DAILY BUTTERFLIES Page 38

We came from here: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/856029/

Here's a little Cassius Blue that apparently is happy I planted milkweed next to the plumbagos.

To answer Meredith, this is the first time I've raised BSTs, but I've raised many other species. Most of the time, the caterpillars just chill on the plant. I have noticed that some species or even just certain "batches" of cats are more active at night. During the day they try to hide from predators. When the cats eat the plant, they release the "smell" of that plant, like when we crush leaves between our fingers. Even some plants that we can't smell can be detected by caterpillar predators. So just the act of eating can be dangerous for the cats. Also, they might be ready to molt as they will usually stay in the same place and not eat for about 24 hours.

As for Snuzer's Giant ST, they will eat anything in the citrus family, and this being Florida...well, you get the picture. Butterflies will visit your yard even if you don't have their host plant. If you have lots of yummy nectar plants, they'll come by and check that out, too.

Having host plants certainly helps increase the quantity and variety of butterflies you see. I believe this is Horace's Duskywing. I get a lot of these visiting my flowers. Their host plant is various oak trees, and I've got plenty of those! And like all butterflies in my yard, he's eating the porterweed (I did see him check out the salvia and pentas, too).

And finally, it's a boy! Here's the Monarch I released today. I also watched another Polydamas go into its chrysalis this morning - very freaky.

Melanie

I have 8 PVSTs that have finished pupating. About five more are in the process of pupating. The rest....still eating. Two RSPs are finished pupating as well.

Melanie, how do you tell the difference between male and female Monarchs?

I've been releasing Gulf Frits all this week. I may have to hide a passionvine to allow it to grow big enough for it to bloom. These cats eat leaves and most of the stalks.

Thanks Mellie that makes perfect sense! I did go check on him and he still wasn't eating just chillin as you said. Thanks again. : )

Ok...I thought I made a post yesterday and it isn't here...oh well...that is a beautiful monarch! I can't wait for mine to eclose!

Does anyone know if you can move a monarch chrysalis once it is made? Mine is on the same toule that the second one fell from, and I don't want this one to fall.

Kim

Linda, love the PVST chrysalis. That's so exciting.

Melanie's advice on the fragrance was really interesting. That might be why my BST cats ate so furiously during the hottest part of the day. If herbs are like roses, the fragrance is less intense when it's hot. I was so worried about the birds getting them, but the birds didn't spot them until they left the fennel. Weird eh?

The support for my pipevine was blown over in the freak storm yesterday and now the utility people want to come in here and trim the trees (and it's the wrong time of year for that!). I'm so worried about my baby polys! That one from yesterday finished making its chrysalis. The other chrysalis seems OK even though it got blown down.

An unusual long-tailed skipper landed right by my window. He heard me turn on my camera and took off, but then I finally got a sulfer shot! Not sure what kind of sulfer this is. It was huge as big as a polydamus flying around near it. It was also kind of a pinky/orange/yellow.

Ooh, lots of questions. Let's see, how can you tell the gender of a Monarch...well, do you see on the lower wings there are two black dots (one on each wing)? Those are scent glands that only males have. Female Monarchs will not have them. I'm pretty sure the same is true for Queen butterflies, and maybe Viceroys, but I can't remember off the top of my head.

Kim, you can move the chrysalis, but Monarchs are a little more fragile than other butterflies. At MOSI, we pin the Monarch chrysalises. If you can, take a pin and slide it underneath the silken part. Try to stick the pin through the silk and then you can pin it to something more substantial. How did the other one fall? That silk is generally pretty strong.

Meredith, your comment made me think about my crazy cats here at my desk. I have two critter keepers on my desk right now. All are Polydamas, but one are the bigger cats and the other houses the smaller ones. The big ones are all just being very still, not moving at all. But the little ones have been climbing all day! Climbing the walls, the leaves, over each other, etc. Feisty little guys! Of course, everytime I open the lid I get several pairs of stinkhorns popping up at me. I don't know what they think I'm doing, ungrateful little cats.

