DAILY PICTURES #107

Time for a new thread.
We came from http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1345046/

Here's a little Great Purple Hairstreak to get us started.

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

Thanks for the new thread Dale!!
I love the GPH!

Wow. that's a beauty!

New Pic , New Thread , Thank you dale , Still seeing Red Admirals (yesterday ) and a smaller that might of been a American Copper? Several skippers .. When I can , back with pics ,

Dale, what a beautiful specimen. I'm still looking for a GPH. They should be in my area and there is a lot of host mistletoe throughout the western Arkansas River Valley for them.
A big surprise, a Goatweed leafwing decided to nectar the verbena. I thought that they were a sap / scat only butterfly. Then a first for me, a Giant Swallowtail visited the verbena. One of the resident Tiger ST tried to hog the verbena but the Giant ST held in place.
A really nice day.

Dale, who names these butterflies????? I dont see any purple on that beautiful butterfly.

Some color blind guy no doubt! LOL!

This message was edited Apr 29, 2014 8:13 AM

The goatweed leafwing looks like it's just basking and not feeding. But the butterflies that we typically think of as fruit/scat/sap feeders CAN feed on flower nectar, too. Just not necessarily their most common source of nutrients.

As to who names the butterflies -- as Sheila said, someone who is a bit color blind.

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

Hi all,
I'm considering buying one "plug" of Asclepias (Butterfly Milkweed) 'Tuberosa' as an experiment to try growing in a container. I don't have a great deal of room in full sun since most of my yard is varying degrees of shade, but do have some areas in full sun I could set assorted containers.

Basically, I'm curious if:

1) any of you have ever tried this plant in containers and, if so, what kind of success you had
2) when grown in the ground whether it becomes invasive
3) if it really is a butterfly magnet and Monarch larvae food source

edited: I just read a ton of posts in PlantFiles and though most people love them, apparently they tend to get badly infested with yellow aphids. Don't know if those aphids will spread to other plants, but I guess it's something else to think about since I never use insecticides.


This message was edited May 2, 2014 1:05 PM

Bees come to mine , Not enough Monarchs here the last few years ,since the plants matured , (which takes three or four years , (to know if they really are or do , or not , as to hosting Monarch larvae .
Last Monarch cat I saw here , was eight years ago on a Honeyvine Milkweed , it was crawling in the Cucumber vines actually when I last saw it ,

Nuts…

I haven't grown it in a container, but it has along tap root, so I'd make sure it was a deep pot if you chose to do so. This one is not a runner, nice clumper so no invasiveness with this like common milkweed.

I've had problems with milkweed aphids the past couple of years. I think that has a lot to do with the drought, as I never had them before. I think if they are healthy, they are less susceptible. I mostly just hose them off.

They flower nicely, but the repeat bloom is not as prolific.
there are three different varieties in this picture.

Thanks juhur and Marna!

Super helpful info. Besides the tap root, if they take a while to mature, growing in a container might not be the best idea.

I also saw a comment in PlantFiles that said they grow well from seed, which might be more economical, but that they don't transplant well...possibly because of the long tap root.

Hmmm...decisions, decisions...

Correct with everything you said. They are easy to wintersow. I also love the A. incarnata (swamp milkweed). It is not as fussy about moving. But it needs water and gets taller.

Another thing, they are slow to emerge in the spring, so don't think you lost the plant if it does not come up right away.

Good idea. Maybe it would be better to wintersow some for next Spring. I might still try one plug this year just for fun, though. Yes, I have read they're slow to emerge.

I'll look into the A. incarnata as well.

BTW, I forgot to mention your pic of the three varieties is beautiful!

I spotted a giant swallowtail from the window earlier today and was excited to see she was laying eggs on the Choisya ternata (aka Mexican Mock Orange...a Rutaceae). I was beside myself with delight. I also have two smaller growing rue plants which they are accustomed to using but it appears all the eggs are on the Choisya. This has been an experiment for me...will the swallowtails use the Choisya? The predators know to look for snacks on the rue but i have not seen them cruising the Choisya. I looked for this plant for 2 or 3 years before i finally got my hands on a cutting. This is the first year the bush/tree has been big enough to attract attention. Now i will wait for some black swallowtails and see if they follow suit. I have tried growing dill and parsley without much success...they always just fall down but i am trying dill again this year in a pot on the patio...we'll see. I am hoping for a bumper crop of giant swallowtails this year, at least...i hope and wait and watch. :-) o happy day!

I released 6 more monarchs this past week, I caught the anoles in the act so if I dont protect the eggs, I wont get any monarchs.

