Very interesting. Nature is infinitely fascinating.

This is going to be a long post so go to the bathroom, grab a snack, a cold (or hot?) beverage, and put your feet up. My feet are killing me which means I had way too much fun today.

Let's start at the museum. Now, I know you guys are just dying to know what I look like and I don't usually like to put pictures of myself on the internet. I don't actually like my picture taken much at all. But we had this boy in the flight cage and he made this remark about butterflies landing on your nose. And I laughed and said I would be cool with that even though I secretly hate when they land on my face. Well, I guess the butterflies heard me because not five minutes after he left, a Monarch landed on my nose! My trainee took out her phone and snapped some pictures. So here's what I look like with a Monarch on my face, folks. Yes, it tickled and I felt the urge to blow my nose afterward. I wonder how the Monarch felt about the whole thing?



As you can also see, I had my field guide shirt on today. Education just by walking around! We had other educational things going on like roosting Zebra Longwings. It was cool enough this morning that they were still clumped together when we got there.



All those Orange-Barred Sulphurs I captured as caterpillars grew up! Here's a male on Ivy Geraniums.



This Gulf Frit was hanging oddly to the screen and he kicked the bucket not long after.



Not all Monarchs were attracted to my face. I wasn't even wearing strawberry lip balm or anything! Just sunscreen.



This is a Cloudless Sulphur. If you look to the right of the photo, there's an Orange-Barred Sulphur on the other geranium.



I found this caterpillar on Red Bay while searching for Spicebush cats. I'm going to have to send this one to BAMONA. I flipped through my book and can't find it.



This looks like a really worn out Long-Tailed Skipper with no tails.



We released a couple of Great Southern Whites today.



A Cassius Blue sat still AND opened its wings! Also, I got to show my trainee how tiny some butterflies are.



This Spotted Oleander Moth wandered from the Oleander over to where I found it on the Cassia.



My trainee caught her first butterfly and it was a Red Admiral! Granted, I think we tag teamed it, but it ended up in her net.



So then I came home and I had to feed the Monarchs. They've gotten so big!



Still more Tussock Moths around.



Despite our neighbor issues, I decided to do some caterpillar hunting on my neighbor's property. I stuck to the front yard and didn't go near the house. I didn't find any caterpillars at their place, but I found some Sulphurs and a couple Long-Tailed Skippers at mine. What they did have though, was TONS of butterflies. Again folks, I cannot stress the importance of having a weedy spot. I saw way more species of butterfly in this little patch than I did in my "butterfly garden". Darnit! Here's a picture of what I was wandering in. Flowers were mostly Spanish Needles and Tassel Flower. Host plants included Virginia Pepper Grass and Cudweed.



And here are all the butterflies I saw in that patch. A Queen!



American Painted Lady. I actually saw three of these at one time.



Apparently, I found out where the Cloudless Sulphurs go to chill when they're not taunting me. Also, they love Tassel Flower.



Here's a Skipper. I'm not going to pretend I know which one.



And this Skipper, too.



Dainty Sulphur.



I thought I saw another Painted Lady, but it was a Buckeye!



And there was even a Monarch! (Not on my face this time.)



All those butterflies in that one little patch! I tell you folks, if you can let a little bit of your property grow tall enough for the weeds to bloom, do so. And it helps if they're in full sun, too. Or if you're just trying to spot more butterflies, look for an overgrown lot, park, meadow, etc.

Melanie, that was a wonderful report today. Thank you for posting your photo, nice to see you, so cute with the butterfly on your nose.

I have read through all the post for this thread for 2015. I can't wait to take a closer look at my plants and flowers in my many flower beds this year to see what cats, butterflies, and pupas I can see. I have seen many butterflies and cats in the past but never really got close-up views of them. This spring/summer/fall I will along with photos. This is a very interesting, informative thread. Thanks for all that you do to help protect our Butterflies, Birds, and Bees.

Loved the post - it is encouraging to know that a perfectly manicured butterfly garden is NOT required!

It's SO nice to SEE you Melanie! LOVE, LOVE, LOVE those beautiful big dimples! I did not expect those and your hair is lighter than I had pictured in my mind. Those photos are so cute with the male monarch on your nose. They make me smile great big smiles.

WOW! What a variety of butterflies in that patch of weeds. Makes me think I must have a ton more butterflies than I realize here. We don't mow this place (except right around the house) until end of July or sometime in August & there are 6 ac. of "weeds". *I* do not call them weeds though -- they are all wildflowers to me. Things are just coming into bloom up here though. I did spot a Zebra Swallowtail today. And a Giant ST. Still waiting to see a Monarch and I haven't yet seen any Zebra LW's yet this year -- we had so many last year.

