qebo's 2012 garden (2)

The old thread was getting a bit much...

It sure was...couldn't see the last comment(s) as the thread kept jumping as it loaded pics! Glad you started a new one.

O...M...G... LOOK WHAT'S ON MY MILKWEED! It's a baby Monarch!





ETA: Monarch life cycle: http://www.monarchbutterflyusa.com/Cycle.htm
My caterpillar obviously did not spontaneously generate at an inch plus; apparently I've been unobservant. I'll look for others later.

Original post: 1 August 2012
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Such a pretty caterpillar! Congrats!

On the butterfly bush at the same time: Monarch, Painted Lady, Silver Spotted Skipper, two Red Admirals.
And fluttering around the yard a few minutes later: a female Black Swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes), which landed on the anise, appropriately, because its host plants are in the parsley family.



qebo = 12
SqueakyChu = 5

Original post: 1 August 2012
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So jealous of all the butterflies that both you and SqueakyChu are showcasing. We don't have nearly the variety.

I would've sworn that I didn't have the variety either. Maybe I didn't before this year? I hadn't paid much attention. I have the advantage of working at home, so I can step into the yard for a few minutes any time, and it's seeming that mid day is when the butterflies are around. The butterfly bush is doing its part, but there's also lots of activity around the milkweeds: along with butterflies checking out the flowers, all sorts of bees and wasps and flies are wallowing in and buzzing around, mostly too small to photograph. This morning a line of ants was marching up a milkweed stem and carrying down tiny white dots into the mulch outside the circle.

Were they stealing monarch eggs (doesn't know much about monarchs)(even though I have loads of them here).

Wow, Katherine! I am truly impressed.

I think both you and I have made the point that, "if you build it, they will come". It's in this way that we each are helping our own local area to improve it's ecosystem by changing our garden to include more native plants.

Sadly, in the area where I live, I think more of our ecosystem is being destroyed rather than being built up. In my own garden, though, I can help improve it.

I am amazed. I keep going outside to check on my caterpillar. It's been roaming onto different leaves, and is still there this morning. The monarch has been around several times, most recently yesterday. I've checked the milkweeds for other caterpillars, and I'm seeing nothing, but this may not mean much.

My baby, chomping on a milkweed leaf:



Original post: 2 August 2012
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Wow, it's quite spectacular! How big is it? I've never seen a monarch caterpillar in real life. I was fortunate enough to see some of the butterflies hibernating in California once.

Getting such a kick out of you calling it "your baby"!

It's about an inch and a half long. I think not full size. It's voracious. The leaf disappears as I watch. 5th instar I think, from this description: http://www.mymonarchguide.com/2008/08/life-stages-determining-instars.html. It's really getting around. Took awhile to find it this evening.

A bunch of butterflies were around this afternoon, but all types that I’d seen and counted previously. This evening, a new one. Red-Banded Hairstreak (Calycopis cecrops):



qebo = 13
SqueakyChu = 5

Original post: 2 August 2012
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I don't think I'll go out in my garden. I'll just sit here and watch the parade of your butterfly pictures. They're marvelous!!

Well you have your baby, and I have mine. One baby wren poked his head out of the birdhouse this morning. It was so cute! I have a feeling that within a day or two all of the babies in there will be gone.

Love the pic of the monarch butterfly!

Aw, sweet! Yeah, you better stay put. They grow up quickly, and I gather the last bunch slipped out of the nest without saying goodbye.

Frequent lurker in this group, but I wanted to pop up to say how cool the baby monarch is!

Where is my baby? Last seen around 7pm yesterday...

Sez the internet: "Your caterpillars, if they were really big (as in over 1" long) probably are ready to pupate! When caterpillars are ready to pupate, they will often leave their host plant (the plant that they eat) to find a nice, peaceful spot. Many times, that spot may be WAY far away from where they were eating! Check around about up to 30-feet away."

That would be my entire back yard...

Next time, put him in a jar!

I don't know what counts as "a nice, peaceful spot" in the mind of a caterpillar. Does it pick a direction at random and keep going until it hits something? How far can a caterpillar see? I am encouraged that the / a monarch has been flitting about on the milkweeds for several days straight, so maybe there will be more caterpillars.

(15) qebo, I've only posted four butterfly pictures, but could you include me in the butterfly count? :)

Katherine, weren't you going to start a separate thread for the butterfly count?

23: I was, but I've spent the week in computer hell... maybe this weekend.

OK, I've set up a butterfly competition thread: http://www.librarything.com/topic/140576. I'll post mine later.

