Sheila, those were planted in his butterfly garden area. And the cat had already left the plant...it just hadn't yet figured out where it was going to pupate. Come to think about it, I should've taken it. Then I might end up with a female butterfly! But I'd still need a male for her. I had some of those cats years ago, on my Flame Acanthus. The nursery guy had never had those there before, he said. Another couple of cold nights are coming...no freeze, I hope.
DAILY BUTTERFLIES Page 59
Went to our monthly butterfly meeting today at the National Butterfly Center (formerly known as NABA Park). There were lots of Crimson Patch cats on the Flame Acanthus there. We even found a cat on one of the picnic tables which is a good twenty five feet away from the closest larval host plant. Wonder how much that is in caterpillar miles :o)
Saw several Cyna Blues flitting around the Snaker Herb...and even photographed a mating pair. We had several new members and they were all excited to see those teeny butterflies mating so I let them have their day taking photos.
A Band Celled Sister was way up in the anacua tree (Texas Sugarberry), a couple of Mexican Bluewings near the woods.
The park set up a bird feeding station so several of us sat at the picnic/viewing tables to watch them feed. A couple of Altamira Orioles, lots of wood peckers, Green Jays, Thrashers, wrens, cardinals and warblers were enjoying the peanut butter station and they'd also fly in to eat grapes.
They set up a game cam last night because the feeders were knocked down each day and all the feed was gone. Turns out there were several racoons doing the damage. They'd rigged up some racoon obstacle course but it still managed to get to the feeders. We all sat around brainstorming. Will have to see if the ideas we tossed around will work. They were also excited to see a coyote on the game cam. That brave bugger came right on in to the park to check out the feeders - it probably smelled the cat food in the racoon trap :o)
Here's the mating Cyna Blues.
~ Cat
Linda, love those cats.
Cat, love that mating pair! I really hope I get to that park some day!
borders...
that is one huge moth! I know the feeling - we get Black Witch Moths out here that are dark brown to almost black looking. They come to butterfly brew at night. I always think they are bats whenever I hear or see them flying by.
~ Cat
Cat~, that did it! Your Cyna Blue pair that broke my virgin eyes to butterfly mating. lol. Never have I seen them that intimate before, I've seen moths, but this is my very first time to see the butterflies. lol. Thanks for sharing the pix.
Lily...that is too funny!!! I have other butterfly mating photos on community webshots - under the album called "butterfly love" http://community.webshots.com/user/TraylorCatPuddyPrint
I know we have a thread somewhere on this forum where lots of us posted photos too. I don't remember what we called it but perhaps one of the other members remembers it or can find it and post the link for you.
~ Cat
I always tell the story about Melanie running through the house yelling "butterfly sex."
I remember that one...LOL!
Cat~ Thanks for great links! I'm in for a treat! LOL, everyone, Melanie I can picture the young lady now. lol.
Hey Cat~ I remember the Dave's thread you were referring to,
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/649359/
Thanks Deb!!!! Hope Lily gets an eye-full!!! snicker snicker :o)
~ Cat
Boys! didn't I? LOL. Thanks Deb and Cat~.
here is a pretty BF that was on my Milkweed today. not sure if she is a Queen or a Monarch, but she sure was a pretty one!
Looks like a Monarch. Besides my first Two-tailed Tiger cat that pupated, all the other 4 cats are going to follow its example. One is already attached...the one with the instar problem who did just fine later! The Polyphemous Moth cats are getting so big. I put some more outside on the trees today and the rest I'll keep and raise. I saw a California Sister today and instead of trying to get the camera, I just stood still and watched...so pretty! A GST was here nectaring also. And I spotted one Monarch in San Antonio yesterday.
Saw three Monarchs floating through the neighborhood today while out driving!! Hope they stopped and left me some eggs!!
OH I LOVE THE PHOTOS!!! I haven't seen very many butterflies around here.. but I know their coming! I am soooo jealous of y'all ! :0)
Saw a tiny skipper today. It was cool and windy (again). If we ever get shed of this cool winds we can get them to come this way!
Yes, Sheila mother nature is a bit unpredictable this early spring....It's cooler than forecast after some stormy weather. I've seen monarch, sulphers, BST, TST, and a few skippers but wasn't quick on the draw when they were fitting by.
I have a pic of one of the Polyphemous Moth cats. Good thing there's tons of foliage on the trees outside! These cats really tickle me if they get on my hand. Those feet have suctions cups! Guess if a cat normally grows up on a tree, it has to really hold on good.
She's cute!
I've got soil in the bottom of the container now, because I don't know how soon they'll pupate. I know moth cats usually do that in the soil. Of the five Two-tails, four of the chrysallises look okay. The other had a problem pupating and there was a flap of its outer covering that for some reason didn't form right, leaving part of the inner part exposed. It might be dead. The last time something like that happened, it was a PVS and that one didn't survive.
Linda...do those form a hard shelled cocoon or silky one like the forbes silkmoths?
I've raised some Pluto sphinx that form those brown hardshelled cocoons and although they are supposed to bury themselves in soil - I used shredded paper towels at the bottom of a container so I could keep a better watch on them. They pupated just fine and didn't miss the soil at all. They also all eclosed healthy and ready to meet the world.