Most people who work right near me know about my caterpillars but sometimes a person from another section wanders over, as happened today. One of the managers came to ask me about something and mid-sentence stops and says, "What is that?" I said, "My caterpillars. They're going to be butterflies someday." To which he replied, "We're all going to be butterflies someday." I thought that was nice.

Melanie

Melanie, I will never see a polydamas here so I have to ask.. Can you smell something when they stick their stinkhorns up? Also, can you touch them? Your boss sounds nice, I can only imagine what most people would say about someone bringing cats to work. When I was talking about my host plants I grow, someone at my work commented "your neighbors must love you, most people are trying to get rid of caterpillars and your trying to attract them" he meant it sarcastically of course.

Of course you can touch the caterpillars! Although, I will admit I didn't for a long time as I'm still a little weird about bugs in general. Which reminds me, my grandma was talking to Dad and apparently she got mad when someone referred to butterflies as bugs. We had to assure her it was ok; they are insects. Grandma is very, very defensive of family and anything the family cares about, LOL! I can't remember who it was on here that found out I didn't touch my caterpillars but they were teasing me wondering how I raised them. I also got a little gunshy as I killed a few cats early on when they were trying to molt and I didn't know any better and moved them.

The stinkhorns do smell, but it really depends on: species of caterpillar, species of plant they eat, and which instar they're in. I like to mock the little guys because their stinkhorns are near invisible. Personally, I don't think the Polydamas smell much at all. Zebra STs are the worst in my opinion, although my boss at MOSI says Spicebush STs can be really smelly. Giant STs get smelly in their later instars; when I did the presentation at "Bring Your Child to Work Day" I let the kids see and smell the Giant ST cat. They picked up on the "fruity" smell that comes from the fact that they eat citrus. It kind of smells like a harsh cleaner that's trying to cover up with lemon scent.

I took one of the Poly cats out just for you!

And just for fun...I went out to pick some dill and found another cat on it! I made him stinkhorn me and as you can see - he smeared me good. Doesn't really smell though, but then again, I just ripped out a pipevine and not much smells worse than that.

I finally got around to ripping out my super toxic a. gigantea. Of course, I checked for eggs before I pulled it out and I found some! Even more exciting - they're Pipevine ST eggs! As you can see from the photo, they're more orange as opposed to the yellow Polydamas eggs. You can also see how they tend to lay them more in a line whereas the Polydamas lays in clumps usually.

Oh good I thought they might be a type that can cause skin irritation if you touch them. I've had the spicebush stick their stinkhorns out at my daughter and I because we couldn't help but pet them. I don't think we could smell anything, but Inext time I see one I will pay attention to wether I can smell anything. I wonder if Lindera benzoin doesn't give them an odor like other hosts for them do. They have got to be the cutest caterpillars I have seen. There is something about their big eyes. I am going to go to a nursery this week and get a pipevine, I've been coveting them since last year. I just needed to wait until the spot I need to put them was cleaned up of construction debris. I have never seen a pipevine swallowtail around here, but I figure I probably never will unless I get a pipevine planted. On the butterflies and moths website they are listed as being sited in counties bordering mine, so it's worth a shot. I checked to see if they added bst's to my county since I e-mailed a phot and location and it was added. I am hoping I can do the same for pipevines! : )

I work for our county's department of aging services and last year the gang from MOSI put in butterfly gardens at two of our senior centers. They also did a presentation and brought some critters in. The lady who gave the lecture said the Spicebush ST was her favorite, too. There was one senior who wanted to put the cat on her nose - so she did! - and our PR lady got a great picture of it. Some of the seniors are very child-like and they had a great time. At MOSI they feed the Spicebush STs camphor tree so I imagine the smell could get strong. My dad, the woodworker, has a whole bunch of camphor. Yesterday, he turned a bowl of camphor wood and everytime I walked by it I thought about Vicks Vap-o-rub.

Wow It is so wonderful that you get involved in so much for your community. I hope to be able to get involved with making the community more knowledgeable about butterflies and gardening for them. I just don't know how to start, but when my daughter is school aged I think that will be a good place to start. If you get kids involved they might in turn get their parents involved with their enthusiasm.

So many children now have very little connection with nature so I think it's important to reinforce that. If we don't teach them to care for it, they won't.

