First Sulphur Cat of Spring

Saw the lone cat again from my Privet Cassia tree and it appears to be ready to pupate as it is off it's host plant and looking around for a place to hang! So of course I captured him to put it in a cage to morph into it's chrysalis.

Here it is all stretched out. They get quite long in the last instar stage.

The color is such a pretty yellow. Which of course comes from exclusively eating the yellow flowers of the cassia. Then later a new brood of Sulphur cats will come along, but they will be green because they will eat the leaves after the flower blooming has ceased. Just amazing!

He's pretty, and really stands out!

Fantastic! You keep this up and you're gonna leave me in the dust at raising 'pillars!!!

~ Cat

Oh Becky how wonderful!!
Your success is ours too, like a team?? You go girl!
I just love the Sulphurs. Very cool how they turn the color of what they are eating, a natural camoflague. Their best defense.


Congratsamatic!!!!!

Thanks y'all! I am just excited that since joining this forum back in October 2006 that I now get more variety of butterflies and cats. Thanks to all of YOU here! My hat is off to ALL of you for so much detailed info and great suggestions and friendly encouragement! My garden is becoming a butterfly haven from all the great advice I have received here on DG.

Cat - The day I leave you in the dust ..... HA! Ain't gonna happen lady! I'm just getting them sooner than you because we didn't have much of a winter this year.

Rox - Yes, his color is amazing!!! Almost translucent! AND GUESS WHAT???? He's pupating into a chrysalis as I am writing this! Good thing I caught him when I did. If I'd waited another day, I'd have never found him! lol

He crawled around on my finger and hand for about an hour. Ya know I just had to play with him for a while. lol My family was impressed with this handsome little fella, too! (In contrast to the ugly Spinx Moth cat that really gets everyone's attention because of how large and odd looking he is! lol) It's funny, but my family seems more genuinely interested lately. I think it's because the garden in the backyard is finally starting to shape up and look kind of interesting out there! lol And there are a LOT more butterflies than a year ago at this time. :-) Doesn't take long once you figure out the right plants to add to your garden beds. I'm having so much fun! I think the butterflies and cats are starting to grow on my family. And it doesn't hurt that I have the cats in their little plastic cages (during the final instar) right on the kitchen counter near the back door. LOL! Ya can't miss them sitting there! LOL I catch my family examining what's in each of the cages off and on!

Deb - Yes! I am rather fond of Sulphur cats and butterflies too! But.... I can't lie ... I still love my friendly little Monarchs that following me all around the yard. Had one doing that today! :-) I look for them to find me when I go outside and they always do! Almost like a little puppy or something!!! LOL! I know ...... some of you probably think I have raised one too many butterflies! LOL! But it's true .... the hand-raised Monarchs do become quite friendly and like to hang around you when you are out in the yard.

This message was edited Apr 13, 2007 11:45 PM

Lol...about your family taking an interest. My DH sort of rolls his eyes when I say....I found another! But, lately I have caught him in the garage looking intently at them in the cage. I have a little upside down milk crate there so one can be comfortable.

Yeah, the Monarchs have a special place for me too......they're so beautiful and that gliding looks like so much fun.

Glad he's pupating, can't wait to see him later!

Rox - Yeah .... some "men" don't like to admit that they are fascinated by caterpillars and butterflies! LOL! I guess it's not a manly thing to do in some circles! But they are closet watchers! LOL! And I am in NO way saying that it isn't a hobby that men can enjoy as well. Just look at all the great gentlemen here who adore gardening and insects as well as us ladies! :-) Those "other" men need to come out of the closet and "admit" their fascination for the bug world! lol ;-)

Yeah Roxie & Beckaroo, Time for an intervention!! hahaha

I have a Bahama Cassia in my yard and I seem to have Cats since February. Crazy!

~Adrienne

I never thought this day would come when I'd say a "bug" was pretty but the day has arrived...Just Goregous! I even let a tent caterpillar crawl on me the other day.

P

This is a photo of how the sulphur cat hung on a stick to morph into the chrysalis stage.

And this is what it looks like now after having formed it's chrysalis. Pretty much looks like a leaf doesn't it?

NIce J Becky, Adorable!
DH was looking at the chrysalids on the lattice by the PV and asked, "Why do they make an L shape?" I laughed and said, "That's not an L, its J!" LOL!

Deb

We were typing at the same time, haha.
Sure does look like a leaf, can't wait to see those.



This message was edited Apr 16, 2007 9:42 PM

Haha, that kind of looks like a 'U'.

They do make a pretty chrysalis!

Gorgeous! Ever try finding a chrysalis in the wild? They are very well camouflaged :o)

~ Cat

My yellow cat emerged from his chrysalis today. It looks to me like a male Orange-Barred Sulphur. He was a large butterfly and quite handsome! The yellow with orange bands on the top wings is sooooo pretty! I hope I get many more of these butterflies in my yard! He used my Privet Cassia as a host plant, which was the first time that I noticed that plant being used as a host plant by cats. He ate strictly the flowers. The plant is now putting out a lot of seed pods. If anyone wants seeds ..... d-mail me!

