moth come forth - (night time nicotiana pic originally)

neat shot!!!

The weeping Bottlebrush tree has a few sporadic blooms and I've noticed the past few days that they seem to be attracting the Cloudless Sulphur Butterfly:

The lighting wasn't really great with the bright sun but I got this shot earlier this afternoon of a Skipper perched on a holly leaf:

Not a butterfly but I noticed this moth at the white Pentas flowers late this afternoon and thought it was a Hummingbird Moth but upon further research it looks to be a Mournful Sphinx Moth. The first photo was taken @ 6:30 p.m. before dark when one was visiting the white Pentas and then I decided to go out again after dark @ 7:45 and there were a few of them flying amongst the red Pentas flowers. It was hard to get real good pictures because they fly so fast!

Mournful Sphinx Moth:

they are good pics for them moving that fast!!!

Thanks Allison! I'd love to get a shot with less movement but I guess those wings just don't want to slow down ... but it's fun trying anyway.

Very nice...hadn't heard of that spinx! It's probably similar to photographing a hummingbird when it's flying slowly or hovering.

LindaTX8 said:It's probably similar to photographing a hummingbird when it's flying slowly or hovering.

Yep, it's a lot like trying to photograph a hummingbird! It took me a long while to be able to get a decent shot of a hummingbird, maybe at some point I will be able to get a better shot of this moth. When in flight they look just like tiny brown hummingbirds. When I showed my husband the pictures he asked me if I was sure it wasn't a hummingbird, he couldn't believe it was a moth until I googled and showed him description and photo's. After dark when there were a few buzzing around the flowers I called him out to look ... he thought they were quite interesting as he'd never seen or heard of this type of moth.

I think they look like a flying shrimp

Onewish1 said:I think they look like a flying shrimp

Skipper visiting a Hoya flower. I have two Hoya nummularioides plants, a hanging basket on the deck and a very small potted plant in the house. Both are in full bloom right now and the fragrance is amazing! When I was out on the deck this evening I noticed a Long-tailed Skipper flitting all over the hanging basket ... I guess he was enjoying the nectar.

They're so cute, those butterflies! I noticed a nest on a Sweet Everlasting plant, this caterpillar was inside...American Lady!

Oh, very cool ... I've never seen an American Lady or the cat!

I found a single caterpillar on a Syngonium (Arrowhead Vine) on my back deck yesterday. My first thought was the Oleander Caterpillar, then I thought it might be the Polka Dot Wasp caterpillar ... but I'm really not sure. I haven't had time this weekend to look through cat pictures to try to figure out what it might be but I have lots of Arrowhead vine so it can eat it's little heart out and grow up to be whatever it is.

Didn't get to a camera in time, but I saw the first Monarch of this fall today. The Bordered Patch butterflies are all over....some even trying to nectar on the same flower!


Variegated Fritillaries are around also.

Very cool. That last pic w/ the frit is quite interesting, almost looks like a 3 dimensional grid.

couple of moth Cabbage Loper Moth

Linda: Oh, I just love those Variegated Fritt's ... such pretty markings!

J: Love the moths ... beautiful blooms too!


I went to a state park about 30 miles north today and wandered around. It was a beautiful day, windy but very low humidity and temp's hovering around 80ºF which made it very pleasant to be outdoors for a change. I think we are past the 90's and high humidity ... finally! Anyway, I got some pic's of a few butterflies.

Zebra Longwing:

Swallowtail & Cloudless Sulphur:

Gulf Fritillary:

Great Southern White Butterfly .................. and a Dragonfly:


A little chewed up Long-tailed Skipper and a Gulf Frit with a tiny lizard at bottom right who'd like to have the B'fly for lunch:

Wow! Beautiful pics.

Thanks J!