Swallowtail laying eggs

I'm so excited and it's all due to the wonderful people on this forum. I'll post a few pics from this morning's activity. Still not sure what kind of swallowtail, don't think it's a Spicebush, but probably an Eastern. Got pics of laying, of the eggs, and two new cats!! Help, what do I do now to raise them??

Photo credits go to DH, who has the borrowed camera this weekend. I was just running around like a madwoman going, "Take that shot, and that one, and oh look over there!!" Thankfully he loves me despite my erratic behavior.

~Sunny (who is now behind on planting)

Another one of this busy lady. She laid eggs, then promptly went to the back yard and feasted on my purple buddleia. Of course, I didn't have the camera for THAT!

Close up of the eggs, which decorate my bronze fennel now.

Hi Hineni!

What great pictures you took of a Papilio troilus laying eggs! (Spicebush Swallowtail) WOW! I wish I could have seen that! You must have been thrilled!

Thanks sunshine, but the credit goes to DH :) I had another one back on Monday laying eggs on the same fennel, but she was missing the lower half of her right wing :( Needless to say, I have cats galore, with new ones almost every day. I'm worried there's not enough food there for so many (one of the larger cats already cannabalized a baby cat). I'm thinking I might have to find dill or something to supplement, but haven't seen any herbs anywhere but the grocery store and those are treated I'm pretty sure.

~Sunny

This is very cool. I'm surprised there haven't been more comments.
Well done.
I found this thread because I was trying to ID one that looks like yours.
It's been a battle all season to get a decent shot of the thing, it hardly ever stops flapping it's wings. lol
Andy P

I know, they are really fast and flitty when they are doing the egg thing. And thanks...it was a borrowed high end camera. LOL, my little digital can barely get the butterfly, much less when it's moving :) I'll pass the compliments over to DH.

I believe we finally ID'd it postively as an Eastern Black Swallowtail, not a Spicebush. But maybe next year I'll have a Spice Bush!

:) Sunny

Sunny, I think I snapped 2 good shots today. No egg laying, though. LOL. That's special.
This was my very first butterfly pic. An Eastern Black Swallowtail. July, '05.
Andy P

Oh wow Andy, great shot, especially for your first :) I've been fascinated with hummers lately...a little harder to photograph with my ancient digital - DH's shots with the borrowed Nikon are much, much better.

~Sunny

Oh sunny,

How very very cool!! I remember my first..in fact I wrote a little thing about the whole event..I will dmail you if I can find it.
Joy You!
Debnes

Sunny, that is cool. I've never been able to get close enough to snap a Hummer.
I noticed another E B Swallowtail today and snapped a bunch of shots, not up-loaded yet. I'm getting backlogged with pics. I have a couple of 'theme series' working today. Thank heavens for big memory cards and rechargeable batteries, lol.
Here is the only decent one from 2 days ago. It only allowed me 4 shots then flew off.
Andy P

Sunny your 5:31 p.m. post on the 19th is a Red-spotted Purple

Nice pic Andy..

Sunny ~How cool is that? You had more of a variety than you thought,.....so did I. These folks here are tons of help. I gladly go back and edit any posts that need it.

waves ~@ Donna

Thanks Donna - I think my post was a little confusing. The egg laying BF was an Eastern Black Swallowtail (the original thread photo). I put the Red Spotted Purple in my signature line without adding a remark as such.
You were the one who helped me identify it originally :)

Andy,

You got another great shot!!

Hummers are actually very easy to get close to, if you can stand perfectly still for 15 minutes or so :) I've been within 6-12 inches from them every day this week. I hung my feeder at about 5 feet. Then I just go and stand by the feeder, being perfectly still. That's how I got to identify the Calliope hummer; from 2 feet or more away I couldn't hear his chirps while feeding, nor see the streaking on his gorget that positively identified him (nor did the photos pick it up). He's more antsy than the ruby-throated - he doesn't really like me there but wants to eat. The ruby-throated acts like she could care less, unless of course I get a skeeter on me and have to move, then she's a goner!

~Sunny

Sunny, I don't have a feeder. When the hummers come by they are here for a very short time.
Today the butterflies are all over the place. There are 4 Monarchs in sight right now. They are on a feeding frenzy but will not let me get very close. That's OK, I have plenty of shots of them. They are also in danger on one of my Butterfly bushes. One of my Praying Mantis is hunting there.
I just finished editing todays shots, of the 12 butterfly images only 2 are keepers. Not very good ones, either. The light was harsh at mid-day and the butterfly was always in partial shadow. It also looks a little worst for wear, lol. Poor old thing.
I've been having a lot of fun taking bug shots this season, all kinds of creepy crawly things. I was informed today that one of my parasitic wasp shots is featured in a spider info page of BugGuide.org. It's the only shot they have that shows it on an egg sack.
Anyway, here is one of todays shots.
Andy P

Sunny~ Your Red-spotted Purple is a beauty! I love that picture! I also thought my eyes were getting fuzzy when it said EBS, had me looking and looking for one like that in the references...whew! I haven't seen that kind around here, what plant do they make their host?

Andy~ I saw that pic ya posted in wildlife, cool spider...
I hope the second sack makes it. Can you pinch those wasp eggs off and save them if caught right away? Or are they a gonner from the get go?

Just wondering , because I have been learning about potential rescue stratagies, and parasites. I have seen other wasp egg/larve dammage, but it was too late to save the creature in question.