More about where the caterpillars go: http://monarchwatch.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=265

I'm still looking...

The monarch that has been visiting recently is a boy. :-( Photo from this morning, also have another from a few days ago.
How to tell: http://www.monarchwatch.org/biology/sexing.htm



Original post: 4 August 2012
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Wow, I am learning SO much here...

I walked along the fence peering under the top and middle horizontal strips, especially near the posts, then went inside to get a tool for peering under the bottom strip (OK, yes, I have been rather obsessed about this all day).


On my way across the deck to the yard, I tested the mirror by peering under the interior of the railing, yup, works as expected, walked down the steps, glanced across the exterior of the railing, and there I FOUND MY BABY! This is indeed about 30 feet from the milkweed.


Don’t see it? Here.


Seems vulnerable.

Original post: 4 August 2012
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I can't believe you found him! It looks as if he's hanging to form his chrysalis!

30: Yup. It did exactly what it's supposed to do, leave the host plant and find a sheltered spot. I'm amazed that it ended up all the way over here. Did it see posts from afar? Did it choose a direction at random, which happened to be the one direction that wouldn't hit the fence in a quarter or half the distance? I so wish I'd seen it traveling across the yard.

Well, it's very cool!

Keep taking pictures of it. How long until it turns into a butterfly?

About two weeks, and toward the end the case becomes transparent. I'm figuring on a photo each morning and evening.

I'll be checking back daily, then!

Fun!! Thanks!

My beautiful baby, 8am today:


Original post: 5 August 2012
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Too cool!

So what happens inside the chrysalis?
http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/life/zoology/insects-arachnids/ca...
http://www.learner.org/jnorth/tm/monarch/ChrysalisDevelopmentLPB.html
http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2801/how-exactly-does-a-caterpillar-mor...

Fascinating stuff.

That is amazing!!

I didn't know that the chrysalis was "inside" the caterpillar. I always thought that the chrysalis was somehow formed "around" the caterpillar. So I see that the only protective covering formed on the "outside" of some caterpillars is a cocoon which would cover the chrysalis.

41: Me too.
Google "imaginal disc" images to get a bunch of cool stuff...

Even more fascinating! I want some in my yard!!

Wow! I've always imagined it to be like SqueakyChu did.

This is wonderful--thanks so much for posting. I also think it's amazing that you found your small friend!

43: Well, if the monarch butterflies aren't finding your milkweed, you can buy caterpillars.

you can buy caterpillars

Isn't that cheating? :)

46: Maybe you have to teach a generation where the milkweed is. But then you are obligated to provide an adequate supply. So yes, troubling, because if monarchs aren't finding your milkweed, then maybe there's not enough in the vicinity to support a population.

So yes, troubling, because if monarchs aren't finding your milkweed, then maybe there's not enough in the vicinity to support a population.

I'm sure that's the case.

My native plant idea is to buy lots of varieties, not mainly milkweed. I more interested in seeing what native plants arttracts which species.

Sat on the deck steps today watching this Variegated Fritillary caterpillar munch on violet leaves. I saw one awhile back in the side yard, once and never again. Lots of violets in the back yard, in a fairly contained area, but I’ve ruffled through a few times and found nothing but pill bugs and millipedes. Now on the alert for a Variegated Fritillary chrysalis.





ETA: Now I see two of them.

Original post: 5 August 2012
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48: My native plant idea is to buy lots of varieties, not mainly milkweed.
Sensible. I've only focused on the milkweed because it has yielded results. The community garden a few blocks from my house is in a field with large patches of milkweed, so the monarchs are already in the vicinity.

I've never seen a caterplillar that looks like that. I wouldn't even know where to start looking in my yard for a chrysalis. I guess the first thing I'd have to do is identify what a tiger swallowtail chrysalis looks like as that seems to be my most abundant butterfly. Well, I guess the very first thing I'd have to do is be sure there was at least one of those caterpillars in my yard.

This was an anise swallowtail caterpillar I found on my parsley plant back in 2008.

I've been checking my anise and parsley since I saw a swallowtail on the anise, but so far no sign. I have an extra dense crop of violets this year. I began a policy of removing not-violets from the patch near the compost bin in the spring, and the violets happily responded with population growth and expansion.

Thunderstorm, rain, wind, worry... How did the chrysalis fare? OK as of 6:30pm.



Original post: 5 August 2012
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It looks a little wet, though! :)

Yeah, but it seems made to deal with wet. I was worried that it might get blown off.

They have pretty tough glue! :)

And hooks on their feet!

