Daily butterflies page 78

OMG.......Just went upstairs to check onthe chrysalis and the first one eclosed!!!!!! I have a beautiful BLack Swallowtail Butterfly!!! AM going to try to get a photo of it when we let it go.

Woohoo, Nan. I'm excited too like Tori over the progress of the cats. lol. Congrats to you and Tori. Am looking forward to seeing more pics. this evening.

Here is a yellow ETS fluttering by the other day;

Congrats Nanny!!! :D

Lily,
Glad you like the name :)
Lovely pic...and what a view you have...OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D

Yea Lily!!! Your first BST...."Black Star"!
I hope it will be the first of many more healthy bfs!

Well, Hayly managed to get 1 photo of it as we out.....but then she managed to delete the photo...*sigh*. No more viewing pics on the camera until they learn NOT to do that! I do believe it was a female.

Thanks all, Nan, there will be plenty more opportunity for you and grandkids to take pics. I think it's such a blessing that our little ones can enjoy nature, and the bonus we're there to enjoy/share the pleasure with them. (I'm sooooo ready for grandchildren -- I think. lol).

Sheila, thank you for the well wishes. I can't help myself. I found two more 5th instars in the garden this late evening. So now I've roughly half a dozen (cats -- the chrysalis included) going on. If I'm not careful this will turn into a full-time job. lol.

Did we not caution you....."caterpillar raising can become an obsession"!!

I have gotten really lax with taking pictures so I though I would take on of the Silver-spotted Skipper I rescued as a cat before releasing it. I had it in a cube cage and unzipped slowly just about three inches to get the camera in. As soon as I moved my hand to turn the camera on it was gone in a flash. They are so quick! Glad I hadn't brought it inside to do the picture at least it was outside when it bolted.

Hummingbird today.

way in there

dragonfly today

Slightly off-topic -- but I wanted to let people in the Dallas/Fort Worth area know that the date for the Open House at my Butterfly Farm has been moved from August 7th to October 9th. Too many things going on here right now to get it all done in time. Besides, it'll be much more pleasant in October -- and we'll probably time it just about perfect for monarch migration, too.

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

Yes! Thank You!! I was not looking forward to the heat to tell you the truth. I was just on the site and saw where you were saying the Aug meeting would be and wondered if it was cancelled. Thanks for the update!

Thank you Dale, looking forward to October.
Josephine.

I'd be there if I were closer!!!

Awww, me too Mrs_Ed. I'd love to attend the event one of these days.

Look at here; 'Black Star' today. Yesterday I had another that pupated, then a third one wandered about and formed its j-position. Two others are munching away at Fennels but soon will pupate (I guestimate roughly within the next 2-3 days). The tinsy bit instar is lost in the suffles, I can't find it. That's the bad news.

This message was edited Jul 26, 2010 10:02 AM

Out in the garden, this must be the black form TST? I checked out my 'tropical blooms' such as Pentas, hibiscus Mandevilla and the like, but so far it favored the MW's nectar;

(editted to make correction; I meant to say "It checked out my 'tropical blooms' ect ..." sorry about the Freudian's slip, lol).

This message was edited Jul 26, 2010 10:06 AM

The TST checked the Duranta out briefly, where as Silver Spotted Skippers and bees love these blooms.

Wish I was closer too Dale!!

Nice pics Lily!!

The only cats I have left are the last two from eggs I found. Evryone else is now a chrsalis or a BF! WE did have one fatality this wekend. I dropped one that was a 4th instar but when I tried to pick it up...well it didn't go well. :(

His room though gut purged yesterday and is now in the process of makin gits chrysalis.

This morning was a great morning!!! Had 2 more eclose and were released. These are from the group I called the toddlers. Still have 1 of them left to eclose.

They look real pretty here.

Beautiful babies nanny!

Those 'babies' are indeed pretty on the Pentas Nan. I can't wait 'til mine eclose. Here is SSS on Pentas;

WHOA, Nanny those two toddlers are gorgeous. Congrats.

I released a male monarch yesterday. weeee.

Congrats Mrs_Ed on your eclosed Monarch. Whoa, I haven't seen a ONE!

Congrats Nanny and Mrs_Ed!!!

I definately wish I was closer to you to Dale!!!

A "Little Yellow Sulphur"...
Our 32nd species of butterfly that graced our gardens this year (brand new for our records too). Amazing since it's not even August yet!!!
Info for those interested here...
http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species?l=1452

This message was edited Jul 26, 2010 5:34 PM

Thanks y'all!!

Congrats Mrs. Ed!!

Yay for Nannys Daycare!! Here are a few pics from the weekend.

What do you see?

The monarchs are laying egg's on the potted milkweed........I'm sure I'm going to run out. There are at least 6 "pairs" that I have seen doing the mating thing. Still no Zebra Longwings.........don't know if it was the really cold winter or if it's the really hot summer were having. The Gulf Frit's have pretty much taken out my Passi careula, and Lavender Lady, boy to they love the Lavender Lady, Good thing I have babie's in the greenhouse. They are after my Lady Margaret now, she's in full blazing sun. Don't seem to bother much with the edulis McCain, flavicarpa, or the alata, but if they run out of food, HA I was hoping to get some fruit this year.

Yay! I feel invisable...LOL

pretty sure this is female Horaces Duskywing.

Congrats on the Monarch release Marna...I know it picked up your spirits!

Great shots everyone else. Haven't seen mating hairstreaks...good catch.

So how big ARE those queens? I've never seen one of course,but looks small next to the hairstreak. or the hairstreak is huge.

Oh Susan, that Little Yellow is adorable. I'll have to look for those up here. I can't believe you get so many different butterflies there. not fair! LOL.

MJ, what is a Lady Margaret?

Kim, nice silver-spotted skipper. I finally had one over the weekend. I have pix, but haven't worked through them all. Boy, it was a cooperative bugger though!

This message was edited Jul 26, 2010 8:12 PM

here s the pic.

Viceroy,

Hmmmm...I don't think so. There seems to be red areas on the wings in your pic...even though it is blurry.
Here are a couple of links to your guess...
http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species?l=1998
Additional images...
http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/images?l=1998

Mrs _Ed The Queens are slightly smaller than A monarch. The Hairstreaks are about the size of my thumbnail. here is the closeup of the happy couple.

here is another pic of the same butterfly. Im pretty sure it is a female DW.

Viceroy,

Ok, your last 5 posts confused the heck out of me...LOL
Yes, that is a DW :)

Thanks Mrs_Ed...they seem to be a common sulphur :)



This message was edited Jul 26, 2010 9:31 PM

This message was edited Jul 26, 2010 9:33 PM

Marna,
"Lady Margaret" is Passion Flower Lady Margaret.....
Here's a pic of the flower

oh wow. gorgeous. You know, the sell some passion flowers up here to grow as annuals I guess. I've been thinking about growing one. They are always the purple and white ones though. Wonder how that one would do?


First Silver-spotted Skipper of the season. For that matter, I don't think I had one all of last year!

Sulphur… I never bother finding out what kind though. This is my first Torchflower bloom this year.

Common Buckeye. These area all over the place now.