Dad's cooking Salisbury Steak and it smells so good. I wonder how caterpillars feel when they eat their host plant? Do they enjoy it, or is it just instinct? I like to think they enjoy it. And if you've ever watched a Monarch chow down on milkweed, I'd think you would agree they love eating.

Today was a pretty good day. Diversity is really picking up, but I didn't get pictures of everyone I saw. I kind of ignored the Gulf Frits other than to tell them to go lay on the larger passion vine. A Tiger Swallowtail flew right by me. So rude! I saw what I'm pretty sure was a Spicebush Swallowtail flying around but it never landed. An Orange-Barred Sulphur was laying eggs out front while a Cloudless Sulphur flew around. I saw a Long-Tailed Skipper that seemed to be looking to lay eggs and I yelled, "There's Desmodium all around! Just pick one!" And there are lots of Barred Sulphurs flying around but they're too small for me to be chasing right now. Oh, and I saw a couple of Cassius Blues when Mom came out to the yard. And those were the butterflies I didn't get pictures of!

So what did I photograph? Well, it started with my Checkered White that emerged.





Back inside, one of my Oak Beauty cats pupated and I'm comparing the pupa size to the other caterpillars and I'm like, "How do you fit in there?"



I feel like I could plant an entire area with Corkystem Passion Vine and it would never be enough. Between the Gulf Frits and the Zebra Longwings, it would never be enough. Here's a Zebra cat.



And here's a Gulf Frit I moved over to the P. 'Lavender Lady'.



One of my Red Admiral butterflies didn't make it out of the chrysalis right. But I found another caterpillar so maybe I'll have another chance.



I found what I'm pretty sure is one of those Woolly Grays in the pellitory and since that's not its plant, I brought him in and put him with his siblings eating oak. He must have fallen out of the tree above.



This little Phaon Crescent was hanging out in the yard.



I was checking the Virginia Pepper Grass for cats, but I only found eggs. Checkered White eggs. Always look near the flowers, and they're orange. Laid singly.



I still haven't dug up the Corkystem Passion Vine growing down by the road. And they've found it. Cats and eggs. Orange guy is a Gulf Frit. He also got moved to the 'Lavender Lady'.



There had to be six Zebra Longwings flying around, but they were being jerks. I managed one decent photo.



I keep searching the Cudweed for Painted Lady cats, but no luck. But I found an American Painted Lady butterfly feeding on the Spanish Needles out back!



This Woolly Bear caterpillar certainly caught my eye!



Was coming in and found this moth dead on the patio.

And my other Checkered White has emerged. It's staying in the bathroom tonight. I'll release her in the morning. Pretty sure this one is female. The females have more markings or "checks".

I have to keep reminding myself not to bring in every caterpillar I find because I'm leaving for Europe in 25 days! If I have too many caterpillars, I'll take them to the museum. They always like donations.

Every now and then nature gives you a gift, like this pretty Red-Spotted Purple that landed right in front of me. Just long enough for a pose and then it was off again...



Looks like the Eastern Tent Cats have left their poopy house.

What a gorgeous butterfly!!!!! And great photo!

The tent caterpillar isn't as attractive...... But you got a good picture!

Don't be a caterpillar hater! And don't judge a butterfly (or moth) by its caterpillar!

I keep looking up at my Black Cherry with longing, just knowing it's hiding Red-Spotted Purple caterpillars from me. Not that I've seen any of the butterfly or the caterpillar, but I know they're there. Come to think of it, the neighbors behind me had what looks like a cherry picker show up today. Wonder if they'd let me borrow it to do a little caterpillar hunting?

No worries, Melanie. I'm not a hater of anything in nature (well...except maybe fire ants). But I'm not a fan of 'tree worms'. Right now the trees are raining oak tags and dumping pollen. It's messy out there, and everything is covered with a coating of yellow dust. Not good for allergies either. And if that weren't enough, there are tiny worms (canker or oak leaf rollers?) hanging by threads all over the place. The oak tags get in my hair, the dog is yellow, and those little worms crawl on the back of my neck. Fortunately this is just a temporary situation and will end soon. And I'm glad I don't have tent caterpillars or web worms. Those can defoliate a tree in no time.
But they make great bird food!

Sorry Melanie but the tree worms are icky poopy worms! There are lots of birds around so I hope they are cleaning the messy thing up!

Exibit A ~


More ~

It's all a balance, folks. Except my birds won't eat Tussock moths so I balance it out by squishing them with my sneakers or a stick. Mom was outside yesterday and she looked at all the Tussock moth cats and moved out from underneath the oak so I get it.

I think my brother and dad are going to try and pressure wash the house this weekend and I was warning my brother about the Tussock cats being all over the storage building. The guys just put new walls and siding on it so I was saying how maybe they could just use a regular hose or even a broom. And I'm telling him about how the hairs (even on the cocoon) can be irritating so be careful. And he acts like he's never heard any of this before despite us living here since 1994 and this happening every spring. Dad was blowing the leaves off the roof last weekend and he was talking about all the caterpillars and frass up there.

I let my Checkered White go this afternoon when I woke up. Seemed to have less markings than what I thought I could see through the container. It was windy and cloudy so it stopped to bask in the grass for a moment. So I got pictures.





I also saw this tiny, yellow moth on my patio screen. I've sent it to BAMONA for ID. I've never seen anything like it before.



Speaking of BAMONA, they identified that moth I found dead on the patio as a Maple Prominent. As you know, I recently raised a Mottled Prominent. I guess they're "prominent" this time of year.

BAMONA says my tiny, yellow moth is a Oak Leaftier Moth (Acleris semipurpurana). I guess all sorts of things are coming out of my oak trees (besides pollen). http://www.butterfliesandmoths...

I'm attending a bird lecture this morning, so I'll start a new thread for April when I get home this afternoon.

It's time for the April thread so scoot on over: The thread "April 2017 Butterflies, Moths & Larva" in Gardening for Butterflies, Birds and Bees forum