For the record, photographed the monarch chrysalis this morning, but there’s no discernible change, except it's drier, so I won’t clutter my thread.

While I was out there, I happened to catch a skipper bouncing around on the deck. Tentatively identifying it as a male Zabulon Skipper (Poanes zabulon).
ETA: Or a male Hobomok Skipper?



qebo = 14

Original post: 6 August 2012
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Awhile later, I watched the black swallowtail make the rounds of parsley and anise, beating wings too quickly for photos. I turned around, and there on the butterfly bush was a Question Mark (Polygonia interrogationis). The photo is blurry because the wind was blowing and the butterfly opened its wings only a few times briefly.





qebo = 15

Original post: 6 August 2012
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Today on the violets, a Variegated Fritillary caterpillar, possibly one that I saw yesterday, about 1-1/2" long, and two small VF caterpillars, about 1/2" long.

I still can't photograph a cabbage white. They always land with their wings parallel to where I'm standing and keep them closed the whole time! :(

They're stinkers, SqueakyChu!

The butterflies I've photographed just won't settle down in one place...I have literally chased them all over the yard until they got tired (I guess) and stopped just long enough for me to get a picture.

.I have literally chased them all over the yard until they got tired (I guess)

Now that's an idea!

Variegated Fritillary caterpillar, about 1/2”, on violet. Compare to the one above, which is about 1-1/2".



Original post: 6 August 2012
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Not noticed any caterpillars here...

> 64

We're going to rename your garden "Caterpillar Haven". See how much fun it is to have native plants?! :)

66: See how much fun it is to have native plants?!
I'm already considering what to plant next year for more caterpillars.

Another Variegated Fritillary caterpillar on the violets this morning, about 3/4".

No discernible change in the chrysalis.

No discernible change in the chrysalis.

Thanks for the update. Even if I had a chrysalis in my yard, I'm sure I'd never be able to find it!

Your garden is a veritable caterpillary nursery! :)

I just love that you hunted around with a mirror until you found "your baby"! We're hanging on its every move now.

How's baby doing today? Inquiring minds want to know...

You've inspired me, I think I'm going to look into more of a butterfly friendly garden next year.

70: Baby looks the same, so far as I can tell. I check throughout the day. I'll report as soon as I see a change.

You've inspired me, I think I'm going to look into more of a butterfly friendly garden next year.
Credit goes to SqueakyChu, who whose review of Bringing Nature Home last year inspired me to buy it, so it was on hand as gardening season approached this year.

> 70

You've inspired me, I think I'm going to look into more of a butterfly friendly garden next year.

Hooray!

If you haven't read Tallamy's book (see message #71), read it now. In fact, bring it to the beach in case fishing is slow! :)

I think I want to own a copy of that book. It's very thought-provoking and aslo has a wealth of great information related to why native species are so important.

I put it on my wishlist.

I just did a search on our public library website, and all I could find, aside from a couple fieldguides was juvenile picture books.

Either their search stinks or their selection does...

Status quo for the monarch chrysalis. Saw two small Variegated Fritillary caterpillars today, I'd suppose the same ones as before. Did not see the two large ones. Found what may be swallowtail eggs on the dill. Have photos of two unidentified small moths and a skipper. Also of plants. Remember the plants? Will post photos soonish.

I’m way behind here... have plant and critter photos to organize and post, but for now, monarch news. 1) My baby is still hanging in there. And 2) maybe more on the way! Today TWO female monarchs were flitting around at the same time. The male I’d seen a bunch of times had been landing on milkweed flowers. The females land lower, on milkweed leaves. I got photos of both to verify female, and happened to catch one in the act of laying eggs.



So I looked for eggs. They’re not easy to find, with leaves overlapping and sunlight and shadows. I found about a half dozen, never more than one egg per leaf, zoomed in to compare them to internet photos of monarch eggs.



Original post: 10 August 2012
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A nursery!

(No pun intended!)

While on the egg hunt, I happened upon a bug I don’t recall ever seeing before. Turns out it’s a moth, the Ailanthus Webworm moth (Atteva aurea), which is native to Florida and points south, but migrates north.



qebo=16

Original post: 10 August 2012
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(76) And appropriately enough, the eggs will hatch on the MILKweed plant, where they will imbibe proper nouishment for baby Monarchs...

> 77

Now that is one interesting-looking insect!

*still chasing the cabbage white butterfly with my camera*

Found a bunch more Monarch eggs this morning in cloudy daylight. For example:


Ever since the visit from the Black Swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes), who appeared to be laying eggs on the anise, I’ve been looking for caterpillars. Several days ago I saw eggs on the dill (one at the center of this photo).


