven't been to the park in several months and have missed our monthly meetings due to work. Had I know I would've volunteered to tag along!!!
Wonder if it was Ann or Javier who was supposed to go with her? Ann is really knowledgeable. I went on a plant scouting trip with her and Phil Schappert a couple of years ago. We were hunting for damiana (Mexican Frit larval host) and native dutchman's breeches (Black Swallowtail). They came out to the ranch and collected Nodding Green Violet that was growing wild in our back yard. Javier used to work at NABA but moved over to the Edinburg World Birding Center. Very knowledgeable about plants too. Javier often leads tours and always joins us on our butterfy counts.
If your chapter does a field trip to the NABA park in Mission it would be well worth your time!!! The park is filled with nectar and host native plants. They have several varieties of croton growing and at times it seems like there is a leafwing cat rolled up in every other leaf :o)
We get lots of butterflies during the Spring season but again, much better amounts and Mexico strays during October - December :o) Of course....lots of stuff in bloom during the Spring :o)
~ Cat
Cat, I'm a member of the San Antonio NPSOT chapter, since my own county doesn't have any. On occasion, I go to that one or the Boerne chapter. But I had never gotten around to this one in Comal Co. before last night..it's farther away. And I didn't know about the field trip they're trying to put together until last night. Yeah, that would've been good if you could have come along! The field trip is supposed to be March 25th to 27th. But I don't know. DH's health isn't good and he doesn't really take care of himself if left on his own. That's why I don't go very far from home.
Aha! Nightline just finished a story on the Monarchs!
Wonder if that's the same show I saw on Monarchs on PBS a few weeks ago :o)
Sorry to hear about DH not taking care of himself...men are like that! :o)
I'll have to try to weasel out of work and make my way to NABA when that field trip makes it way down here.
~ Cat
That one was pretty much about Mexico and the problems the Monarchs face there. Not the one on PBS...I saw that one too!
Hi everyone! I've been on a reading binge but I wanted to check in so you guys know I'm still alive. We have tons of Monarchs at the museum (I kept finding them when I was trimming the milkweed). The Polydamas have started eclosing and I'm seeing Cabbage Whites in the median of the interstate so it looks like spring is getting started. I may have to go hunt for caterpillars this weekend!
Melanie
Melanie, of all things, I saw a sulphur today. We are still in the midst of cold. 29°. Amazing. Those sulphurs must be tough little creatures.
Martha
Nice day today. I managed to catch some kind of sulfur nectaring on a pansy today. Besides sulfurs and GFs, I also saw a Funeral Duskywing and some larger black butterfly that flew up over my yard, too far to tell what it was.
Twice now in the last week I've "briefly" saw a Yellow Swallowtail....very weird cause the first one showed up when I was spreading the manure from the horse stalls, ( in the summer they often puddle where the horses pee .....? ewwww.)
This one flew past me while I was potting up some seedlings I had started indoors. (and we're supposed to get another freeze tonight so I will be doing a mass plant movement and covering stuff in the yard again.)
Never did see either one again after those few moments.
I'm hiding my potted milkweeds on the screenporch till the weather gets more reliable, and theres not much left of the ones in the ground since the freezes. A little new growth at the base, so their trying to come back but I doubt enough there to tempt a monarch to lay eggs on it.
This message was edited Feb 20, 2009 6:03 AM
I have butterflies! Check it out - my first Hairstreak sighting of the year. This guy was pretty big for a hairstreak, too. I pretended I was in the jungles of 'Nam and got on my belly and scooted as close as I could to get the picture. When the butterfly flew off, I could see a glimpse of the beautiful blue color on the top. Very nice!
And the Gulf Frits are hanging out and basking on the lawn. Oh, I forgot to say that I could see the Hairstreak's proboscis unfurling and I wondered what it was doing since grass doesn't nectar. Then I saw that it was drinking the dew that was still on the grass. Very neat!
And I'm rolling out the welcome mat for my Zebra Swallowtail friends. My pawpaws are going to bloom! Yea!!