Very interesting.
Yes, those little ones really can get into bugs and flowers and birds. I substitute teach in pre-k a lot. Last year I took some of my clivias and amaryllis in for us to enjoy and showed them how to pollinate. Every time they got in line or walked by the plants, they would very carefully touch and pollinate. They were even cross pollinating the clivia with amaryllis. I left the plants with them and hope I left a love of flowers, butterflies, birds.
Is this a Giant Swallowtail? I looked it up and it looked a little different. I saw one (Ornythion Swallowtail), but I know it is not common in US. I took the picture on island on southern gulf coast. will send another pic.
Elaine

another view.

Kim..... Here is a great source for Monarch raising. It explains how unflavored dental floss is used to tie to the cremaster. I used that method last year and it worked great. I tied them around a dowel stick inside my cage.
http://www.monarchwatch.org/rear/index.htm

This message was edited Jun 20, 2008 11:24 PM

Oh wow! Sheila, what a wonderful display of those babiez!

Sheila, wonderful display.
Thanks for sharing,
Elaine

I've seen this pretty one for several weeks past but wasn't able to take any pics. Finally this morning it decided to pose for a model - session. lol. Who is she/he? Such brilliant blue color on the dorsal wings. And the most colorful of orange dots on the ventral view. I've a pipevine Gigantea as well as 'Elegan' in the garden.
#1.

#2
It's litterally posing, to assure I've a good look at her/his beauty. lol.

Boy howdy! You guys are doing great! And thank you very much Elaine the seeds , I received the seeds you sent. You're a doll!!!

Super job keeping up the thread and answering questions Melanie & Sheila!!

Not much here so far, so if you would please direct the releasees to:
32° 51' 28" North, 97° 15' 16" West... I will pitch into their numbers as they arrive, LOL!

I will unload my camera later and see what I have to post. Meanwhile I need to go deadhead and water.

Debnes

#3. One more view.

Wow! Lily, he/she is so gorgeous! I think it's a Red -Spotted Purple. Wish I had some of those!

Ooh, it's my favorite Red-Spotted Purple! They're so pretty but I'm at the very edge of their range. I'm trying to tempt them with my cherry tree. Last year on vacation I saw one in a Wendy's parking lot in Louisa, KY. It was puddling after a good rain we had just had. After we ate, I ran around taking pictures of it like a crazy woman!

Oh, thank you, thank you for the I.D. Cherry tree? We've many a black cherry trees growing naturally in our area so that's the hostplant for the butterflies? Thanks much.
Kim
p.s. oh so that was what it was doing, puddling (for mineral water). I watered the garden this morning. Last time I saw it, coincidentally was while I was irrigating the garden as well. Doh....

Yup, they like the cherry trees for their host plant. This is also one of those butterflies that prefers rotting fruit over nectar so if you want to see him more often make some butterfly brew!

Ok, butterfly brew, just some chopped up fruits? Thanks Mellie.

Check out the sticky thread on top of the forum. There are several links to butterfly brew in there. And if you happen to be cleaning out the fridge and there are fruits that have gone bad, just set them somewhere for the butterflies to enjoy. Hopefully, everyone here is composting whatever they clean out of their fridge. Gotta keep the worms in your soil happy, too. : )
Melanie

A gorgeous butterfly got away before I hand camera in hand but this little guy was just lovin' the new Amazon Dianthus I'd just planted...loved catchin' this shot of his "face"

Is that American Painted Lady? Or is that peacock something? Look at the spots on the hindwing. Pretty!

Oooh I just bought some of that Amazon Dianthus today at a nursery. I can't wait until it opens yours looks so pretty and so does your butterfly. : )

Hi, Chantell. How is your 'special' butterfly??
Lily, that is great pic of Red Spotted Purple.
Elaine

Thanks Elaine, I love yours on the liatris?

This queen just wouldn't leave my mistflower all morning.

Skipper flitting about the salvia.

Thanks Lily and Elaine. Those were some of my Monarchs that I gave to Botanic Garden last year. There were not many butterflies around and they were having a tag and release program. I got to tag one myself and release it! That was pretty cool.