We came from here: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/885154/
Wow, lots and lots of activity all across the country. It occurred to me that I hadn't taken a picture of my long-tailed skipper since he made his chrysalis, so here he is. I got to release one at the museum last weekend. He sure was in a hurry when I set him free!
Poor chewed up guy
Wow that chrysalis is something!
I've been getting lots of chewed up bf's too : (
I found 4 BST cats on my zizia aptera. I am very happy except that they seem to only be interested in eating the seed heads which I have been anxiously watching for ripeneing to save! I don't think there is going to be any left for me!
Meredith,
Ypou can sew protective covers for branches or small shrubs out of Frost row cover. Here is an example http://www.gardensalive.com/product.asp?pn=2005&bhcd2=1218790393 I did not search for the cheapest or best, I just gave an example. I purchased a few pre-sewn from a moth caterpillar guy. It worked very well and will last for several seasons- unless you tear it on a wild lime bush;-). Those are easier to just keep in large pots and rotate them in & out.
Maggie
Guess if you only have one plant Meredith, you could put the toe of hosiery on the bloom so the cats can't get at it. Might work.
Mel..
Thanks for the new thread! Even with DSL it was s-l-o-w to pull up. That is some chrysalis in the opening shot! Looks like a strawberry in yogurt! Was is the other things there? One I am sure must be the discard skin/head but the other?
Shadowjack... Looking rough or not, I am so glad to see any right now.
Sheila, I just pulled up the bug files trying to ID a bug I found, and I saw your post with the piggy back chrysalides. I had BST's do that too, and I'm nervous about the bottom one eclosing! I don't want to try to seperate them, they're too tightly together. What did you do?
I've had a wonderful butterfly afternoon! I went out to deadhead my butterfly bushes, and they were just buzzing with activity. At one time, I saw two TST's, two BST's, a sulphur, a long tailed skipper, a little brown guy I need to find in my book, and a couple of spicebush and/or pipevine ST's (I still haven't figured out how to id them, and they NEVER stop fluttering so it's SO hard to get a photo!!!!). Hot as it was out there, I loved having them all around me!!!
This is the guy I was trying to id, but he was fluttering his wings so constantly I ended up with a bunch of photos pretty much like this one. Can anyone tell if this is a Pipevine or a Spicebush ST?
you know, I had a day like that too! 3 ETS, 1 BST, 1 Monarch, 1 Silver spotted skipper all on the phlox.
crazy.
I had rain today!!! Yeah!!! I did get a pic of Pipevines in love.
Thea, I would say that's a Spicebush. Pipevines don't have the white spots around the edging like that. They have white spots but they're...different. It's hard to explain in words sometimes, lol! Now in your first picture with the Tiger ST, is that a female dark form TST on the right? Those are the ones I have trouble telling from Spicebushes. Your picture really helps because I see more orange which the Spicebush wouldn't have, and the body is all black whereas the Spicebush has white spots.
I had three Polydamas flying in the yard today. One of them ate some pentas for a change. I tried to chase one away from the pipevine, but it laid two clusters of eggs anyway. I also had a sulphur laying eggs (which I gathered up); I think it was an Orange-Barred as it looked like one I saw earlier this year. I also rounded up another gang of Long-Tailed Skippers. Oh! - and something is laying eggs on my false indigo http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/1613/. It looks like the long-tailed skippers because the eggs were similar and there were leaf shelters. Unfortunately, I couldn't find any cats. The lizards tend to hang out there so they may have eaten them. I didn't even realize anything was laying on it, but now that I know I'll do regular checks.
As for my crazy skipper chrysalis, that's it's head and skin on the right and it's resting on a dried-up leaf. Sheila, did that answer your question?
Check it out - one of the Polydamas actually stopped to sun itself!
Friend or Foe? Moth or Butterfy? Thanks, GM
First
Second
The last.
Thea... Leave them be. I put a comment on the picture saying I was concerned also. But the first came out fine no problems. I am sure yours will also.
Nice pics everyone.
I think you have a Gray Hairstreak there GM. Good pics those HS are tiny and moving constantly.
OOH, I like that little guy Grandmaggie.
Maggie
Thank you for the help everyone. : )
Yup, that's a Gray Hairstreak. I like the way the hairstreaks rub their wings back and forth when they're resting. I love to just sit there and watch them. Plus, their eyes remind me of the "Gray" aliens, lol!
Yes!!! He was rubbing his wings back and forth while resting!!!!
Thanks!!!
I am enjoying this Butterfly thread very much!!! GM
Yikes Mellie, I was thinking that it was a BST until you mentioned it being a female dark form of the TST, and I pulled up the photo, and sure enough, you're right! This is the photo of the TST with the BST, though it's not a very good picture. It was funny having all three, plus the spicebush, on that one butterfly bush!
Thanks Sheila, I'll leave my little piggyback partners as they are. I hated the thought of trying to seperate them!