Ok, it's not a butterfly but it does have wings. There's a group of five sandhill cranes that live in the neighborhood. I heard a truck honking today and went to investigate and sure enough the cranes were crossing the street into my neighbor's yard. I walked over to try and herd them further into the yard and away from the road (we had one get hit and killed last year on the corner of our yard). Well, this one took a liking to me and walked right up and then followed me around for a few minutes. I bet someone is feeding it. I wonder if I can keep one and use it as organic pest control, LOL.
Melanie
MJSPonies-
You might be surprised. This isn't a butterfly yet but I brought it in and took some pics. I've cut most of my MW to the ground to cause a bigger flush and rid them of any remaining bacteria from last year. This guy was nibbling on sticks and tiny new growth. Fortunately, I have a few Yellow MW I was still looking for seeds from so I've got some vegetation for him. Won't get seeds but this is better.
Maggie
margaran,
Well, haven't seen a Monarch since I let my 3 go. Course they might be around and I haven't seen them but we've been outside working alot., replacing fencing and building some new garden area's......my body feels it too!!! But there is new growth already on the milkweed that's outside so they might find a little something to lay their eggs on. Saw a yellow swallowtail again today while I was giving a riding lesson. So their out and about, just not a lot of them yet and not really hanging around. I bet it's roosting somewhere near the barn, as that's where I keep seeing it and about the same time of day.
By yellow ST I think you are talking about the Giant ST? There was one cutting though my yard last year. They did at least lay eggs on my Rue, but not that I ever saw. As for monarchs, check those little twigs just popping up. They laid eggs almost as soon as they put out a leaf last year. I didn't notice until they were about an inch and a half long.
Maybe you will get some seed from the yellow Melanie, nice of you to help the little fellar out though. ;-)
Sheila,
Yeah, the Giant Swallowtail. I have a lemon tree and I havent really scrutinized it but it's a host plant. Only reason I can think of for them being here at this time. It's been about the same time of day so I'm thinking it's warmed up just enough to get them flying. Really, because of all the freezes we have had this year there really isn't much blooming that they could nectar off of. So don't really know and am really surprised to to see them but as I learn I finding out that you really can't count on them to "Follow the rules"...........just glad to see them when I do and am trying to give all the plants they need to host their babies and feed them.
Some kind of skipper...nectaring on some plum blossoms!
Haven't seen much but for a few Sulphurs. I did see a black swallowtail but again like the yellow for just a few minutes. It went to almost 80 today but we're supposed to dip to the upper 30's again tomorrow night. No wonder they are so fleeting........cold/warm/cold/warm...poor things are confused!!!!
YAY! Linda! you have spring blossoms and a skipper.
It will be a fun spring for me, because I didn't really get into the butterfly stalking until the summer last year!
Yes, it's been quite spring-like here. But tonight a mild freeze is forecast!
Marna, what a treat you are in for this summer!!! So glad you stalk butterflies now! LOL
Martha
It is so fun!
Thought I better pop in over here and start to get geared up for a new year and hopefully more productive BF watching. I am planning on having a lot more BF friendly plants if all goes well and things grow. Marna was very generous to send me some seeds. My BST chrysalis from year is still out on the porch. I so hope it is still viable and ecloses!
I have peeked in over from time to time to look at pics over the winter...this is one forum, along with birdwatching, that really goes year round!
Yay Nanny!
your package is sitting her all ready to go!
Marna, it is fun to see the butterfly population change through the entire year. When I started it was end of summer and I didn't know that fall is prime time for butterflies in Florida. So when spring came around I thought there would be more butterflies than ever but it still wasn't as productive as the fall season. Plus, it's harder to find the cats in the spring because they have so much new growth on the plant. In the fall the Mommy butterflies have a smaller selection to choose from which makes it easier on us caterpillar hunters.
