We came from here: The thread "September 2016 Butterflies, Moths & Larva" in Gardening for Butterflies, Birds and Bees forum

And last month was pretty awesome so go catch up if you need to. Things may be winding down for some of you, but that doesn't mean we stop! Just expect more talk, less pictures. Except from the Floridians and Texans! And maybe some of our international friends will have pictures to share. I sure hope so!

I'm super excited because one of my Tiger Swallowtail eggs hatched and my caterpillar has been eating and making frass just like he should. Here he is eating his egg.

Congrats to @GrammaChar for making the newsletter this week! One of her posts was highlighted as a noteworthy acorn tipped post. Check it out or revisit it here: http://garden.org/thread/view_...

Congratulations Char!

Melanie, that little teensy, weensy cat is so cute.

I just hope my teensie weensie cat turns into a big fat caterpillar.

And then I want it to become a full grown Tiger Swallowtail like the one I saw this morning! This is a female judging by all that blue, but I didn't find any more eggs - yet!



Hey, I just noticed my Duskywing has a bit of that rainbow shimmer at the bottom of its wings. Remember, Jack had that really shimmery one?



And I like Spanish Needles so much, I'm growing them in the gutters!

Spanish needles.

That is one gorgeous TST - she is truly a beauty!

Cool on the shimmer on the Duskywing! I wonder if it has anything to do with time of year?

Congrats on your cat Melanie!

Today is the best day this year for butterflies in my garden, the temps are mild and I have had lots of Gulf Frits about, also visited by Sulphurs and Skippers but they are too fast for me to take pictures. I was able to stand still and get a good shot of a Gulf Frit just inches away.
Anole

Ooh la la, John! In the second photo, the veins on the upper side of the wing look like glitter is running through them!

mellielong said:Ooh la la, John! In the second photo, the veins on the upper side of the wing look like glitter is running through them!

They sure do! Neato!

It's October! I put my butterfly photos in the September thread this morning! Calendars.... where all the days look the same in my parallel universe....

Very pretty Char!

Is a woolly worm the same as a caterpillar?

Yes, it can refer to the caterpillar of the Great Leopard Moth. http://www.butterfliesandmoths...

But it can also be the caterpillar of the Isabella Tiger Moth or Banded Woolybear: http://www.butterfliesandmoths...

But yours looks most like the Virginian Tiger Moth or Yellow Woolybear Moth: http://www.butterfliesandmoths...

So if someone tries to predict the weather using one, ask them which species they're using.

On behalf of @cliftoncat who posted on the bee thread. And it's a proboscis!

cliftoncat said:We've had a lot of red admiral butterflies for the past couple of days (group of butterflies = a kaleidoscope)

Here are some of them, lots of tongues! (Curled up in the 6th pic)







3 and a bee (carrying something)



Before you get cross, Melanie, I'm happy to post the same to the butterfly thread but don't know how to copy a post from one thread to another...

Speaking of proboscis, this butterfly has theirs out on the cement.

I think its a Goatweed Leafwing butterfly



Or, it might be giving me a raspberry



Is it just me or is anyone else experiencing slow photo upload? I was going to post more pics but guess I'll wait 'til later.

Really great photos Christine. Love the proboscis. I think that is a Goatwing. Bright butterflies. I haven't tried to upload anything today.

Haven't tried uploading photos today, either.

Love that Goatweed Leafwing. They're in my FL book, but I've never seen one. I think I'm too far north? South? I'm not in the right place is all I know.

Never heard of a Goatweed Leafwing !! We cant be making this stuff up, wait or can we?
Maybe we are in a parallel universe of our own to be finding and appreciating this stuff so much ~Char?
Mellie~ I'm inspired now to plant Wafer Ash and Wild Cherry here as host plants for the Tigers.
Oh- I found another Monarch chrysalis out in the front garden today on the ground knocked to the ground from all the (finally) rain for the last several days, but it looked ok-- nice and green, tied it up with dental floss and it went into the laundry hamper with the remaining 4 chrysalises. My finds today:

<--thrilled to find the Checked Skipper still here, but in a different garden, now feasting on Mountain Mint. Look at the crossed hairs on his back
<--unknown moth and too tired to research today, but pretty

Thank you, Melanie - you're an

Brilliant pics, Christine!