ID please...just found this guy today!

What is this guy going to be? I just found it on a peach tree.

Edited to say....
Solved: Mourning Cloak Butterfly.....but read on!



This message was edited Apr 11, 2007 10:32 PM

Haven't seen any caterpillar like that this far south. Looks like something from the brushfoot family. Perhaps a Silvery Checkerspot or one of the Fritillaries?

Do keep us updated.

~ Cat

Oh my Sheila! You've got a host plant somewhere for it! It looks like this one:

http://www.carolinanature.com/butterflies/silverycheckerspot.html

Check those sunflowers! And Rudbeckia if you have it.

Very, Very Nice future butterfly!

Cat - You need to keep track of all the different butterfly/species you have found and also raised!!! You are quickly becoming a butterfly and cat expert! :-)

I would love to say that was the one, but I am still not sure. I have Maximillions that were transplants from a friend about 10 ft from there and may have washed down in the rains we had. Also the little fruit tree it is on is underneath a hackberry. Wind and rain may have knocked it down from the tree. I guess it is a wait and see approach for now.
I just hope he doesn't languish in the "J" too long. I have surgery set for the 16th and I would hate to miss it!!
The DH calls it my "worm"! But you know who is taking the pictures of my "worm"!! LOL!

This pic shows a tiny bit of red or orange on the backside and tail area.

It looks like a Mourning Cloak, Nymphalis antiopa

Thanks Claypa.....I think that one is it!!! I will have the DH get a better shot tonight. He took his Nikon with him. I can't see the red without the camera, but it is definately there on the pictures. Since it's food source is trees and shrubs I can see where it would be in the area. I have looked at several sites and bet your ID is right on. We will know if it creates the thorny chrysalis!

I just went and took a picture with my little Minolta, and now I know it is definately the Mourning Cloak, Nymphalis antiopa as you said!!! My pic is a bit blurred, but the red spots on the back are definately there.

Here are some interesting links that I came across in my search.

http://www.southeasternoutdoors.com/wildlife/insects/mourning-cloak.html
http://www.ivyhall.district96.k12.il.us/4TH/KKHP/1INSECTS/mourningcloak.html
http://www.naturenorth.com/spring/bug/mcloak/Fmcloak.html

Now I need to get to work!!

Ah...I thought it might be a Mourning Cloak too but didn't see the red spots on the back...only the reddish orange on the bottom. We don't get those beauties this far south. Way to go!

~ Cat

This message was edited Apr 9, 2007 3:02 PM

Well, good! I love the picture of the Mourning Cloak in the snow on that third link. Hopefully you'll see some without the snow...
TexasPuddyPrint, remind me how big is Texas? I guess you could be hundreds of miles from Ft.Worth... I looked at Nymphalidae/Brush-footed larvae like you said, it kind of stood out from all the crescents and checkerspots.

Oh Sheila! That's way more exciting!! I love Mourning Cloaks!! I think you're the first one on the forum to have one too. Try and keep up with him!

Good luck on your surgery! I'll say a prayer for it all to go safely and you have a quick recovery!

Paige

Clay...

Edinburg is about 450 miles away from Fort Worth - yep, we're big...uhhuh, we're big, yeehaw, we're big, mama needs a new pair of boots...don't wanna walk no more...ahhhhh...forget the boots...send an El Dorado Cadillac with a set of longhorns for the hood ornament :o)

But alas, big as we are...we still don't get some of those beautiful butterflies from way up north way down here :o)

Oh...and Texas is 268,601 square miles...Pennsylvannia is 46,058 CHOMP CHOMP :o)

~ but we're small compared to Alaska...that's a whopping 656,428 square miles...but hey, they don't get butterflies like the rest of us here do...right!!! :o)


~ Cat

This message was edited Apr 9, 2007 3:06 PM

Good grief! Are you sure Alaska is that big?! ...ok, I admit it...I'm not smarter than a 5th grader!

LOL!! .....Paige, I love that show, but it is coming on opposite some shows I don't want to miss sometime. Foxworthy makes the perfect game show host for it. Thanks for the good wishes. While I am off, if you are up this way, you better give me a call and drop in!

The MC is still hanging out with no change as yet!!
Clay....we did have snow here the day before I found him and it was 38-40 degrees too. Guess it can take it though by reading the last link.

We Tivo "Are You Smarter..." and just watched it tonight. Guess where I think Cat learned about Alaska! lol I knew the answer to the question, thanks to reading this thread. LOL I didn't know the answer to the triangle one tho!

Who'd have ever really known that Alaska was that big? The people who make maps don't show the appropriate size when they stick Alaska down in the corner so we don't forget it.

Well we definately have a Mourning Cloak!!! It's chrysalis looks just like the one in the first link that I posted earlier. I will take a picture in the morning. I am too tired tonight. The DH took me out for my BD to a comedy show!

Alright, I hope you had a great birthday! I look forward to seeing your pictures, too.

Here is the chrysalis!

Cool! Did I miss your b'day Sheila?! HaPpY BiRtHdAY!!! I hope you got new gardening goodies! That's always a winner with me!