I just toured my yard and found one lone Gulf Frit cat. At the museum we've managed to scrape together some Frits and a couple Monarchs so we have something for the guests to look at. The Polydamas are starting to come out of their chrysalises. However, they haven't found my pipevine yet! I can't believe how big the leaves get when there aren't caterpillars munching on them 24/7, LOL!
Melanie
Yes, interesting Melanie. I saw so many swallowtails in the summer, but by the fall it was mostly just Painted Ladies, Buckeyes, Commas, etc. What got me started was a freshly eclosed ETS at the end of May. So I really don't know what to expect in May and April! That's kinda exciting to think about! I know I saw my first butterfly in the yard sometime in April. I think it was a painted lady.
On another note, what do we think about cities that plant butterfly friendly plants in the median? I used to like this, but recently I realized that it's almost a deathtrap to fly through traffic to get to them.
And when I win the lottery… ahem… I'm going to open up a butterfly conservatory. Who wants to work for me? hee.
Open one in Jackson and I'll work for you, Marna.
Martha
okay, that will be the winter location! I'll have one in the north for the summer. Too darn hot down south in the summer for me.
Open one in the Bahamas and I'll work there on weekends.
Martha
oh yah. right on! I'll fly you in on the private butterfly jet.
I found this one on the ground on my property. It's a Polyphemous Moth...isn't it? Anyway, I've got eggs! I learned the moth in the paper bag trick a while back. Now, I'm wondering....do I have food for them? Not much leafed out. Live oak maybe? Can they use that? My plum tree is starting to leaf out now.
Here is the info on the moth. Nice shot, wish I could see one like that!
It was quite a day! I was in a hurry earlier and forgot to mention the other great surprise that blew me away today. A tiger! I was watering a tree earlier and a large beautiful butterfly flew way up over me, hovering above me for a moment as if to say hello! TST or Two-tailed Tiger, not sure which. All of this lifted my spirits, because it hadn't been a good day at all until then! I don't think we have to wait until the 20th to say spring is here! Sheila, I know you really meant to include a link...I've done that also.
BEAUTIFUL moth!!!!! What on earth is the paper bag trick, Melonie!
Linda, how very lucky you are. Perhaps the TST did indeed say hello when he hovered above!!!!
Great, Marna. Drive your butterfly jet down south and pick me up Saturday. We'll fly the soft winds southeast and to the Atlantic. Yeah. LOL
Martha
Going to Austin @ end of the month. Any butterfly conservatories there? Have a thread on the TX thread but thought this is best place to see about B'Flies.
Maggie
Yes I did Linda! Here goes...
http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species?l=3290
Beautiful treat for the TST to bless your day!!!
Martha, all I know is this works if you just happen to see a large Saturniid type moth that isn't flying...like I saw this one on the ground...someone told me years ago to get a large paper bag if available. I save large paper grocery bags when I can get them. Open the paper bag and pick up the moth carefully and put it in the paper bag, clip shut with something and take inside. It only works with females (obviously), so look up the type of moth and then google to find pictures of female vs. male. With this species, it was obvious, because of the antennae...wide and brush-like for the male and this one had the small female antennae. So I kept it in the bag and when it was night it started to lay eggs. I've done this once before and each it worked so amazingly easy...maybe I was lucky, don't know. You don't need any leaves until a couple weeks later when hatching occurs. I let the moth go when I figured out I had enough eggs...checked on it later outside and it was gone. The real moth raising people often put up lights at night on white sheets and catch such a moth if it comes to the sheet. Oh...I cut out pieces of the bag that have eggs attached and transfered them to a clear plastic container like I use with butterfly cats to be able to observe them. Later I'll have to put some in other containers, but for now one will do. There are web sites that give instructions for raising these moth cats, gotta look that up again. The cats get pretty big and it takes quite a while to raise them compared to most butterflies. Oh, and be sure you have enough host plants nearby because they can eventually devour a LOT of leaves. If you have way too many cats, just let some go on a host plant...or give some to someone who wants to raise them if you know of anyone. It can get a bit much if there are dozens of those cats. Ha! At least this time of year I don't yet have any other cats to raise.