Yesterday the eggs were gone. Washed away by rain? Hatched and the caterpillars are tiny? Remaining optimistic, I looked around again this morning, and found a caterpillar!


The anise is Pimpinella anisum. The dill is Anethum graveolen. Both are native to the Mediterranean region, but what the Black Swallowtail cares about is Apiaceae family. The plants are rather pathetic. I neglected the raised beds while I was constructing the circle, not much sprouted, and I haven’t been tending. The dill is a volunteer from seeds produced by the substantial crop last year.


I see a few Variegated Fritillary caterpillars each time I check closely. I haven’t seen the two largest recently, so I suppose they’ve gone off to pupate. The violet patch is next to the deck with a vast crawl space and the fence with a gap at the bottom, so chances of finding them are low.

Original post: 11 August 2012
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Hey, Katherine. Pretty soon you'll be able to start charging an admission fee to your wildlife sanctuary! It's really fun to follow along with all of your discoveries...and learn about these critters as well.

Better photos of a Cabbage White (Pieris rapae) female from a few days ago:





The plant is Creeping Woodsorrel (Oxalis corniculata) native to Europe. I’ve been letting it proliferate as ground cover because I like it and don’t have anything better.

Original post: 11 August 2012
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I was wondering what the deal is with the Black Swallowtail, which is a native American butterfly, and the frequently noted host plants of anise, dill, parsley, which are not native. Well, someone else had the same question, and researched the answer: http://www.ecosystemgardening.com/what-did-black-swallowtails-eat-before-we-brou....

The last time I (maybe?) had a Black wallowtail caterpillar in my garden was in 2008. It had been on a parsley plant. This is my photograph of that critter. That was before my "native plant frenzy" began. :)



I was told that this was an anise swallowtail caterpillar. Was it really a black swallowtail caterpillar?

I can't tell any of the caterpillars apart, wouldn't recognise an egg if it bit me and think you guys are a heady combination of loopy and wonderful. For butterflies, I at least have a reference book!

84: Internet images for Anise Swallowtail and Black Swallowtail caterpillars look similar. I actually observed a Black Swallowtail laying eggs on my anise, so I'm supposing that's what it is.

More Black Swallowtail hosts: http://melanys.tripod.com/black_swallowtail.htm .
Apparently native to Pennsylvania:
Spotted Water Hemlock (Cicuta maculata) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cicuta_maculata), but it is toxic, was also known as Suicide Root by the Iroquois.
Mock Bishopsweed or Herbwilliam (Ptilimnium capillaceum) (http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/bfly/bfly2/eastern_black_swallowtail13.htm , http://www.regionalconservation.org/beta/nfyn/plantdetail.asp?tx=Ptilcapi), but it wants continuously moist soil.
Golden Alexander (Zizia aurea) (http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ZIAU , http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zizia_aurea) may be the best bet, prefers moist but can survive dry.

I also read about the Golden Alexanders (Zizea aurea), and they sound like a possible addition next year.

Bunch of butterflies today: Cabage White, Red Admiral, Variegated Fritillary, Eastern Tailed-Blue, all seen before. Then a new one, a little dark thing, seeming rather focused on the false indigo, which doesn’t have any flowers. Hmm, in my vast experience of a week or so, that’s egg laying behavior. It wasn’t staying put, so I directed the camera toward the plant and snapped, hoping that one shot or another would catch it. Yes! Not only the butterfly, but an egg. Wild Indigo Duskywing (Erynnis baptisiae) female.



qebo = 17

Original post: 12 August 2012
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17????

:throws in the towel:

Good picture.

I'm afraid I can't catch up to you, but I'll keep posting my butterfly pictures as I take and identify them.

Things are happening... I noticed a darkish patch on the chrysalis late this afternoon, took a photo but it didn’t look different enough to be sure. Figured I should check again before dark. Taking into account dusk and shadows and flash, now I’m sure.



Original post: 12 August 2012
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90: 17???? :throws in the towel:
And three more as yet unidentified, a skipper and two moths. :-)
No towel throwing! You got started later.

Today in caterpillars: saw the Black Swallowtail caterpillar on the anise again, and three sizes of Variegated Fritillary caterpillar.

(91) That's a great picture! I can see the wing pattern through the 'skin' of the chrysalis!

Still more rain here, too wet for butterflies. However, I saw a Sleepy Orange flitting around the parking lot at church this afternoon, and identified it for my dh.