(((Hi Paige!)))....Yes, it was yesterday, but thanks for the belated! I did get a few garden items from my co-worker gardener friend. One was a HUGE Texas shaped stepping stone. I need to make a new flower bed with nothing but Tx natives to go around it!! LOL! Yeah, like I can start another one with my back! I think I am up to about 16 now with some being 25-30 foot. I think it is time to whoa! It would look pretty under the Vitex tree (when it grows up) just off the deck.

Happy Belated Birthday Sheila! Sorry I didn't see it come up on the DG Birthday list. Don't know how I missed it! :-{ Hope your day was a lovely one!!!

Great shot of the chrysalis! Can't wait to see what your little butterfly will look like when it emerges in about 8-10 days!!! Do post a photo when it does! :-)

That will be a problem for me to do. I will be in the hospital for major surgery on Monday. I was hoping it would be later than that!
I just told my DH, and he said no problem. He would check it each day and let it go when it is ready. He is the one that takes the better pictures anyway. I may luck out and be home to see it, I sure hope so.

I'm bankin' you'll be home in time to see it eclose Sheila.
- Great idea for the new TX paver.. What a nice gift! :-) My natives are scattered throughout the yard, front and back... Some need less water, and some need a lot, so I couldn't put them all in the same area anyway.


Deb

I hope you are right about the timing of the eclose of my MC. Checked on my little guy tonight and he is still hanging in there! LOL!
That is the way my natives are too, all over the place. But the area that we took out the temporary pond, at the end of the shop, is a blank slate now. It is definately a full sun area too. I have stuck a few things in there but nothing that can't be moved. Maybe I need to do some planning on that while I recover. LOL!

Congrats again, Happy belated birthday too.

Haven't seen the show - smarter than a 5th grader - must admit I don't watch much tv...aside from the news, court tv and discovery channel.

I used the 'how far is it' website...also had a co-worker transfer to Alaska in January. He's been quite bored out at that two man port of entry because I keep getting email about Alaskan trivia.

Love that chrysalis...congrats again and again. Can't wait to see the butterfly. Like I said earlier...that's one we don't get down here...sigh....

~ Cat

From the sound of it, we don't get them too often here either. I did put the pics out on the bug files because there was only the adult bf there so far. But one was from someone in Keller, north of me. So keep your eyes peeled Debnes!

Ok I will Sheila~
Have ya thought about cutting that one loose, and putting it in a cage? This way, at least your DH will be able to take shots of it and release it afterward. Whether you are out in time or not, this would insure you didn't miss the photo finishing either way..

Deb

Oh no Deb, I took the limb off and put it in a cage the first time I saw it. It is in the house safe. I just hate to miss the event! He will keep an eye on it. Good thing we didn't have to release today!! He may not have had a chance with that wind and rain out there.
Guess you had it pretty bad in your area? Tornado touched down up your way didn't it? Did you get the hail?

Glad you won't miss the eclsing Mourning Cloak... that might even help a lot with your recovery!

Yep I got hail... Everything seems fine though.. Will take good look tomorrow.

I hope it will hold off, your right it would definately get me to step outside to release it.

Debnes, I think I'm going to steal your lattice idea. I've been using chicken wire across the fence for my passionvine but think I might like this. When I put my lattice pieces back up on top of the fence it will match too! Now my vine just needs to get growing. It's about a foot tall.

That's going to look nice Paige.. Ya might want to make some long twist ties out of 20 gague wire and tie it to the fence posts. Even if you use screws or nails to mount it, doesn't hurt to be extra sure it will stay put.

Deb - We had some hail about a month ago and it looked like your garden in the photo! Little white frozen balls all over the yard. Glad the hail didn't destroy your garden plants. I have lattice around my backyard fence, too, and I really like it. Seems to hold the plants up better than other types of trellises I've used in the past. I used those plastic zip ties to hold my lattice to the fence. I buy a package of 100 of them at HD. And if I need to move a trellis panel, they are easy to cut with scissors.

Do you have walk paths running through your backyard garden areas? I am thinking about doing that with my backyard.

Yes Becky I made a series of walk paths in back. One long path on the right fenceline, and another long path the length of the back fence. Then a few (4) shorter 10' rows parallel to the back running east and west. That's only half of it..lol!
I needed a lot of bed space to plant everything I wanted to grow. I will take another pic of it today when the sun comes out.. We had another hard rain yesterday, only pea sized hail for about a minute or 2, but it rained sprinkles most of the day. We got a good soaking rain, and with almost everything being mulched now I won't have to water for a few days. I can tell this is going to be one of the best years for flowers than we've seen in a long time.

Sounds like a good way to fix up the brew Cat, thanks for eplaining everything so well.

:-D

PS Its Roxanne's Birthday today.... A big happy Bday to ((((fly_girl))))!!!!!!

Well we are still hanging in around my house. I had the cage in an open window so the flower scents would float in to encourage it, no luck so far!

Yea!!!!!! The Mourning Cloak is here!! The DH only took a few so we could release right away. It was overcast and getting late in the day. Hopefully I will see (him/her) tomorrow. Here is a few pics.
This one makes the texture look rough like bark.

This is it's first wing spreading.

Then the full open shot.

Finally what I am feeling, the 'empty nest'.