Daily Pictures #94

We came from here: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1231839/

Read on to find out about my wonderful day. Here's an Orange-Barred Sulphur cat - one of many I found on my Senna ligustrina.

I went to the Native Plant Society sale in the county just north of me (I live about two miles below the county line). I usually go south because I'm on the north side of Tampa, but today convinced me to branch out in other directions. First, there was the native plant sale. I picked up some Carolina petunias which I've been wanting for a while, and I finally gave in and got a necklace pod after seeing the great hummingbird pics on the forum. Many of the plants I already had so that made me feel pretty good.

On the way there we drove by a couple of nurseries and I wanted to stop at one on the way back. They had lots of flowers I could see from the road. Once we got there, I found they had the Sweetbay Magnolia tree I've been wanting for a while now. Plus, these were 7-8 feel tall so they're decent-sized trees. This tree is the host for the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail although they have been known to use Black Cherry in my yard, as well. I also picked up a Sweet Almond Bush. We had one of these at the museum where I used to volunteer and it attracts lots of butterflies. It also smells wonderful!

But the best news is that while we were waiting for the guy to get a dolly to lift the tree, I was staring at the regular magnolias (Magnolia grandiflora) when I saw a butterfly racing around. I thought it was a skipper but it turned out to be a Great Purple Hairstreak - which I have never seen until today!!!! I was so excited to be able to cross another butterfly off my list. I didn't get the best pictures due to the lighting, but cjeck it out anyway!

Melanie

This message was edited Mar 31, 2012 11:05 AM

Contests on your liter, and thanks for the new thread. My fingers were getting worn out thinning to the bottom!

way to go, all around Mellie. Know you've been talking about that tree. And the hairstreak to boot! :D

Someone sent me an almond bush seedling/start last year as an "extra" in a trade, and I am very excited! It's only a couple of inches high, but it looks like a great addition to any butterfly garden.

Have a great weekend all - I am going to post a picture for ID of a very odd cocoon I found outside on my weather station today...

A.

Whew...Thanks Melanie for the new thread! lol

Had a hard time believing that Court's fancy i-phone couldn't get a decent picture of this critter at close range.

Will have to get some batteries for my own fancy camera so I can take a macro. Can someone ID this from this blur?

It's actually a shiny casing. There's some kind of half circle 'tab' on the abdomen. The cat's 'feet' are actually visible where it is attached to my weather station.

I thought when I saw it that it was a giant bird turd. :D

A.

Amanda:

Either a Viceroy or a Red Spotted Purple pupa.

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

Dale - you're good.

I looked at pictures of each and it's a red spotted purple for sure.

Might bring it in for safe keeping? :D

oxo.
A.

now I have to go learn more about them -like where did the cat come from - was it hanging out somewhere overwinter?

This message was edited Apr 1, 2012 8:54 AM

Ooh...I love Red Spotted Purples. I get them occasionally on my cherry tree. I would definitely bring it in and watch it eclose.

Melanie

Thank you Melanie for the new thread for the new year. Amanda, neat find, thanks Dale for the identification of the cat. Melanie, you're a wealth of information for fellow butterfly enthusiasts. Thank you for being you.

Yesterday I went on a wilderness hike with DH and friends. I was so fortunate to have found so many buterflies out there in the wild. I was delighted. Here are a few of them.

#1; Eastern Tiger Swallowtail on Buckeyes.

#2 Zebra Swallowtails and Eastern Swallowtails puddling;

Aww shucks...thanks! I just try to spread the butterfly love where I can.

Love the puddling picture! I so rarely see them doing that in my area. Of course, our soil is just beach sand mostly, so I don't know how much salt content they would get out of it.

Melanie

Super swallowtail puddling pic; I've only seen Sulphurs doing it.

Ditto on the puddling. I've seen a bunch of them, some brushfoots, etc, but never a swallowtail. I think it might be another really good year for Red Admirals, like two years ago. I saw a group of three "dog fighting" at tree tops yesterday.

I've got to get some Brew going!!!!

I have to add my own puddling picture of Tiger Swallowtails and one Spicebush ST. I took this while on vacation in WV last year. I was surprised to see them puddling like this, too!

You already know I'm silly so I can tell you when I see a spider or ant in the house I put a drop of water in front of it and it always stops to drink. :D

What's the best way to set up a puddling station for the butterflies in the garden?

Cross post - another awesome picture of puddling pretties!