He was patient with me... ;)

I got up at 6am to check... Two hours later no discernible change, and it’ll be in the bright sun for awhile so photos are difficult.



Original post: 13 August 2012
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Checking in, joining Team Qebo Butterfly Watch. This is an amazing thread, now starred for future reference!

Oh my! Monarch wings showing faintly and then really distinctly! Soon?

I think very soon!

Well, that was quick. I finished a small task for work, checked around 9:30, chrysalis looked the same. I finished another small task for work, checked again around 10:30, and the butterfly was out, hanging onto the chrysalis, occasionally testing its wings, but they were floppy. I had a conference call at 11:00, so I got a clipboard and pen, set up a chair six feet away from the chrysalis, and multitasked. Fortunately, not much happened while I was on the phone, but shortly afterward, around noon, the butterfly began flapping its wings, walked away from the chrysalis onto the railing, glided onto the deck, stumbled around. I went inside for a few minutes, returned, and the butterfly was gone. It's a girl.









Original post: 13 August 2012
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Checked some of the eggs on the milkweed, hmm, not seeing them... Hatched? Yes! Here’s a 1st instar caterpillar, blurry because I was holding the leaf with one hand and operating the camera with the other while the wind was blowing. I’ll try for a better shot later.



Original post: 13 August 2012
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Cool about the butterfly, and I'll bite! How do you know it's a girl?

Oh my, it's like a miracle. I mean, I know it happens all the time, but it's amazing every time. How lucky that you were there to capture the moment!

Ditto Rebecca's question.

100,101: See post 27.
I mean, I know it happens all the time, but it's amazing every time.
Yeah. Butterflies have been doing this for awhile, but I've felt responsible for this one, so I've been worrying about it for the two weeks since I noticed it on a milkweed leaf.

Congratulations! Katie and I have been following the exciting developments. She thinks you are amazing. Her hero!

I saw this skipper several days ago, and around the same time saw the one I’d identified as a Zabulon Skipper. Took a bunch of photos of each, and I'm sure they're different. This one sure seems to be a Fiery Skipper (Hylephila phyleus) male. I’m not seeing any other skipper with similar wing pattern. But, the Hobomok and Zabulon Skippers are very similar, and I’m not sure which mine was, so I've changed the identification on the butterfly thread accordingly.





qebo = 18

Original post: 13 August 2012
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103: Her hero!
I just planted the milkweed. :-)

#102 and 27. Wow! The things I never knew!

I almost feel like a proud aunt!

(100) (101) The wing pattern gives it away (the gender).

I looked for the Black Swallowtail caterpillar I’d seen the last two days, didn’t find it, but did find four of these Black Swallowtail 1st instar caterpillars on the dill, so the eggs did hatch.



Original post: 13 August 2012
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>27 qebo:: aha! very cool!

Three moths in need of identification. All are small, first two about 5/8”-3/4”, third about 3/8”. Posting here so I don’t have to keep track of them on my computer.







Original post: 13 August 2012
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#3 Meal Moth (Pyralis farinalis)

112: Ah, yes. They live in the compost bin, flutter out when I open the lid. Thanks! (You do realize this increases the count...)

Thank you so much Katherine, I'm so glad I came over here!

#1 reminds me of udea lutealis, but they live in the UK.

(113) I know...but it is an irresistible challenge to identify them...even for others!

The'll have to wait til tomorrow for identification, I'm headed for bed...

117: I have put no effort whatsoever into identifying the moths, figured if I put them directly in front of my eyes I'd get motivated. No need for others to do my work.

Rain this morning. Wandered into the yard after it stopped, and there were eight! Variegated Fritillary caterpillars out on the violets. Various sizes. Photos later...

I’ve seen this one around, a little orange thing that wouldn’t stay put, but today I happened to catch it lounging. Surprisingly, didn’t take long to identify. I’ve added a useful link to the first post: the Bug Guide moth identification begins with silhouettes of the various families, and googling “orange geometrid moth” got matching images. It is a Chickweed Geometer Haematopis grataria.



qebo = 19

Original post: 15 August 2012
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I haven't disappeared... I got myself into a major photo reorganization. One consequence is that I'm moving the photos I'd linked on my garden threads, to Flickr (where I've had an account for several years) from Photobucket (where I set up an account recently specifically for this group, but which has become troublesome to maintain -- no fault of Photobucket, but I've been posting far more than I'd anticipated, and there's too much stuff in too many places to keep straight in my mind). I could leave the thread links as is, but the mess would irritate me.

