I was never athletic but I was fairly coordinated until middle age packed at least 40 pounds on my belly!
What with the change in my center of gravity, I am seriously clumsy!

I have had a knee twisted so badly a large cyst had to be surgically removed ,
As far as clumsy , wet mud , dog and cat poo seem to be my most common watch for
Use to be cow patties , the days ,
Melanie really enjoying the party goers on the wing , the plants and flowers , take care of the knee ,

Today I went to Walmart...no big deal. But as I got out of my car my eyes saw two Gulf Fritillary butterflies so I ran into the landscaping to watch them playing in the vegetation. Guess I looked like a dazed and confused old lady but it was fun.

Back in my garden I thought I had intruded on a private session with two Yellow Sulphurs...but, my bad. It was only one Yellow Sulphur and a yellow leaf stuck in the bird netting. I released the butterfly and removed the leaf.

Melanie

Great photos & entertaining fun facts & surprises. I love turtles.

Thanks, everyone! The knee is okay! Well, as long as I don't touch the spot where it hit the tile. I would think I'd be more colorful because it definitely feels bruised, but maybe there's not a lot of blood there since I just hit the bone? That actually sounds worse! I just looked and it's a little dark, like I knelt down and have a smudge I need to wash off.

Greene, the Japanese have a saying that goes, "There is no shame on the road." I like to think, "There is no shame at the Walmart."

Oh, and I think leaves are butterflies all the time. What I really hate is right about now, and then again in late winter when the leaves fall. It's been windier than usual here lately and the way they spiral through the air makes me keep turning thinking it's a butterfly and then I end up dizzy and disappointed.

I went outside to feed the cats and I had to waste some time because my neighbor was mowing and I needed to steal some Firecracker Fern for the Buckeyes. So I waited until he was mowing the back yard which is behind a fence. I still have lots of Long-Tailed Skippers.



My Viceroy is in its J and ready to make a chrysalis. That's good, because I just ran out of leaves to feed it.



My mystery moth cat is still chowing down on our St. Augustine grass and getting kind of big. But I love a fat caterpillar!



Both of my Buckeyes are in their final instar which means they have magic blue sparkles! Well, I'm sure there's a "scientific" reason why they look like that, but I prefer to think Mother Nature was in a "glitter" mood the day they were made.



The Io Moths are all green now. I still think they're so cool. Racing stripes!



Mom has been bugging me all day asking if I had seen the White Peacock flying over on the corner. I told her I had released one just the other day. I went to check my Gopher Tortoise friend, but he wasn't home. Probably because it was a beautiful day and he was hungry. But I did see a White Peacock on the corner. There's frogfruit in my neighbor's lawn so they're always in his yard. Technically, this one was down in the ditch on the other side of the sidewalk on some Spanish Needles. You can see where something took a bite out of its wing. Eyespots - helping butterflies escape for millions of years!



There were the usual Skipper friends down in the ditch, too. Oh, and since we got all that rain, it looks like the Frogfruit is finally coming back!



And finally, I caught this Cloudless Sulphur snacking on the plumbago.

Glad we have Mellanie so we can SEE some butterflies. I did see 2 small ones yesterday from a distance and can not ID.

Now returning to pain and injuries :-)

While weed eating my bank (45 degree angle about 40 feet top to bottom - runs 2 sides of my property), I tripped and fell about half way down ~ 20 feet or so. Realized nothing was broken. But hurt like heck. Got it x-rayed and nope nothing broke. But I have screwed up a muscle or tendon or something cause after nearly 3 months it still hurts when I move it certain ways. Of course - I have learned not to move it those ways.

greene said:... to watch them playing in the vegetation... Guess I looked like a dazed and confused old lady but it was fun.

been there. been there.

David, I promise to keep everyone going through the winter. I was thinking of you the other day at MOSI when I was looking at an area where we have some Goldenrods planted. Right next to them, we have Plumerias and I thought about how we're so lucky to be in FL where you can do that. And then I thought, "David wouldn't care where he was. He'd think that was a great combination anywhere!"

