Man, Charlotte's going to be stiff competition for the photo contest! But that doesn't stop me from trying! First up, let's talk Gulf Fritillaries. There are soooo many. Soooo many!

It starts like this...



Sometimes, another male comes along and tries to break up the action. He didn't succeed, though.



Okay, these are most likely Zebra Longwing cats, but let's pretend for a moment. Same principle, same host plant. They hatch, they eat.



And they eat. And get bigger.




Then, I was lucky enough to find one in its J position, getting ready to pupate.



I decided I'd bring him inside since I wouldn't need to feed him. You can see where he attaches by silk to the stem. Also, when they're close to pupating, the head gets that white, puffy look to it. You can also see how he's changing down the back. He ended up pupating about four hours after these pics.



And here's the chrysalis made by the caterpillar I took in.



I had Gulf Frits literally all over the yard, but I really liked the pictures I took of them on the Duranta. Maybe it's because this butterfly is kind of faded, but the pictures remind me of watercolor paintings. It was also still fairly early so maybe the lighting contributed.



You can see this Frit is darker and more vibrant. It's probably younger.



I was outside from about 7 am to 11 am so there wasn't a lot of variety, but I did have a few other things going on. First, I had to release my second Red Admiral which emerged last night. First, it stayed on the stucco in the entryway, but then it came out and sunned itself on the front of the house.



My moth friends were out. I'm pretty sure BAMONA has identified this moth before as the Brown-Shaded Gray but this one looked larger than the other ones I've seen.



And as Christine pointed out, this is probably a Fir Tussock Moth. I will submit it to BAMONA that way and see what happens.



Duskywings

Melanie, your photos are lovely. And your knowledge plus experience with butterflies boggles my mind. I'm learning so much from reading your posts that I have to take notes. But, best of all, you know how to actually RAISE butterflies. To me, that's a miracle. You have a gift.

@mellielong

I hope you get to feeling better.


Have you ever seen a Regal Frit?

I am gonna be involved in a count at Dunn Ranch this summer - one of the few places they are seen here in Missouri and as I understand, one of the areas with largest concentrations in the Midwest.

It will certainly be a once in a lifetime experience for me as I have never seen one

The group will be led by Steve Buback who is a Natural History Biologist for the Missouri Department of Conservation where he also serves as the state Heritage Entomologist and works on all things endangered and threatened.

Thanks, everyone! I like sharing my knowledge. And believe me, I learned a lot of it through trial and error and I've certainly made my share of mistakes. So don't ever be afraid to ask a question or share a mistake or problem you might have.

David, sadly, I only get two kinds of Fritillaries down here. I think we all know I get Gulf Frits, but we also have the Variegated Fritillary, although I have never seen one at my house. I have seen one while hiking in the south part of the county.

Honestly, I'm kind of glad I don't get more Frits because when I look in my books they are so hard to tell apart! I have seen the Meadow Fritillary and the Great Spangled Fritillary while visiting Grandma in WV. I'd like to see a Diana Fritillary one day. The pictures I've seen look really pretty!

That sounds like a really cool experience to be a part of! Make sure you take pictures and tell us how it turns out - whether bad or good. I just read up on them on BAMONA's website and it says they are indeed threatened throughout their range. And they used to be east of the Appalachians, but are now rare or absent from those areas. I wonder why they're so threatened? Here's the link to BAMONA for those who want to learn more, check the sightings map, and see pictures: http://www.butterfliesandmoths...

David, I've never seen a Regal Frit. Hope you get some pictures to share.
Lots of Variegated Fritillaries here along with the Gulf type. Loved your photos of those, Melanie. Truly did look like watercolor paintings.

I need advice - and I'm sure I've come to the right place. This morning I read an article in which Jeffrey Glassberg said that tropical milkweed was fine to plant as long as you cut it down at the end of the season. So I went to the local big box store and bought several Asclepias curassavica. Drove home feeling good about doing something for the monarchs. Well, as I went to plant the first one, I discovered a tag shoved way down in the dirt that states, "This plant is protected from problematic aphids, white flies, beetles, mealy bugs and other unidentified pests by Neonicotinoids. These pesticides are approved by the EPA." WHAT!!!!!!! WHY would they do this to a plant that is sold as a butterfly host plant???? What would you do? I'm thinking I'll return them and get my money back. But then somebody else will buy them...Please help me make a decision. I want to FEED the caterpillars, not KILL them.
I'm upset.