Dad was planting the new plants today while I supervised. I saw something flying around my Black Cherry (Prunus serotina) tree. I looked up and there was a Red-Spotted Purple laying eggs at the very top of the tree. I was a little bummed that I couldn't get to the eggs but happy to know the RSPs are still using my tree. I so rarely see them since they prefer rotting fruit and sap over flowers. Other than that, I saw the usual Gulf Frit, the Monarch, Cloudless Sulphur, and one of the Duskywings that would not stay still for a moment!

Melanie

It's encouraging to hear everyone having lots of sightings.

For me, we released the 4th BST today. Otherwise no sightings of winged creatures.

I was out watering the new plants and saw two Cloudless Sulphurs really fighting over the porterweed!

Also, two of the three Monarchs we released today.

And finally, an old Gulf Frit was hanging out on the strawflower.

Melanie

Saw my first Red Admiral for 2012 this morning!

yay Nanny.

Amanda, I tried one year to put in a puddling station with no results. I had mixed in soil with some road salt and gatorade, etc. I also have a pond so had hoped to see some there. Nothing really. Though the red admirals land on the stones at dusk to warm up. And the cabbage whites lay eggs on the watercress. I think I"ll put an area of sand in the end of that pond or something.

There are red admirals everywhere in my backyard,I've ben seeing them for two weeks or so .There are a few others of the cabbage moth species,I dont' seem to remember right now what the species name is,the male and female are white and yellow.

Happy Birthday AmandaEsq!

Melanie

A couple of RED ADMIRALS

Great puddling photos! It is always awesome to see those big ones puddling. We get the small blues and sulphurs most of the time but they are not as breathtaking as the big swallowtails and such!

We've been hit with gobs and gobs and gobs of lysides, checkered whites and red admirals!!! I see the front grills of vehicles literally covered with them :o(

Of course the guayacan, pepper weed and stinging nettle and pellitory are growing rampant everywhere so that explains the butterfly explosion :o)

Work has been crazy for me...working long hours with no time to get outside and take photos. Glad I can look forward to the weekend...hopefully won't get any call-outs!!!!

My house is covered in Monarchs! Mom released 10 yesterday and 6 today and I think they're all swarming my yard. I just went out to water the new plants and there are Monarchs just everywhere. It's kind of neat. I bet my neighbors think I'm some kind of butterfly magnet...or butterfly magnate, LOL! Here's one of many that was attracted to the porterweed.

And I saw my first Phaeon Crescent of the year. I had wondered where these guys had been hiding. I usually see bunches of them in my neighbors' yard because two of them have more frogfruit (their host plant) than grass. Hooray for my neighbors' lawn deficiency! Although, I have Fiery Skippers due to my St. Augustine grass so I suppose some grasses are needed. Anyway, enjoy the picture!

Melanie

And, ENJOY ING PHOTOS WE ARE!!!, Thanks bunches,three or four years ago I had 52 different visiting.I wish I had a camera with a zoom, It's coning for the future.

And again, thank you for the pics

Nice Pics Melanie.

The Frits are coming! They finally found my passiflora. It is amazing how fast they can eat a plant.

Russell

I saw a Painted Lady while releasing a Monarch but of course by the time I got my camera she was gone. I did manage to catch a couple of pictures though. A Cloudless Sulphur was enjoying my "Black and Blue" Salvia and the Duskywings (probably Horace's Duskywings) were enjoying the Spanish needles.

Melanie

Painted Lady came back!

greets all and thanks for the bday wishes. cmputr kybrd broken and using it "on-screen." Ha!

mellie i envy you as butterfly magnate!

already sounds like a better year for Leps!

more later...
A.

need ID to find larval host

it's about an inch long.

Amanda:
Just got your phone message, but it was too late to catch you. This is most definitely NOT a Zebra Swallowtail caterpillar, so no need for Pawpaw leaves. It's a moth -- most likely the Copper Underwing (Amphipyra pyramidoides) or something related to it. According to Dave Wagner's excellent book "Caterpillars of the Eastern United States", they eat all sorts of things: apple, basswood, blueberry, cherry, chestnut, currant, grape, greenbrier, hawthorn, hickory, lilac, maple, oak, poplar, raspberry, Virginia Creeper, etc.....

Hope this helps.

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

aw Dale, a girl can hope. ;)


gave me an excuse to visit the native plant garden I used to tend and get paw paw and wax myrtle cuttings and runners from a spicebush!!!

so thankful that critter passed by today.

Well, I was out watering the plants and it was the usual suspects. About five Monarchs, two Cloudless Sulphurs. the Duskywings, and some skippers. I think they were Fiery Skippers. Also, the eggs are starting to hatch on the milkweed; I saw two tiny Monarch cats. Here's a pic of the skipper I saw; there were at least two of them flying around.

Melanie