Several Gulf Fritillary butterflies were feeding on the Turk's Cap but I wasn't able to captured two at a time.

Ah, but you did manage to get a photo showing the upper and under wings. That's not easy to do!

Thanks Char, I very much like your positive outlook.

Every year it's you Texans with your Queens and Mistflower. I drool with jealousy!

mellielong said:Every year it's you Texans with your Queens and Mistflower. I drool with jealousy!

Right? I have never ever seen one except in photos. Then again I don't feel to sorry for you Mellie with seeing Malachites up close and personal.

I'd gladly trade a Queen for a Zebra!

While they are in short supply, I would trade 10 Monarchs for a female Queen.

I'll see you and raise you a Gulf Frit and two Zebra Longwings . . (just getting into the spirit of this)

Call ya
BTW - I think yer bluffing.

4 of a kind >

Question Mark -


< Buckeye >


and a Skipper -

I think Jack won today's hand!

According to Monarch Watch, my milkweeds are supposed to be arriving tomorrow. At first I wondered how they were going to get from Kansas to Florida that fast, but I see Monarch Watch uses partners in local areas. Duh. Mine are coming from Green Isle Gardens right here in Florida. So they should be well prepared for the crazy weather!

I told Dad I haven't made the rounds in the yard yet because: 1) I'm kind of enjoying not having to feed caterpillars every day, 2) I know I'm going to find caterpillars if I check my host plants, 3) I know I will be unable to leave them outside. Eventually, I'll have to go out there! I just need a little rest first.

I have to do some serious weeding before I plant the milkweeds! Fall is planting time in Florida. It gives the plants a chance to lay down roots and get established before the brutal heat sets in. Plus, there are very few things that would need protecting from frost, and that's even if we get a frost. So I need to step up my gardening game!

well finally after much back n forth , up n down , eating , wandering , nibbling , up n down , back n forth

we have 2 V. Frit J's

Well, I hit the jackpot yesterday, I found 13 Giant Swallowtail cats on one of our little hercule's club, so now I have 16 to raise.
I hope they all make it, they sure are beautiful!!

That's a lotta milkweeds, Melanie! I'd park them in the shade somewhere for a week or so - weather's supposed to COOL OFF !! At least a little bit. That will be better for both the plants and the gardener.

My Giant Swallowtail cats all managed to die (or one of the little ones may have crawled away so I'm not sure about him). My laundry hamper had a loose-fitting lid so I found him on the outside of the hamper twice, and put him back in, then I never saw him again. Shoulda taken him back to the little citrus plant I guess.

krobra said:well finally after much back n forth , up n down , eating , wandering , nibbling , up n down , back n forth

we have 2 V. Frit J's


Great job Kurt!! Hey- what type of enclosure are they in? Netting or something? I've never searched for the chrysalises around here and I'm sure there are many- Sunday I saw dozens of Frits nectaring here. Would you mind taking a few photos for us, those chrysalises are amazingly beautiful?!

Aww...good news and bad news today. That's how it goes, I guess.

Kurt, glad you understand why they call it the "wandering phase". I agree with Cheryl - shows us more photos!

Josephine, that's a lot of Giant mouths to feed!

Elaine, I saw where our low was supposed to hit 69 and I started doing my happy dance. I'll probably leave the milkweeds next to the hose for a few days while I clear the weeds and then start planting! I hate to hear about your Giant Swallowtail cats. Viruses and parasites can be a big problem this time of year. But hopefully that cooler weather will cut down their numbers! I can hope, anyway.

So-- I was reading up a bit on the Frits last night in my butterfly book " after I got home from work


It confirmed my observations about the Varigated Frit caterpillars I've found here.
<---Last October after a decent frost.

The book reads- .... ' "Mature caterpillars from July through the onset of winter.' " I'm puzzled as to how they'd have time to pupate, eclose, and fly south under freezing conditions?

I have two types of Frits here:

<--- Varigated(individual color varies as Mellie pointed out) and Meadow--->

http://bugguide.net/node/view/... This link is a photo of the not nearly so colorful Meadow Fritillary caterpillar.

I haven't found them yet, but I wasn't looking either. According to the book, Fritillary cats are secretive and usually nocturnal. The female butterfly lays her eggs nearby, but not actually ON the Violet host plant to protect them from predators. Mellie once discussed habit with another NGA member bhart90 I believe... this a bit of the reverse tactic of late instar Black Swallow Tail and others crawling far enough away from the host plant to pupate.

Another survival trick of the caterpillar of this Tawny Emperor butterfly--->
is that they actually take their frass and dispose of it away from the host plant they occupy so their location is not advertised to predators!

~ Jmorth- Thank you so much for taking the time to share your garden occupants with us. You have exemplary photos!
Mellie- Thank you for all your helpful info and photos too. I love picking your brain. Please take the time to rest during your weeding chores and planting~
GrammaChar- How is the field shaping up? What a cool backyard!~

Cheryl, you raise a good question. One time I was visiting Grandma in WV in mid-April which is about the earliest I'd ever been there. I spotted a Variegated Frit in her yard and snapped a picture. That was Apr 14, 2011. I sent it to BAMONA and this is the note they added to my sighting: "This is a very early date for this species in WV. It is likely that this species does not overwinter in the state but immigrates in from the south." Seeing as how you are in PA, I would think that the same applies for you. I believe I read that some Fritillaries overwinter as an egg. The female lays eggs near violets, as you said, and they hatch around the time the violets start putting out new growth in the spring. This is something we should research.

Since you brought up frass...I forget you haven't heard all my stories yet. Good, because I like telling them. So since frass is a giveaway for the caterpillar's location, and one I often use myself, it makes sense that some caterpillars have learned to hide the evidence. Spicebush caterpillars will put themselves into reverse gear, back up to the edge of the leaf, and poop off the edge so it falls to the ground. They're one of the few caterpillars I've seen that will walk straight backwards without making a turn. Super cool.

But even better, and funnier in my opinion, are Long-Tailed Skippers. I think some other Skippers have similar abilities. First of all, they are leaf rollers, so they build a shelter like the Spicebush. A little different shape, but same concept. I've seen them stick their tail end over the edge of the leaf to poop. But what's really amazing is that their anus has the ability to shoot the frass with such force they can expel it as far as thirty times the length of their body! I have raised them inside and when they get larger, I can actually hear the frass "pinging" off the sides of the plastic. I laugh every time I hear it. Especially when I'm in bed trying to fall asleep.