I had an unusual visitor in the yard yesterday -- a Mexican Silverspot (Dione moneta). Normally found sporadically in the Rio Grande Valley, south through Central and South America. This is the second time this species has visited my yard, the last time was May 29, 2009. There are scattered records of it in North Texas, West Texas, and New Mexico -- all in the month of May. What causes it to disperse northward in May is a mystery.

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

That is a pretty one. I doubt I would have snapped to the idea that "this is something different". Especially if flying fast. BTW where is the silver spot?

I haven't had any butterfly visitors yet this year. Have seen glimpses of tiger swallowtail and a,red,spotted purple but no landings. Lots of activity at hummingbird feeder. Anyone else in my zone with visitors? Best plants at this time of year? I did have a sort of leaf rolled cocoon like thing in the bee balm but after research I thing it was,web worms. I have put out a homemade butterfly butterfly feeder with mesh sponges soaked in sugar water but still no visitors.......

The silverspots are on the underside -- the same as a Gulf Fritillary.

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

Thanks Dale, inquiring minds want to know. chuckle

I am seeing Red Admiral in their darker summer color . Little early , but their hatching near anyway . Only one once in a while in my Nettle Bed ..
Should be lots of them later this season .. Hoping on .

Had quite a few butterflies flying around on Sunday, but managed to get a couple of pics of this one, enjoying my salvia coccinea.

Did not have the camera handy today when the Red Admiral decided to fly around me , lol
and yesterday I saw one of the Sulphur . The one that resembles a Cabbage White only slightly smaller ,
Of course every few days the small skippers are flying about ,,

Nice pics and interesting here also people , I will keep trying , some of these have got to be a will pose for the camera someday ..

Went hunting Zebras at Haw Creek Falls in central Arkansas yesterday. Lots of guys hanging out at the bar including a Spicebush ST. A great area for Zebra ST. Remote and lots of Pawpaw trees.

Wow! fantastic.

What a beautiful sight and site...can't wait to see what Arkansas has in store for us this year.

Wonderful to see !!!

Awesome! Thanks for sharing with us. You are one lucky photog!!

Amazing!

That Zebra picture is incredible. I would LOVE to see Zebras in my yard, and I was toying with buying a paw paw, but when I was at the Nursery the owner said that he only sees Zebras every 5 years or so - and this is someone who always has paw paws. Do you know CAIvy, if there are particularly reclusive?

memays, my experience is limited to the last two years on butterflies and Zebra ST. I have seen them nectaring butterfly weed in remote hilly areas and puddling or flying about as at Haw Creek Falls. They appear to prefer hilly forested areas with numerous host plants. That said, I have seen a couple in my backyard nectaring sunflowers although I live in an urban area but within a mile of a Springhill Park which has remote woods and Pawpaws.
Zebras appear to be reclusive because they prefer an area with lots of host plants. It is my understanding that northern Georgia has a national forest, Pawpaws, and Zebras.
If anyone has experience with raising Pawpaw and attracting Zebra ST's, let us know your results.

I get zebras in my yard pretty regularly. I have been wanting a pawpaw forever and this may be he year I get one. There must be some around here due to the Zebras appearance. I find them most often on dallas red lantana and of course zinnias.

Really nice the Zebra pics ,,
Here's page 57 the backyard gardener's butterfly handbook ..
Story title ,, The Admiral in the Nettle .. Story has a sting to it .. well a little .
I seem to be stuck at Red Admirals , filled in the pics with Milkweeds

Here is a wee Giant Swallowtail (or possibly an Ornythion) just after emerging from its egg. It was 5 days in the egg. The photo is not so good because i was afraid i would get too close and hit the little one with the lens...something to work on. The caterpillar is on Choisya ternata. It turned around and ate the remaining egg, nibbled on a leaf, and apparently slept the rest of the day :-)

He's a cutie pie. That's a pretty good photo to be so close.

I like that also Vitrsna , I'm trying with ((yes you know ) lol ? to get a caterpillar and egg photo also ,, Nettle rolled up at the top I get , but gloves I can handle it with without smashing the eggs or tiny cats are being a difficulty ..

We see Giant swallowtails two or three times during the season here , not many , the usual individual browsing

here's the nettle cat or eggs on the front of pic , the rolled up nettle leaf in the front , slightly right of center , bottom front . contains larvae or eggs .

That is some healthy-looking nettle you have there. Ive never seen any like that. Hope you get some baby cats!

Steady would you like to try some false nettle , or perhaps later this summer or fall some plants or seeds , I will likely have both , I know , we go around , about the Stinging Nettle I'm surprised it does not grow around you somewhere , Disturbed construction sites , dryland places , edge of woods ,, (where mine is placed similar unto )
That pic was was to say how I tell what not to harvest for tea ,, One thing with these cats though , the Toads and Tree frogs leave them alone ,, lol Good defense ...