I just happened to look out my window this afternoon and saw this beautiful Zebra Longwings. I've never seen them in SC, I wonder if it got blown off course with storm Sandy? I was so excited! But it's supposed to get cold tonight, so I'm also worried about it.
Absolutely beautiful butterfly.
Hi Thea,
How are you? I am trying to get longwings to stay here. Got some from my aunt and they survived last fall, will see.
I have had some Monarchs to eclose in the greenhouse,,, but something ate them,,can't imagine what, since they are poisonous.
EFGeorgia1...lots of things will eat the Monarchs. I have seen birds eat them and i hope that it makes them really sick. I suppose these birds are among the uninitiated. Also lizards and gekkos will eat them, and spiders. Ants will eat pre-flight Monarchs and i have even seen ants abort the ready but not yet eclosed Monarchs and eat up. It appears that any kind of insect or any of the cold blooded group of critters can eat Monarchs without ill effects. I'm not sure about that but this is what i have observed in my own garden after 5 years of Monarchs and other butterflies that have toxic host plants and therefore are toxic (not to mention foul tasting) themselves, like the Aristolochia swallowtails for example. I'm not sure if dogs and cats will eat them. The toxicity will give these butterflies some protection from birds, but they have lots of predators.
In the spirit of sharing photos, here is a Glassy-winged Skipper (Xenophanes tryxus) that greeted me in the garden this morning.
Elaine, I'm so sorry about your monarchs! If they had survived, is your weather warm enough and are there flowers enough to release them? I didn't do butterflies last year, too busy at the animal shelter, so I don't have any wintering over BST's to worry about. I hope I see some longwings again this year, they are so beautiful!
Vitrsna, that's a lovely skipper!!
Thea, it is cold here now,, guess they would not have survived anyway, sad, but that is nature,
Hi Vitrsna,, lovely skipper, I think the wrens were the culprits who ate the monarchs... but I love them too because they eat lots of bad bugs too.