~ Cat
Oh, I should have looked this up before. I haven't raised these before...the soil isn't needed. They use trees, incorporating leaves into the cocoon.
http://booksandnature.homestead.com/moth24.html
Those Polyphemus are special! I haven't raised any myself, but I like the newspaper idea Cat, because predators can be in the soil. I have used soil with the Tersa Sphinx, and was just lucky I guess. Next time I will try the shredded newspaper.
Don't those cocoons look cool! Nice camouflage!
Linda,
Glad you found that website. My forbes silkmoths used leaves and their own silk (hence the name silkmoths for those cocoon spinners) and the caterpillars look quite similar to your polies - figured I'd ask :o)
Deb - I use shredded plain paper towels (not newspaper) for the plutos and hawkmoths because I don't know if the inks/dyes etc. in the newsprint will harm them. I know I hate when the newsprint rubs off on my hands!!! :o) They don't chew up the paper but rather use their own saliva (I guess) to get the piece to stick together so they can enclose themselves into a hidey hole. Will have to add photos to this thread when I get home to show some of the papertowels pupations (I just made that word up!) :o)
And yes, am also wary of bacteria, disease and predators in the soil - same goes for using store bought potting soil - you never know what chemicals or additives could harm the little darlings.
~ Cat
This message was edited Apr 17, 2009 10:21 AM
LOL, of course not newspaper, Freudian slip on my part, (how funny!!)
Clever "papertowels pupations"... I will file that one in a handy place, :-)
I'd like very much to see the pics..
Ah...here is a Papertowel Pupation of an Io Moth :o) I'd set some big pieces of papertowel in a cage to keep the bottom clean - didn't realize the caterpillar was ready to pupate elsewise I would have put smaller pieces of plain papertowels in there.
Looks like the caterpillar tucked itself into a twisty :o)
~ Cat
...and this is leaf pupation - those caterpillars sure put out a lot of silk to bind the inside of the leaves together! All that yellow brown is silk. The cocoon was loose inside - I could hear it roll around when I moved the twigs into the reptarium :o)
~ Cat
Isn't that cool!?! Nice job!
Now you have me wondering what other materials might work...hummmm :-]
I had to attend a shareholder meeting so didn't drive out to the ranch today. Decided to drive out to the National Butterfly Center park in Mission (formerly NABA) - not much flying around but did see four of these beetles on a tepeguaje / Lead Tree. They are Eyed Click Beetles (Alaus oculatus). I'd never seen one before so of course had to take photos and research them on the internet. Found them on Dave's too! Seems they are good guys - their larva eat wood boring insects. Hmmm...but if they eat wood boring insects - does that means they are inside the tree too??? Or should I give them the benefit of the doubt and believe they travel through the holes made by the wood boring until they find them and eat them?
Oh well, either way...they are interesting to look at. Almost 2 inches in length! Those big eye spots are sure to scare away predators too.
~ Cat
It's not much but...first BF pic of the year...A little cresent. They are out all over, so hopefully a sign of bigger and better things to come soon!
TPP....Funny...I am very sleepy and pulled up the thread and saw the beetle pic...didn't open it up, but had to laugh. Look at it with the idea it is a totem pole with two faces...? See it??
Nanny...we take anything you have to offer when bfs are scarce! LOL!
Yeah, that's a cool beetle...but from what I read, they are found in already decaying wood, like rotting tree stumps, for instance. Some of my moth cats have dumped their gut contents. Icky...cleaned containers out good this morning and just had to do it again already. One cat is now webbing together some leaves! I'm trying to separate out the ones no longer eating...wouldn't want one cat eating the leaves that its cage-buddy is trying to make a cocoon with..
Sheila...too funny! Yes, it does look like a totem with faces...and the top one has a BIG NOSE!!!
No butterflies out here but then again...work keeps me inside for most of the day. Only saw the usual when I was at the ranch this weekend. Good thing there's bug and other critters to be seen.
Took a photo of a tiny mouse...I mean tiny!!! Although it looks big in the photo...this bugger was about an inch in size at the most...not counting the tail. I chased it around the back pastures until it stopped to catch it's breath! Oh, and mama didn't raise no fool...I was chasing it around on the golf cart!!!
~ Cat
~Cat, Cheese, I meant Geez what big ears & eyes she has!!! LOL.
It went back to the nest telling Momma about the great big car with the black clicking thing that chased him all over the field! LOL!!
Ya'll are hilarious. Wee bitty thing it might be am sure it gives the owls, falcons, bobcats, coyotes and other predators a good run. It sure had me driving in circles and turning on two wheels :o) I should have taken a video clip of it...it's sides were heaving in and out from being chased around the back pasture :o)
~ Cat
ps...still no butterflies but I do have this photo from Saturday at the park. Bet that's the biggest Mexican Bluewing, Monarch and Zebra Longwing ya'll have ever seen!!!
Yeeehaaah!!! I will be shouting! What big butterflies! LOL, oh yes I think I saw a Zebra Longwing in the garden a couple of days ago. Was too quick for me to take a pix though.
got this wee one today...
Nanny, I'd be glad to take the wee ones. lol. I saw several in the garden, a BST, some what look like a Monarch from far away, and some sulphers. Many wee ones too, but boys, how are they guarding themselves among all those birds nesting out there? I've checked my Rue, my Fennels daily, have planted some more Parsleys though. No cassias this year. I'm so blue because of that this year.