DAILY BUTTERFLIES Page 76

The first looks like a Black Swallowtail...not 100% photo is a little blurry.

Not gonna guess on #2...looks like some type of Fritiallary maybe. Someone else whose is better can probably ID it.

The last one is a Common Buckeye...great photos!!

The last two are a common buckeye.

The first looks like a swallowtail. Hard to say. Black, spicebush, etc.

Middle is probably a Gulf Fritillary.

d'oh. Cross posted.

Aren't we cute!! LOL

thank you nanny and mrs ed. that is what i was thinking too but i am so new trying to compare i wanted someone else to help me out.

well the only one we can be sure of is the Buckeye. I love those guys. I saw one the other day, but mostly I see them in the late season.

I can see you are addicted now!!!

yeah i have had this new camera 6 days now. after the first butterfly pic was taken. that did it. i am addicted now. and i am loving it. i will be posting as i get pics of them to get help with the id's. i am new at this so take it easy on me. thanks again.

hey everyone... sorry it's been awhile..time just gets away from me at times! hahaha..although I have had a lot of butterflies recently..one was an Eastern ST (yellow) then a Black Eastern ST..I've had several ST catterpillars which I am thrilled but two are gone of course & I am hoping this third one reaches adulthood!!
Then the GF & PL are here. When I get my pics developed I will definitely post!

Well it's finally raining here & it sounds stormy so I ebtter get offline in case of a power outage!! Y'all have a nice weekend..if I don't get back on before then!

Love the Buckeye tlc!!!.....it takes a lot of patience to wait until the bfs land to nectar. Just pick you a shady spot and sit. When you see one in the yard creep on it, being careful not to cross between it and the sun. That will make them fly everytime.
You will learn more about the camera as you use it...patience there too.

I got some good shots of this Tiger ST last week and forgot to get them off the camera.

Ventral view....
Anyone tell me if it is male or female?

sheila that is so cool. i love your pics. how do you tell if it is mail or female. i know this is not a butterfly but i was so excited i have to post it.

That is what I want someone to tell me. I don't usually deal with the TST much.
On a Monarch and Queen you have a spot in a cell of the lower wing of the males.

That is a nice shot of the green dragonfly. I have several different one but haven't seen that color here.

This message was edited Jun 28, 2010 10:09 PM

Here are some Pipevine cats I took from Josephine. They have grown since this picture last week. I farmed out a bunch of them to Datura12 (Peg) because they eat so much I would have run out of food. She thinks she had plenty to see them through.
Peg....post a picture if you get time.

One thing that is great about them is the willingness to switch to a different pipevine plant. I have the A. Serpentaria, A. Fimbriata, and the A. Tomentosa; all were eaten well without problems.

However I caution those of you that might have the Dutchman's Pipevine A. Giantea.....IT IS A KILLER!!! I had bad luck with it before and tried it again with three of these PV cats. Two leaves is all I put in the cage, one cat refused to eat (he lived), and the other two only started to nibble and then stopped. They were contorting and in no time dead. The LepFarmer (Dale Clark) also confirms that it is not good for the PVSTs. However, it seems to be the main one the nurseries sell because of the huge odd looking blooms.

Sheila:

Yes, indeed, that Aristolochia gigantea is a killer for Pipevine Swallowtails. Polydamas Swallowtails eat it just fine, though -- although we rarely get them in north Texas. The really bad thing is that female Pipevine Swallowtails will oviposit on it anyway, thus dooming the hatching caterpillars. I've been meaning to send letters to the area nurseries and explain to them that they are actually selling a plant that harms this species of butterfly. Some of them that I work with on a regular basis will in all probability stop carrying the plant. The best thing would be if they'd just carry our native Woolly Pipevine (Aristolochia tomentosa) instead. We'll see....

Oh, and Sheila -- your Eastern Tiger Swallowtail in the pic is a female. Females have extensive blue markings on the dorsal side of the hindwings. Females here in the south also can be a "dark form" where they are anywhere from chocolate brown/almost black, to a light dusting of dark scales covering the yellow.

Dale Clark
Dallas County Lepidopterists' Society
www.dallasbutterflies.com

So this one is Male or Female? I am guessing male. It is the only dark form I have ever seen in my yard. Thanks for the explaination on the female TST, I was hoping you would pop in. I am sure this is an extremely busy season for you. I definately plan on touring your place with the group in August.

BTW...the nursery I found the giantea at was Weston Gardens....I would love you to contact them about the danger. They did allow me to return the plants the next day.

This message was edited Jun 29, 2010 8:16 AM

This message was edited Jun 29, 2010 8:19 AM

American Lady

Monarch on the Swamp Milkweed. She's just nectaring here, but she laid a bunch of eggs for me this morning!

Oh shelia, forgot to say that I think that would be a female too, because of the blue.

Nice ones Mrs. Ed. I have only seen an American Lady once, so a great catch! Glad you got monarch eggs too!

Stil lwaiting & watching my BST eggs. How long should I wait?

I had never seen an American lady until this year. I saw one on my monitoring route. My sister gave me some of her Malva plants, I wonder if one of them had a caterpillar and I did not know it? Ill have to look for some damage.

Oh, I suppose any day now on those eggs! where do you have them?

I have had them inside because it has been so hot. But I put the container outside today.

i do not know how to tell if you have a butterfly or a moth or are they the same thing. i am gonna post this anyway.

other side of the wing

for those that liked my dragonfly here is another

That's a moth. They have feathery antennae. Butterflies have a little club on the end of theirs.

Love the colors on that dragonfly.

Morning all....
tlc...on your moth, if you have time and wish to id it, try this site. http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/map?ds=25&_dcs=1

Also since you are in the same zone as Texas this site may cut it down. www.dallasbutterflies.com Try clicking on the link at the left that says "whats on the wing" to see those that are active now.

Ok, one more post for a question and someone needs to start a new thread for page 77, with a beautiful pic.

Dale, I noticed something eating on a Redbud and found a string of caterpillars. I looked up and Henry's Elfin was listed but doesn't look like that caterpillar. Do you have any idea?

It wants to look something like a question mark with those tuffs.

Sheila:

These are IO Moth (Automeris io) caterpillars. And they will definitely sting you, so be careful. They are really a great one to raise, though and eat a very wide variety of plants. I often find them on hackberry. Beautiful moth.

Dale Clark
Dallas County Lepidopterists' Society
www.dallasbutterflies.com

Ha. too f unny, nice parade!

Had one of those id'd before from this blurry shot. I won't try to raise them, I don't have the patience for moths, but I will enjoy taking pictures of them later if I see them. There is a hackberry just on the otherside of the fence too. Thanks again Dale.

They traveled all the way to the otherside of the tree and circled the wagons! LOL! Getting ready for more rain.

New thread here!

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1112448/