We came from here: The thread "October 2013 - Butterflies, Moths, Dragonflies, Damselflies, Mayflies ..." in Gardening for Butterflies, Birds and Bees forum

Hi everyone! I figured someone better start a new monthly thread and I have several pics from the museum so I guess it's up to me.

The flight cage is almost exclusively Zebra Longwings right now. Here's one on some pentas.



But we do have some Atalas; I released four today.



I also released a Cloudless Sulphur - it went straight to hiding in one of the hanging baskets.



After it warmed up, a couple of Julias emerged from hiding. A guest actually pointed one out to me! In my defense, it was behind me, LOL!



I went out in the garden and tried to catch some butterflies to add some diversity. I ended up catching about four Long-Tailed Skippers but the real surprise was seeing and capturing a White Peacock! Very late in the year for this guy!

Ok, back home I took a few more pictures.

This Monarch cat mysteriously showed up a couple days ago. Where do they hide when they're little? He's the third one I've had on that plant in the last week or two. Now he's in his "J" and ready to become a chrysalis. Funny how some will wander far away and other stay right on the plant. Monarch season in Florida really never ends.



And to prove my point, here's a Monarch that was on my firebush!



And here's a Long-Tailed Skipper on porterweed. I've had a ton of these guys around lately. I think it's because my Butterfly Pea (one of their host plants) has grown and has been hosting the caterpillars. I must have had five of these guys flying around the front door area.

Melanie, what a great variety of butterflies. I really enjoyed reading about what you are seeing & seeing your pictures

I consider it my duty to keep all the Northerners going through the winter. Butterfly deprivation is a horrible thing!

mellielong said:I consider it my duty to keep all the Northerners going through the winter. Butterfly deprivation is a horrible thing!

Melanie: Great shots of those beautiful butterflies and the skipper! I sure love that Atala and the Julia ... two I've never seen up in this part of Florida. I still have Asclepias curassavica and noticed a Monarch flitting around it a couple of days ago.

I just found a chrysalis on what's left of the Hyacinth Bean vine - must be one of the black swallowtail cats. oh joy!

A monarch came to my garden today. I think she was laying her eggs on the asclepia curassavica

Celilia: Great photo's and yes, that's exactly what that pretty monarch was doing! Is that a lady beetle I see on the leaf to the right of the Monarch in that second photo?

plantladylin said:Celilia: Great photo's and yes, that's exactly what that pretty monarch was doing! Is that a lady beetle I see on the leaf to the right of the Monarch in that second photo?

Yes, Lin ! It is a lady beetle

Lin, we don't actually get Atalas or Julias here in Tampa either. My boss trades with some other butterfly gardens to get them. In fact, this is the first year we ever had Atalas. But all of our butterflies are Florida natives and it's kind of cool telling people how the Atala was at one time considered extinct in Florida. It presents a nice opportunity to teach people about the importance of host plants in their gardens.

Mellie: That's wonderful ... so are the Atalas and Julia's ever released in your area, or just kept in a Butterfly conservatory of sorts?

mellielong said:Lin, we don't actually get Atalas or Julias here in Tampa either. My boss trades with some other butterfly gardens to get them. In fact, this is the first year we ever had Atalas. But all of our butterflies are Florida natives and it's kind of cool telling people how the Atala was at one time considered extinct in Florida. It presents a nice opportunity to teach people about the importance of host plants in their gardens.

Very cool! Yes, tell us more. I want to know like Lin does.
Great photos everyone!
I'm still seeing lots of gulf frits, cloudless sulfurs, lots of different kinds of skippers & zebra longwings. I just haven't had time to go chasing butterflies to get the photos. Soon, I hope very soon......

We don't ever release our butterflies outdoors. They go into what's essentially a large screened-in patio inside a larger screened-in enclosure. The outer enclosure has a classroom and we have a little water feature with turtles and koi and some minnow-looking fish. The inner enclosure is where the butterflies live. All the plants are in pots and we always make sure we have host plants for the butterflies. I'll try to remember to take a picture of the whole place next time I'm there (I'm skipping this weekend because I'm going to a music festival). Sometimes the butterflies get out into the larger screened-in enclosure but I just get my net out and bring them back in - unless they get out over the water or in places where the ceiling is too high!

Spotted a Gulf Fritillary visiting the Pentas flowers a little while ago, the first Gulf Frit I've seen in a couple of months:


And, a Long-tailed Skipper (missing the tail) at the same plant:

Well, I went to the museum today to volunteer. I'm going tomorrow as well because our boss is on vacation and needed us to pitch in and help out. Should be crazy tomorrow - it's free admission on Monday!

Here's a Polydamas Swallowtail. Surprised this one came out of it's chrysalis, although they might have caught it in the garden. I'm still seeing them flying around, but not as many. This one is a little roughed up.



The Atalas are still with us. I haven't found any eggs on the coontie, but the coontie seems to have some kind of disease or bug on it so maybe that's why they're not laying on it. Might have to bring in a healthier plant.



My garden is still pretty busy. To my surprise, when I left at 8:45 this morning, there was a Great Southern White on my porterweed. This year is the first year I've seen the GSW in my yard at all and this is only the second or third sighting this year (I forget how many times I saw them). Remember, the defining feature on the GSW is their turquoise antenna clubs. So cool!



I also finally managed to get a Cloudless Sulphur to hold still long enough to get a picture. It's on plumbago.



My Monarch finally emerged. I swear I looked at it yesterday and the chrysalis wasn't even dark but sure enough this morning, there it was!



I've got Long-Tailed Skippers everywhere! Here's one on porterweed.



I took a picture of one of the Long-Tailed Skipper caterpillars. They eat butterfly pea and fold over the leaves to make little shelters. He's probably mad I unwrapped him!



I also have Zebra Longwings flying around but I could not get a picture of it to save my life! Still, not a bad variety for November.

Melanie, what happens to the butterflies in winter? Monarchs migrate, we know that but not all butterflies migrate so how do they live through winter so there can be new generations come spring?

The Monarchs tend to be with us through the winter. The ones in central to southern Florida don't migrate. At the museum, we have a heat lamp in the flight cage so we don't really have mass casualties and they still reproduce as we have the host plants in there with them. As for the wild - there are really only a few weeks around late January to early February that you tend not to see any butterflies. Not all butterflies migrate like most of the Monarchs, but they do spread and retract their populations through the seasons. For example, two years ago we had a few really bad freezes. I did not see a Zebra Longwing for over a year after that. But they have slowly crept northward again and this year there's just a ton of them! Also, the Swallowtails spend the winter in the chrysalis so they emerge in the spring and then start mating and laying eggs. So I guess to summarize, lots of butterflies just stay in their chrysalis until the weather is warm enough. Others stay south of here and work their way north as the weather warms up. Hope that helps!