Well, I better go outside and get the Io Moth cats some food. Those things are monsters! I could hear them eating while I was trying to read last night.

mellielong said:....I could hear them eating while I was trying to read last night.

REALLY???????
Or April fool?

So neat to see all the butterflies, Melanie!! I don't think I've ever seen a Peacock and I'm very sure I've never seen a Malachite butterfly! They are so pretty. But then, all butterflies are so pretty!

I was looking to see what kind of host plants... apparently the Malachite is only found in the very far south of the US, uses the Ruella & Green Shrimp Plant as a host and prefers rotting fruit over nectar.
http://www.gardenswithwings.co...

I'll have to check on the Peacock, maybe I have a better chance.

Critter, it's not April and I wouldn't fool you. Sometimes the leaves get a little dried out and I can hear the caterpillars eating. Usually, they have to be almost full grown for me to hear them. It's like someone eating very tiny potato chips.

Christine, the Malachites aren't even native to the Tampa area; my boss traded with a butterfly farm to get them, I think. We put fruit in the flight cage for them, but I see them on the flowers, too. It's nice to have fruit-eating butterflies, though, because it lets me educate people on other things butterflies eat.

mellielong said: I was looking at an area where we have some Goldenrods planted. Right next to them, we have Plumerias and I thought about how we're so lucky to be in FL where you can do that. And then I thought, "David wouldn't care where he was. He'd think that was a great combination anywhere!"
.

Hehe. It is. Unfortunately my poor little Plumeria is too small to bloom, but it did look great near some showy Goldenrod in full bloom ~ a month ago. The Goldenrod had two types of butterflies and 5 types of bees on them at the same time.

Maybe next year my Plumie will be blooming. Over winter I will be planting seed of 8 types of plumeria (Yeah - I know. WTH is wrong with me.?? ). Maybe I can match DrDawg and get some blooms from seed in 18 months

I found a chrysalis today. First one I have found on my property. It is on a Jane Magnolia. Will try to get a pic tomorrow as it was really overcast today and the pic would have been horrible.

wildflowers said: Green Shrimp Plant

Melanie - I have a green shrimp plant too. When will I see a Malachite?

You can ignore those zones all you like, David, but the butterflies know better! I'd love to see the chrysalis on your Magnolia!

mellielong said:It's like someone eating very tiny potato chips.

cool.

I'm stalking stray goldenrods that are on my way to the bus stop.
Hoping to let their seeds mature, then get them before they fall off......

David, I have to say, it's really good to know I'm not the only one trying to grow stuff that is 'outside my zone'!

The butterflies were out yesterday after the rain. I tried to ID, but nothing positive.

look what I stumbled upon:
http://www.pollinator.org/guid...

Christine, I'd say Sleepy Orange and Cloudless Sulphur. Do you get those in your area?

Cool find, Critter!

Here's a few pics from yesterday and today. This is the only shot I got of a Cloudless Sulphur I saw while picking my neighbor's Firecracker Fern. Sulphurs really like this plant. It's what I'm feeding the Buckeyes, in case you forgot or didn't know what it looked like.



Long-Tailed Skipper (no tails) on the Plumbago.



Skipper on Spanish Needles



Cassius Blue on Porterweed



Gulf Fritillary on Passion Vine that's growing on Plumabgo. That white flower is a rogue Spanish Needle. Looks like I have more weeding in my future.



Tomorrow I go to MOSI so I'll try to get an awesome shot for the November thread's thumbnail. I'll start a new thread whenever I get home tomorrow. Until then, keep posting away!

mellielong said:You can ignore those zones all you like, David, but the butterflies know better! I'd love to see the chrysalis on your Magnolia!

I know. That IS one place I have zone envy. I am guessing we get some you don't?
It is supposed to be clear and warm tomorrow - maybe I can get a pic.

I am so ignorant and trying to learn what is here and what not. I know that if I plant it, they may NOT come. I really wish that I had bought the Firebush though. It prob would have been candy to the butterflies we do have since I doubt there are any within miles of me. (Kicking self in fanny. Good grief. It was a $ 29 plant for $ 6.)