@qebo, I load most of my pictures to be shared here in my LT member gallery.

For my family, I use a Shutterfly account.

122: Yeah, I'd started doing that, but the LT gallery is awkward in comparison to a dedicated photo sharing site. I tried Photobucket partly out of curiosity, and partly to keep LT stuff separate, but it's turning out that I want to get organized, and it's easier to get organized where I already am.

> 90

17????

:throws in the towel:

LOL!!

What was funny was that, at the beach, I only saw one kind of yellow butterfly. I saw it everywhere. Do you think even one of them would land so I could take a picture? Of course not! :)

> 98

Wow!

Thanks for sharing those *amazing* pictures.

> 99

1st instar caterpillar

I'm not sure I'd even be able to identify a 1st instar caterpillar! LOL!!

> 121

I really like using Flickr (and take special advantage of the Creative Commons license for using photos of others for various porjects). I do have a paid membership there which I feel is well worth the money.

> 122

My older son made a very nice wedding photo album for his brother using the photo upload on Shutterfly from his photos on Flickr. Photography is one of his hobbies.

Catching up here...

The day I was sitting in the yard watching the monarch emerge from the chrysalis, I saw a Variegated Fritillary butterfly laying eggs on the violets.


After rain the next morning, I saw 8! Variegated Fritillary caterpillars at the same time. Here are three. With so many caterpillars, I’m hopeful of one day finding a chrysalis, but so far no luck. I suspect they go under the deck.


Here is the vast field of violets . For scale, the square blocks are 12”x12”.

I’m finding monarch caterpillars on the milkweeds, though not every day, and not necessarily the same ones each day. Initially I’d look for small holes in the leaves and find tiny caterpillars underneath. This doesn’t seem an effective strategy once they’re older and wander around more. Here are three of increasing size, with my index finger for scale.

I thought these were the same thing until I zoomed in (click through to Flickr).

This is apparently a batch of ladybug eggs.


This is a group of Oleander Aphids (Aphis nerii), apparently not critters that should be tolerated: http://www.mymonarchguide.com/2007/08/there-are-these-little-orange-things.html .

The only thing I have on my milkweeds are those aphids.

*grumble*

So how do I get rid of them?!

ETA: It seems that a hard spray of water should do the trick. I'll have to do that at the end of the week as I'm back off to work tomorrow.

A spray with a glop of dish detergent gently mixed in. Doesn't harm the plant.

That link above (in msg # 131) says *not* to use soapy water.

"Using soap, insecticidal soap, sprays, etc. will only coat the Milkweed with chemicals that can be potentially harmful to any Monarch caterpillar that might eat the leaves."

I’ve seen this bug several times on the Joe Pye, and with my newly organized photos I was able to dedicate attention to it. I googled “bug orange head black wings” and images included Ctenucha virginica, which looked promising. I googled this specifically. Close but the wings are too wide. Another Ctenucha? No, other species are worse matches. I googled “Ctenucha virginica similar”, and got the Yellow Collared Scape moth (Cisseps fulvicollis). Yup, that’s the one. I had not expected it to be a moth. Its association with Joe Pye is recognized: http://pollinators.blogspot.com/2012/02/cisseps-fulvicolis-better-known-moth.htm... .



qebo = 20

Your garden has the most interesting assortment of moths and butterflies, many of which I've never seen.

Which have been your most sucessful native plants (other than the milkweeds) in attracting these lepidoptera?

The butterfly bush is where I see most varieties, partly because it’s larger than anything else so they stick around for awhile, and partly because it’s right next to the deck for easy viewing. They’ll do the rounds of other plants too, but aside from the milkweed and Joe Pye, I have only one each of the native flowers, as experiments. I want to replace the butterfly bush with something native that will have the same effect plus host caterpillars, but I’m not yet sure what. This isn’t so much a matter of purging non-natives as of making room; the butterfly bush is occupying the only spot in the yard where a bush of its size can fit.

I am amazed at the variety, and wish I had kept track in previous years for comparison.

I think it helps that you are remarkably observant. Lots of folks might have some of this fauna but you SEE it.

Monarchs in the local news:
http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/717720_Local-scientist-unravels-mysteri...

138: I work at home and work is driving me crazy, so I go outside with the camera for mental health breaks.

Hanging out on the milkweed this morning.


Growing babies. The only Monarch and Black Swallowtail caterpillars I found today.




Still have lots of Variegated Fritillary. This one was walking back and forth at the edge of the deck, and I was hoping to see where it went. Alas, I had to go inside and work, and when I returned it was gone.


