We've had very erratic weather here in north central MA. It snowed in October, was over 70 degrees a couple of days ago, and has dropped down to freezing a couple of times already! My garden visitors are dwindling and so I'm living vicariously through your posts.

mellielong said:In case you missed it - the photo contest is open! We don't have an insect category or pollinator category this year which is bumming me out. But I know you guys have tons of great photos you can enter. Click here: http://garden.org/apps/photoco...

BTW Melanie, I did miss it initially! Where would we see this type of announcement usually?

Today's Popular Photo - One of the options for home page customization.

I caught the announcement on Facebook where I follow the NGA page. I noticed today it's right under Today's Popular Photo, like Jack mentioned. Luckily, we have lots of time as it runs through the 24th. I've already submitted a few but there are so many things I don't (or can't) grow in Florida. I'll just have to represent in the "Tropicals" category, I guess. I also have a hard time knowing if things are annuals or perennials since Florida is kind of a weird place. I usually go with whatever the plant database says.

Over the last few days, I had seen a little sulphur around the yard that looked unusual. I’m not good at identifying yellow butterflies; they’re like yellow flowers, which many refer to as DYC (darn yellow composites). Yesterday I thought I saw the strange butterfly with the pointed wing on a bush, so ran to get the camera. When I focused on it, I discovered (much to my dismay) that it was only a dying leaf. But today I got lucky, and here’s the photo to prove it.

Mexican Yellow (Eurema mexicanum)
A rare midsummer or fall vagrant from the South and West. The caterpillar is green, but little has been published about the life history.
Host plants are Cassia (now Senna), but others claim acacia and Diphysia are the food source.

[quote="GrammaChar"]


How lucky are you? What a fascinating shape - It HAS been a banner year for BFs! I guess you're aware of the photo contest opening Char? I was grumbling to myself that there are no Butterfly or other pollinator categories. Then again how could we narrow it down(if we could vote) to even 100 of yours, Mellie's, Jack's, etc?

Why does that one look familiar? Hmmm...

Okay, took a look around and it might be a Tailed Orange. http://www.butterfliesandmoths...

p.s. Thank you Cheryl.

Well, rats. I was going by the Tveten book called Butterflies of Houston and Southeast Texas. He didn't list any Tailed Orange. But you're probably right.
I hang my head in disappointment!

nativeplantlover said:[quote="GrammaChar"]


How lucky are you? What a fascinating shape - It HAS been a banner year for BFs! I guess you're aware of the photo contest opening Char? I was grumbling to myself that there are no Butterfly or other pollinator categories. Then again how could we narrow it down(if we could vote) to even 100 of yours, Mellie's, Jack's, etc?

...and @GrammaChar, you CAN enter pics of butterflies and bees! They go in the Wildlife category! I asked about it and that was the answer! I hope you'll post that second one. It's stunning.

I think NABA posted that same Sulphur from the Texas Butterfly Festival last week. Super cool. So glad you saw it, Char, even if it wasn't the one you wanted.

Prepare for some serious competition in the photo contest! Not from me, although I have submitted my limit of 5 photos in the wildlife category. There are a few folks over in the bee thread that I'm sure will blow me away. Maybe I can place in one of the other categories. Last year, I came in third in the tree category!

mellielong said:I think NABA posted that same Sulphur from the Texas Butterfly Festival last week. Super cool. So glad you saw it, Char, even if it wasn't the one you wanted.

Prepare for some serious competition in the photo contest! Not from me, although I have submitted my limit of 5 photos in the wildlife category. There are a few folks over in the bee thread that I'm sure will blow me away. Maybe I can place in one of the other categories. Last year, I came in third in the tree category!

I wish we could see the submissions already! They won't be available for viewing until the judging begins.

Melanie, you have taken some fantastic butterfly photos with your new camera. And hope you'll submit some of your awesome bird pictures too!

Those moths must be having quite a year! I saw a White-tipped Black Moth yesterday. I didn't know that one, but since then I've been catching up on reading posts and I saw Jack's pic and your ID! Good thing I decided I didn't have time yesterday to try to look through my moth book.

mellielong said:Jack, looks like you've got a stray: http://www.butterfliesandmoths...

Okay...this butterfly I raised from an egg that I found a while back on milkweed at the nursery in town and brought home a leaf. I thought it would be nice to at least try to raise a Monarch this fall! Otherwise, I haven't seen a single Monarch egg, cat or butterfly on my place. I'll release the butterfly tomorrow.

These caterpillars have been all over my Flame Acanthus. The first two Crimson Patch cats I tried to raise were parasitized and didn't survive. After that, I noticed a whole bunch of extremely tiny little cats on my Flame Acanthus, so I brought all of them in, hoping the darn parasitoids hadn't gotten to them yet. That species stays together communally as cats for a long time. Later on, I spotted another whole group outside, but already had SO many I was raising...I didn't have room for more, but I'm still taking pics of both groups, which both seem to be doing well.


On branches where the tiny cats had moved on to fresher food elsewhere, I noticed the plants look kind of odd. The little dark spots are skins left behind after instars and I would guess that the stuff that looks kinda spider web-ish could be what's left of their "silk" strands they use.

As for the adult butterflies, must be sneaky mamas, since I haven't seen even one. BTW, I have a LOT of Flame Acanthus! It's not flowering as much now, but now the White Mistflower is flowering a lot.

Well, the reasoning behind not seeing the photos until judging begins is so people don't feel intimidated and decide not to enter. Even I was having a bit of a mood yesterday and wondering if I should bother because I never win and I see all of your awesome photos on this forum and I'm not sure I have a chance. But I submitted some, anyway. FYI, I had submitted five to the Wildlife category and then I read the thread on the Site Talk forum about the contest and apparently the "Wildlife and Plants" category means there needs to be a plant in there, and so if there wasn't a plant I put it in the Misc. category. I guess that's a good way to submit more photos, but I have no idea what people are going to put in the Misc. category.

Linda, cool pictures! And yes, gregarious caterpillars (those that hang out in groups) have a tendency to molt all together, too. So that's definitely what you're seeing there. Cool!

According to the newsletter this week - WE'RE NUMBER ONE!!!! Yup, we were the most active thread on the site this week! Usually, this is when we start to quiet down so I'm glad to see we're still going strong!

@GrammaChar had two noteworthy acorn posts this week!
This one: http://garden.org/thread/view_...
And this one! http://garden.org/thread/view_...

I think I know someone (okay a LOT of someones) who need to enter the photo contest!

Linda, that is wonderful, I wish they would come to our Flame Acanthus.

So yesterday was one of those days where I shouldn't have left the house. But I did have a nice little walk around the yard.

Lots of Barred Sulphurs flying around.



I never run out of Gulf Frits.



You know how I ordered those flats of milkweed from Monarch Watch? My Asclepias verticillata (Whorled Milkweed) is blooming! Well, just one so far but some of the others have buds!



Long-Tailed Skipper taking a break on the Bougainvillea.



Around here, the Long-Tailed Skippers use Desmodium incanum, which is not native, but grows everywhere. I've got some coming up right under one of my Parsley Hawthorne trees. I saw some leaves silked together, but no caterpillar surprise inside.



But a smaller leaf shelter did have a caterpillar in it!



This morning, I stopped to take some bird photos while I was running errands. I saw a White Peacock, but it flew to the other side of the fence. I did manage to get a picture of this Skipper.

I got 2nd in last year's tree category; 1st went to a photo that was entered in several categories, same post won 1st in maybe 3 categories...that didn't seem fair to me; it probably won best of show too (it really was a good pic).

Skippers from yesterday -