Great stuff Yall!
Debnes

Debnes, The wasp eggs are inside the spider egg sack. What can I do about that? ? ?
I'll let Nature run it's course and keep the camera close at hand.
Andy P

Oh crud!! I suppose nothing now,,,:-(
Sorry Andy

Debnes, there is a second egg sack that looks OK, so far.
Lets get back to Sunny's butterflies.
Andy P

Yes, bless their hearts Andy, they do tend to become raggedy looking towards the end there. That shot on the buddleia is excellent work.

Here's a shot of a less colorful, but new visitor in the last few weeks.

Great shots, keep up the terrific work and keep sharing with everyone!

I keep expecting the hummers to scoot on down further south soon, so I expect I only get to enjoy them for a few more weeks before they continue migrating. They look immature by their markings, so I guess they are taking the lolly-gagging way down south, so that they miss all the grumpy parents :)


~Sunny

nice shot of the Checkered Skipper Sunny. Those are so small. I see one once in a while but having difficultly tell which one is which. I think I am getting the Tropical Checkered Skipper

wtg Sunny, I love your pictures.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks Donna, I seem to have a thing for the smaller ones - but boy they are harder to photograph. Here's my fave little guy.

Thank you debnes. I usually see the best ones when I say to myself "self, today is an observing day, no camera-toting" - Ha! Like today, I saw TWO red-spotted purples while I was filling the hummer feeders, TWO in the same day. They were up high in the trees, then came down to visit while I was watering. The hummer came up to me too, it was pretty awesome. I'd been having a lousy day at work so the mid-day break outside was a real soother.

Amazing what the little things outdoors have to offer in the way of reducing stress...

~Sunny

Awe Sunny,
How sweet, what kind is he? "Map", "Crescent" ? Curious and very hard to photograph too.. I think I have a pic of the same kind here. I'll see if i can find it.

Gardening certainly saved my life from a lot of stress, i definatly agree there!

~Debnes

Sunny, This is an American Copper. A very small butterfly that I chased for about a week. (Boy was I tired, lol).
Andy P

Nice one andy!
I have one I don't know exactly what it is called..but its colorations and size are similar to sunny's last pic.
If yall know, tell me>



Debnes

Woohoo! Exhilirating when you finally get that shot isn't it Andy? :) Great pic, love the detail you captured.

Debnes: I'm not sure what kind he is actually - I don't own a book of any kind, and I got tired of trying to narrow it down. I have about gone blind trying to find ID's on some of the butterflies I've seen in the yard, so now if I get an ID, I'm happy, but even if I don't, it doesn't take away from the beauty, the fun of trying to capture it's essence on camera, and the fact that I got to be outside!

One of these days I'll break down and buy a book with color plates, but right now I can't ;)
(p.s. Probably if I quit buying seeds and plants I could afford the book but...LOL)

~Sunny

I hear ya sunny, I have a couple few sites I look through, and my eyes are not what they used to be. Donna will know what kind it is, I will ask her.
;)

Sunny, you can ask in the Bug ID forum here or post it in the BugGuide.org ID forum. Both have worked for me. There are so many variables that it some times takes a practiced eye to be sure.
Andy P

Deb, I'm pretty sure yours is a Pearl Crescent :) I got a book from Mark 333 and it has that one in it - looks just like yours! (and mine!) So you guessed well in your guess a few posts back :)

Thanks Andy, I didn't even *know* there was a bug ID forum (duh me)

My little Calliope hummer came up to me tonight up on the deck while we were looking over the yard, peeped at me three times and DH finally believes that he comes and 'visits' me now...LOL.

~Sunny

Yes Sunny,
Donna confirmed it too, cool patterns on them, huh.


What a cutie pie hummer ya have there. I'm sure your DH is right...and they are on assignment from a higher order of authority..:o)

Debnes

Sunny, love that Checkered Skipper. I've never seen one before. Got a closer shot? Work on that. ;)

Andy, love that A. Copper too. The Crescent's here are small but they like to bask and never mind posing for a pic.

Super shot, KB.
This big dragonfly was basking today. Very cooperative.
Andy P

Ya that one Cresent let me take about 10 pics,, That's a great shot Paige!

So that bluish one was a Skipper, Sunny you lucky.. i havn't seen any of those around here, ....yet

!

Wowie Andy what a monser,, I love that close up ;o)


!!

Great shot Andy! That is so close and super clear! Getting great shots like that is just as much fun as the plants. btw, what is it on?

It's on an Agastache. The bug magnet.
Andy P

Another great sho! I love it's face and wings. I had some Agastache for about 2 years but then it never came back. It was constantly covered in bees, which made it hard to deadhead.

I don't deadhead this one. The Goldfinch love the seeds.
Unfortunately it re-seeds like crazy.
Andy P

Hey Konkrete, that's the only time I've ever seen that Skipper, so no more shots :/ I have discovered though, that a lot of things that I thought were moths are actually Skippers. I've got a few shots of European skippers, one I think that might be a Peck's, and then the Common Sooty Skipper.

Andy, that dragonfly shot is AWESOME (I like the first one). In the second, you captured the delicacy of the wing composition incredibly well. I have a few seeds of Agastache Apricot Sprite to plant next season, so I look forward to it's "magnetic" effect :)

And I still can't get that zippy Fritilary to land so I can get a good shot!

~Sunny