Hmm, what's this? I found three, all under bin rims.

>141 qebo: What's the critter in the first pic?

It's like a treasure hunt. I love coming to see what you've found.

142: A cicada. They're singing in the trees and also dropping dead around here.

I love the sound of the cicadas. This has been a relatively quiet year in Vermont and on the Cape too where some years they are deafening on a hot August day.

On the Cape the cabbage moths constantly fluttered around a juniper bush by the house which I thought was interesting.

Last week there were four Black Swallowtail caterpillars. This week I've seen only one. Today zero. Last week there were several Monarch caterpillars. In recent days only one. This morning it was on the same leaf as yesterday's photo. This afternoon the leaf had been partially chewed away, but I couldn't find the caterpillar. :-( Yesterday I watched a documentary film about butterflies that said only 1% of eggs make it to adulthood.

but maybe they've just made cocoons or chrysalis and are going to emerge as lovely butterflies :)

> 146

1% of eggs make it to adulthood.

:(

> 147

but maybe they've just made cocoons or chrysalis and are going to emerge as lovely butterflies

Probably. But Katherine wants to know where they all are at all times! :)

Another Black Swallowtail caterpillar disappeared when it was about the same size, an inch or so. Seems too small, but I should look this up. The recent Monarch caterpillar is about 5/8"-3/4", and the one that became a chrysalis was about 1-1/2". The larger Variegated Fritillary caterpillars are about 1-1/2".

Birds could be eating them.

Monarch caterpillars are poisonous.

*pictures a bird being poisoned to death*

So I've learned now that many insects (stink bugs, wasps, ambush bugs, for example) can eat monarchs without being poisoned.

I thought my monarch caterpillar was dead because it wasn't moving (even when touched) this morning. This evening, however, he (or she) seems just fine!

My Variegated Fritillary caterpillars sometimes stop moving for no apparent reason, like halfway across a paving stone, when I'd expect them to want to reach shelter. They can move a quite a clip when they want to though. The original Monarch caterpillar would remain in the same place for hours, and then next time I checked it'd be on the other side of the plant.

The Wild Snail writer, Eliz. Bailey was astonished by how fast her snail could hoof it (or should that be.... slime it....) when she wasn't looking.

152: Ladybugs eat the eggs and the little caterpillars, I've read. I've seen lots of ladybugs, several varieties, on the milkweed. Also wasps. It's a dangerous world. :-(

155: I watched a VF caterpillar stroll for a couple of feet before it U-turned, and figured my Monarch could've gotten across the yard in half an hour, but I don't think of caterpillars and snails as linearly inclined.

Monarch caterpillar still missing this morning but showed up this afternoon. Yay! Probably been there all along, but well hidden. It's about an inch long now. Still no sign of Black Swallowtail caterpillar.

My monarch caterpillar is still around and moving very well. I'll be sad when he (she?) leaves.

Mine is on the smallest milkweed plant, only a foot high, never bloomed. I hope it has enough leaves to feed the caterpillar to maturity. The larger milkweeds had more eggs, but maybe they also have more predators? This milkweed is so small, nobody bothers with it.

Stay tuned for another installment of "All My Caterpillars"! :)

>160 fuzzi:: LOL!

Here, have a squirrel, with a convenient package of sunflower seeds.


The decaying sunflowers.


And returning to our regularly scheduled program, the Black Swallowtail caterpillar reappeared this morning. Doesn’t say much for my powers of observation that it’s been lost for two days. It’s about 1-1/4” long now.

I thought the new butterfly sightings were over for the year, I keep seeing the same kinds, but here’s one today, a Common Checkered Skipper (Pyrgus communis).


qebo = 21

And another "common" that I hadn't seen before, a Common Buckeye (Junonia coenia).


qebo = 22

Plus two as yet unidentified moths.

Monarch caterpillar...


...here:

Unidentified moth #1:

Unidentified moth #2:

I just ordered a moth identification book, so I will put it to the test when it arrives.

Bug porn:

(168) Me too, @qebo...I actually ordered two. Bad me.

>169 qebo: LOL!

Gettin' a bit racy around here. 169 - I immediately thought of a truly awful pun...... just give it a sec. and it'll come to you.

Yesterday I weeded the front and side yards, with no remarkable discoveries. Of the native plants I put there a couple months ago, seems that most have survived but they’ve done their thing for the year and I’ll have to wait until next year for flowers. The white wood asters though are thriving and blooming, and are surrounded by a cloud of small bees, which I couldn’t get to pose for a photo.