A close-up of his handsome little face! Can't you see his smirk? LOL

He didn't want to open his wings, so I had to manipulate his wings to show the colors and patterns of the top view of his wings! First time I have seen an Orange-Barred Sulphur in real life! He had personality too! He crawled all over my fingers instead of flying away.

Isn't he cute??? I couldn't get him off my finger. Most butterflies are gone before I can even get a photo! Not this little guy. I love those Sulphur Butterflies!

Very, very, cool.

I have a hornworm moth about ready to come out in a bowl of dirt right in front me and a few years ago I had over 5000 silkworm moths in my bedroom. When they got very big, you could walk into my room and hear the crunching of the leaves...so neat. lol

I don't care if it is moth or butterfly...caterpillars are so cute.

Last photo before he finally flew off! Maybe he'll come visit me this weekend while I am out working in the garden beds. I just think he's beautiful!

Thanks, GiddyMoon! Oh do take some photos of your hornworm when it emerges from the dirt!

How did you wind up with over "5000" silkworms in your BEDROOM???? Inquiring minds want to know! lol

Cats and Butterflies & Moths........ I love them all, too! :-) :-)

Oh Becky, he is so precious...smirk and all! I would love some seeds! Thanks!

Rox - Thanks! It's going to take about a month before the seeds are ripe. It's just started putting out seed pods. Can ya wait that long? Actually, I'll have to look and see if I have any seeds left from Fall seed pods from the same plant. They grow fast..... let me tell ya! Do you want fresh or older seeds?

This message was edited Apr 27, 2007 6:38 PM

Either way, if you have some old ones, they're probably okay.....whenever you get a chance...thanks!

Becky, my son's kindergarten teacher easily asked me if I would be willing to tak a tray of tiny innocent looking warms home while we were on vacation. Needless to say, there were over 5000 tiny worms in that box. I was cutting from my fruitless mulberry 3 times a day. The tree ended up looking so nice and trimmed! LOL

They were a blast. What was so funny, the following year I still found silk cocoons tucked in places around my room, they were everywhere!

I really should develop a webpage about them. I could not find detailed info on their growth anywhere and I probably have over 300 pictures showing each and every stage up close...they were great. Once the eggs were layed, I gave them all back. lol

GiddyMoon - Start a thread right here on this forum about your silk worms! I'd love to see the photos and read about your experience and observations while raising them! Please consider!!! :-) :-)

I want to see it too...it sounds interesting!

All the information is still on my other computer which we have not set up yet for my daughter. When I do, I promise to come back and do it. It was a wonderful experience.

Becky he's just too too pretty!! I wonder if I will get any of them have some cassia out there now, and I'm a waitin'. haha
Roxanne, I have a few seeds left of the ones Beck sent me, if ya want them.
I had a yellow visitor today myself...and just posted the pics in the BF thread, too tired to make a new thread, but it was extra special!

Fine work gff!!

Deb

May I have some seeds too? I would love to find this pretty fella munching on my garden some day.

P

Whoever would like seeds ...... I was looking through my Fall 2006 harvested seeds and I have Privet Cassia seeds. D-mail me if you would like some!

Thanks for the offer Deb....if I use all the ones Becky sends me, I'll give you a yell :)

Becky,
the privet cassia seeds you sent came up like a charm,in about a week.

Thanks for being so generous with your seeds. Hope to have some sulphur cats some day soon to show"Aunt Becky".

P

Peggy - Got my fingers crossed that the Sulpher Butterflies find those Privet plants soon! Good luck! Glad to hear they are sprouting for you and should grow like crazy. Don't prune them back ..... it stunts their growth. :-)

becky,
They're still tiny yet.Only a couple of bites so I wouldn't want the cats to find them yet.

P

Does anyone else have trouble keeping their baby sulfur cats from getting eatten or carried off?I've only had a few that I've been albe to capture to get into the cage and put onto a small cassia plant .I must need a maximum security cage because something always gets in and they dissappear.Probably will need to take the sulfur rearing into the house to see if I can keep a better eye on them.

Peggy - They should grow rapidly. At least mine did and I also live in a warm climate.

Don - Are you sure they are disappearing ..... like in eaten? I have to tell ya, they blend in soooo well with the plants ...... that I often have a very difficult time finding them myself. And when they go into a chrysalis, forget .... near impossible to spot them. Perhaps in a week or so you will notice a pretty new yellow butterfly in the yard! :-)

I just received some new cassia seeds. (Cassia - Senna didymobotrya) Supposedly the plant smells like peanut butter popcorn. I'm going to be starting some of those seeds to see how well they grow here in my area and to see if the Sulphers like them as a host plant. If so, these probably produce a lot of seeds too and I will certainly share them. I don't know how long they take to germinate and grow to first bloom. Most Cassia seem to rapid growing.