But I've GOT to get down the difference between the Spicebush and the Pipevine. My book isn't a huge help, I'll keep looking on the internet and thru old postings on DG......
Forgot to post the photo of my BST and TST......
I know good TST photos are a dime a dozen, but I still love it when I catch one posing! They are just SO lovely!!!
Lovely pic Thea!
Thea, I know, i really love how cooperative they are.
lovely, Thea. I have a hard time distinguishing between the black swallowtail and the pipevine from the side view.
Mellie, I so want a polydamus. sighhhh
Grandmaggie, love those little hairstreaks.
Elaine
Thea....maybe the TSTs are plentiful there but I have only spotted one three times in my yard. I never tire of looking at their pictures.
As for comparing the PST & BST, see if this site will help. You can pull up anything and then select those you want.
http://www.naba.org/chapters/nabambc/common-comparisons.asp
edited to say....btw if you can't rember this link, look at the top post "sticky" on this thread. That is a thread with a lot of info, and it stays there all the time.
This message was edited Aug 15, 2008 11:43 PM
I'm thinking this is an Eastern Black Swallowtail. It may be hurt because it wasn't flitting well.
Ugh, I'm soooo tired. I'm in the midst of renovating my bromeliad garden and today involved lots of weeding and mulching. It was cloudy so the heat wasn't too bad, but it was so humid and kept drizzling on and off. The butterflies didn't seem to mind - as long as it was light rain they were still flying around.
I hadn't seen the Zebra Longwings in a couple of days so it was good to see this one on the porterweed this morning.
I also got a shot of a Polydamas! Had to have been luck. Elaine, I would happily send you gobs of them. They're our most numerous butterfly at MOSI and I've apparently started my own colony here at the house. Yesterday I had about six gut purges, but I got everyone on paper towels first. Then, I had to play referee and keep the wanderers from climbing atop the cats in their slings. They're so troublesome! Mom still insists they just like to snuggle with each other.
Mmm...pentas. I've had a lot more skippers around lately.
Had a Monarch emerge today. It was a boy. He flew around the yard for a while. I also had a female Monarch laying eggs on the milkweed. I've noticed my lizards are moving into the milkweed territory. I'm wondering if they're also eating the aphids and the bugs. It's about time they contributed to the garden!
Guess who else was laying eggs today? I'm glad the Zebra Longwing got it before the Gulf Frit did. Oh, and Dad mowed down my maypop, but luckily it's coming back and now has a little red flag marking its spot.
I also saw a Cloudless Sulphur and an Orange-Barred sulfur today, but I have a bad habit of walking up on them without realizing they're there, and then they fly away. I was also thinking I hadn't seen a Palamedes in a while so naturally, a tattered one came zooming by me. I think I saw a Black ST but I wouldn't swear to it. I did pick another batch of eggs off the fennel yesterday and put them in the butterfly house.
That's my excitement for today!
Melanie
A photo I took while on vacation, of two butterflies and a bee sharing a thistle flower.
Everybody likes thistle! You've got a Silver-Spotted Skipper there and some kind of Fritillary. Very nice!
Mellie, I love those Zebra Longwings!! Will the lizards eat the monarch eggs or cats? I have lots of anoles around, and I keep seeing them go into the jungle of passion vines, I'm so afraid they're going after the frit cats.
I'm so upset; we've had a real sweet kitty hanging around under our deck, he comes up to visit us when we're on the deck, and he gets along well with our little dog. But today he came out to the garden with me, and was fascinated with the butterflies! He tried to grab a beautiful TST and I think he got his paws on him, but the TST took off across the golf course, and I think he was okay. I hadn't thought of the kitty as another predator!!!!
I think the Gulf Fritillary is so beautiful, that orange colour is gorgeous!
Your gulf frit shot is BEAUTIFUL!!! My dog tried to get a butterfly the other day. Unlike a cat, he didn't even get close. It was pretty funny though.
Mel, love that zebra wow! I'm so jealous!
aww, that kitty IS cute. Yah, butterflies are fun for them as it's like a big dangly toy. Mine has been much more interested in the mice that apparently are in the "orchard" (a 10 x10 spot that I have One apple tree in). He only gets to go out once in a while on supervised visits. In the spring it's all about the garter snakes though. He has to be really hard up to go after the butterflies.
Great butterfly photos everyone! So many Zebra Longwings!!! Way to go!!!
Hey VA - I like that Fritillary!!! Nice to see something aside from the usual Gulf Frits :o) Although I must admit I do love the salmon coloring on the underside of the GFs :o)
Was at the ranch today...there were thousands and thousands of Snouts on the move. I'd set out some butterfly brew to try to photograph some Leafwings and when I went to check on it - there were gobs of Snouts on the branch!
~ Cat
Come on, shake your body baby, do the conga!!!
This is either a Snout Conga line or barbed wire trapeze practice! :o)
~ Cat