There’s a tiny iridescent orange fly that I’ve been trying to photograph for awhile, and managed to get this morning while the bugs were waiting for warmth and sunshine. Its body is about 1/8”. It is maybe in the Dolichopodidae family.


The Monarch caterpillar has gone missing again, but there are several eggs, and two female Monarch butterflies were hanging around the milkweed.

The Black Swallowtail caterpillar has gone missing again too, but a half dozen more have appeared, and a female Black Swallowtail butterfly was around for several hours.



The Common Buckeye was back this morning.


Another visitor this morning, a mourning dove, which I haven’t seen in my yard before.


The wood sorrel is getting out of control, but the butterflies like the flowers, so I’m keeping it.

I was outside for a while today and found myself paying much more attention to the butterflies, thanks to you!

@lindsacl, I've started noticing butterflies everywhere I go...and it's all @qebo's fault! ;)

It's my fault? SqueakyChu started it!

I did?!

@qebo said you did!

177: See http://www.librarything.com/topic/136710#3490210 and http://www.librarything.com/topic/136710#3493257 and http://www.librarything.com/topic/136710#3504867.

I so dread identifying skippers that maybe I shouldn’t take photos of them. Several that I’ve photographed this past week have been repeats, but I can’t tell until I zoom in.

This is from five days ago. I think Sachem Skipper (Atalopedes campestris) female (left) and male (right).


qebo = 23

This is from two days ago. I think Peck’s Skipper (Polites peckius)


qebo = 24

> 179

I know. I was just kidding. Me and my ideas, eh?

Don't you just love identifying skippers?

What's been good about this adventure for me is that it finally prompted me to learn more about how to use my camera.

182: I know you know, but you sound so innocent that other people may need evidence.
It prompted me to get a better camera.

This is SUCH an improving site!

:-(

What happened?

I don't know. I found it this morning, about a foot away from the milkweed it had been on.

In more hopeful news, I counted nine Black Swallowtail caterpillars this morning.

Now that's great news!

And is it Painted Lady season? There were eight on my butterfly bush, at the same time, this morning.

Not easy to photograph, because they blend in if they're not flying, but here are five:

Well here’s a new one for me. Possibly the Familiar Bluet damselfly (Enallagma civile). On the mountain mint, which is becoming quite the center of activity lately, since the nearby milkweed and Joe Pye are going to seed.


However, it is not benignly resting. It is a carnivorous predator.


I think what it has is one of these.

I thought I had this one already, but took a photo in case not, and zoomed in. Nope, it’s new. Gray Hairstreak (Strymon melinus).


Sharing a flower. The hairstreak stayed and the wasp moved on.


qebo = 25

Love seeing your progress, visitors, etc!

I'm inspired by the rest of you. I told my sister (who called me this evening on the phone) that I'm thinking of laying down a bunch of that landscaping plastic in the backyard, and going native next Spring, planting for butterflies and others. It would also mean less mowing, woo!

:thinkingthinkingthinking:

193: The mowing was what got to me, constant maintenance with no glory.

I counted nine Black Swallowtail caterpillars again this morning. The two from two days ago have morphed into another instar phase. It's these two on one plant and seven on another.


And a new butterfly! The bright yellow caught my eye when I was in the kitchen making coffee. It’s a Clouded Sulphur (Colias philodice) male.


qebo = 26

I just noticed today that two neighbors had pesticide applications put on their lawns this week. I wonder if that's affecting my wildlife. :(

No doubt!
Oh, that makes me sick.

It probably would, @SqueakyChu. The stuff kills indiscriminately.

196: Urgh, I bet it is. Are these neighbors people you can talk to?

Not really. They're not going to stop using pesticides because I don't like them. They use lawn services so they don't have to care for their own lawns. I see the little signs on the lawns whenever a pesticide application is made.

Hah. One of the gazillion Variegated Fritillary caterpillars chrysalized in a convenient (to me) location. I don’t know how long it’s been there.



One of the Variegated Fritillary caterpillars was murdered yesterday.


The two Black Swallowtail caterpillars on the small dill were there this morning. A few hours later, one was gone. A few hours after that, the other was gone. Here they are yesterday morning.


Of the seven Black Swallowtail caterpillars on the large dill, one was murdered, and six remain.

What a cool chrysallis! Sorry about the murders, though. :(

It's a dangerous life, living on the hedge...

;)

Wow, Katherine! Your garden has turned into a most amazing wildlife habitat!!

>203 fuzzi:

*holding nose, but smiling*

:D @2wonderY

Time for a new thread...

Wow...a third thread...