Yes, I agree with not always needing a butterfly garden that looks nursery-perfect! The pellitory, for instance, is purely a weed. But in years when there's good conditions for pellitory and stinging nettle the Red Admiral uses them (and other wild and tame host plants) to increase its population exponentially! When was that year that the RA took off so much last time? 2010, I'd guess!

Thanks, everyone! Yeah, my nicknames are "Smiley" and "Dimples". I do genealogy and I have a picture of my 2nd great-grandma and we have the same dimples. The one dimple is deeper than the other on her face, too! It's super neat. In case you never noticed, Monarchs have much thicker legs than other butterflies so believe me, I felt that thing on my nose!

Wildflowers does sound better than weeds. You just have to figure that these are the flowers the butterflies evolved with over who knows how many eons. So I like to think they've developed a taste for them. There isn't a single butterfly that doesn't like the Spanish Needles. I don't see the Swallowtails on them but I think that's only because the butterflies are too heavy to balance properly. In fact, it's pretty rare to see a Monarch on them. That's only the second time I've gotten a Monarch photo on Spanish Needles.

I was actually searching the pellitory today and that's why I went over to the neighbor's yard in the first place. They always have a much bigger patch of it than I get in my yard. Granted, I'm on a half-acre and they have nearly ten. And since I saw that Red Admiral yesterday, I was sure I'd find a caterpillar. But no luck today. I wasn't as thorough since I was a little nervous about being on their property. The previous owner died about a year ago and his granddaughter and her boyfriend are there now. Let's just say the police have been there more in the last six months than in the previous twenty years I've lived here. So I was trying to be quick and look innocent (the dimples totally help).

And don't be afraid to show your messy garden on this thread. I've been pointing out to my trainee at MOSI all the things that are considered "weeds" that are actually host plants or just good nectar plants. I've never been the type for those manicured gardens, anyway. I mean, I can appreciate them from a design perspective, but I'd rather just be in the woods. Or the swamp, as is the case in most of Florida.

Okay, I'm off to pick a few more milkweed leaves to feed the monsters...er...Monarchs before I go to bed!

Melanie, you wear butterflies well!

My wildflowers......
Things are really just getting started here but here is a sampling of what's blooming now.

Somehow I can never get this to look like I see it in real life - a sea of lavender color interspersed with the red brooms.


More of the lavender mist look with a background of white


The sea of red -- for the life of me I can't remember the name of this plant & I have photos of it in the db but can't find it b/c I've forgotten the name. It's comprised of itsy, bitsy, teeny, tiny reddish pink blooms.

Close up of it



Phlox, more broom plant & gaillardia


This is the sea of lavender closer up - it's Stachys floridana or Fl. Hedgenettle



The white close up


Venus' Looking-Glass - Triodanis perfoliata


I forget


Virginia Peppergrass - Lepidium virginicum


Dandelions all over the place - they had closed for the day by the time I got out there for photo taking otherwise you would have seen yellow blooms interspersed in all the photos


Carolina Cranesbill - Geranium carolinianum
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Wild carrot?????


I have no clue what this is but the blooms are dainty & lovely. I need to put it in the ID forum.




The phlox down by the gate are really starting to get showy



Creeping Wood Sorrel - Oxalis corniculata

Ann, looks like you've got a feast prepared for all the pollinators. Also, we have a lot of the same "weeds".

Ann, what a great place you have for butterflies and bees!

There is surely plenty for them here and now you can see why I can't run all over the place taking photos. I would be plum worn out! They see me coming & they just fly off to another place -- I never stand a chance.

I also love when the red broom like plant's seeds ripen. The Goldfinches & other small seed eating birds love eating the seed. The plant stalks do not appear all that sturdy when you just look at them but they are sturdy enough to hold the weight of 7 Goldfinches b/c I have counted that many on one stalk.

The Rudbeckia has not yet begun to bloom nor have the coreopsis and I sowed about 9 lbs. of different wildflower seeds this past fall. it takes time for it all to come to fruition though. Probably the seeds I sowed last fall will really only get going good next spring so it's always like working a year behind - or is that a year ahead???? Whatever..... I'm working on it.

I can tell you, I wouldn't get much work done, I would be out there with my camera watching the birds, butterflies, bees, insects of all kinds, the flowers.

mcash70 said:I can tell you, I wouldn't get much work done, I would be out there with my camera watching the birds, butterflies, bees, insects of all kinds, the flowers.

It's hard Margaret - very hard to put my nose to the grindstone. It gets much easier once high summer hits & your face melts when you open the door to the outside.

flaflwrgrl said:
It gets much easier once high summer hits & your face melts when you open the door to the outside.

Yeah, that would do it for me too!!!

Ann.. My face is starting to drip already...

You have my heartfelt sympathy Linda.

Thank You Ann. We were 93 again today . The normal for this date is 78. Summer is not looking good.

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh that's bad.