Definitely take them back, Charlotte - and show that tag to the Nursery manager too! Very few employees in box store nurseries know a thing about plants but the nursery managers usually do. He/she will see your point and may see fit to pull the plants from the shelves and send them back. Btw. I love shopping at the box stores on Saturday evening. Usually everyone's gone home and you have the place to yourself. (but the manager may not be there) Lowe's and Home Depot have different policies on returning plants to wholesalers. Home Depot returns a lot of plants to their wholesalers but Lowe's will put plants on the clearance rack instead. We don't want that to happen either. IF the wholesaler gets a whole load of plants back because of this mistake, they will not do it again.

On the bright side, at least they told you the plant was treated. Probably lots of plants we buy have been treated with the stuff by the wholesale nursery and they just never tell us. I'm guessing the hoopla over neonic's has forced them to this disclosure.

I have the tropical milkweed, and another type as well here, but lucky for me, they seed themselves here so I don't have to worry about any nasty stuff on them. The butterflies don't seem to care, they devour them all and most of my plants are just bare stems right now.

I'd take it back! Maybe someday they'll get the message! In the meantime, avoid all those big box nursery plants. Just be grateful that it's from one of the few sources that actually have that info on the labels. Most don't, and if you ask, nobody knows...or at least, nobody will admit knowing. Growing your own plants is good, if you can. I've germinated some A. texana, A. asperula and a few A. viridis this spring. They're just little bitty seedlings so far, but I have enough to share. Let me know if you'd like some. Oh, another option on nurseries...there's a nursery in Medina, Texas that I know for sure doesn't use pesticides. Medina Garden Nursery. Don't know what they might carry as far as milkweeds, however. I like to go out there and just look around or talk to the nursery guy there on occasion. Of course, it's quite a drive to get there, so not convenient, but the gardens there are beautiful.

I'm taking the plants back tomorrow.
Linda, I've been to the nursery in Medina and have bought several plants from Ernesto and Ysmael. Super place and such nice guys and beautiful plants. Need to make another trip over there soon.
Today was just a weak moment. Normally don't buy from HD, but went to get new gardening gloves and did the "impulse" thing. Should have known better. Shame on me.
Thanks for your response too, Elaine.
Glad I didn't plant these 'poisoned' plants.

Charlotte,
Before you return them, be sure to place the warning tags where they can be easily seen. Also, make note of the grower's name. There should be a sticker on the pot that has the grower's name on it. Independent garden centers often buy from the same growers as the big box stores. Unlike Lowe's and Home Depot that now require the warning label by company policy, most independent garden centers don't require the warning label so you can buy the same exact neonicotinoid-treated plants there with no warning at all.

I find this to be so alarming. Scary stuff.
Might just stick to germinating my own seeds from now on.
Thanks, Danita.

mellielong said: I wonder why they're so threatened?

As with so many other butterflies, bees, et cetera ---- HABITAT. The primary host for Regal Frits is a type of prairie violet. Since virtually all of the prairies have been wiped out the habitat is gone and so is the violets. At Dunn Ranch (The Nature Conservancy) they have restored a lot of prairie and have ~ 1,000 acres never plowed. That is huge by most standards, but in the bigger scheme is didly - barely over ONE square mile.

I will certainly post about the research.

Yes, it is amazing what dangerous things are being done because of some people who want everything sterile.
If they see a plant with aphids they won't buy it, and so the growers are trying to please the ignorant public.
It is so sad, to the point that many insects are being decimated in their attempt to have no bugs.
Please take the plant back, and I hope it does some good.
I wish I could wave a magic wand and make the public aware of the fact that we need insects to pollinate our flowers and grow our food.

Let's keep up the great discussion while I go back to bed! Move on over here... The thread "May 2016 Butterflies, Moths & Larva" in Gardening for Butterflies, Birds and Bees forum

Don't forget to hit the "watch" button, too!

Tiger Swallowtail on my Zinnias.

@cwhitt Don't forget to join us in the current month's thread! http://garden.org/thread/go/49...