If you're going to see a butterfly on the 4th of July, it feels like it should involve the word "spangled". You know, I wasn't 100% sure what "spangled" meant since the only time I say it when I'm referencing the National Anthem so I looked it up and I think the definition we're going for with the butterfly is: "a small glittering object or particle". So either someone was feeling nationalistic or just decided that butterfly was shinier than the rest. And really, how does one judge that? They all shine brightly in my world. FYI, I've only seen one Great-Spangled Fritillary (confirmed by the BAMONA site) but that was in KY or WV. They're not in any of my Florida books so I don't think we get them, even in the Panhandle. Thanks for sharing Dave; it's one of those that might be common to some people but I never see them so hooray!
I had a butterfly first thing in the morning! I woke up about 6am because I went to bed around 8pm. Now, I sleep with a lamp on (long story, just go with it, but I'm not afraid of the dark). Usually, this poses no problems for butterflies but apparently my Spicebush didn't get the message and came out at some point while I was sleeping. So he was raring to go! Thus, the only picture you get is of him through the silked-up side of my critter keeper. Because like the internet says, "Pictures or it didn't happen." And in case you're thinking, "Melanie, you've got an Orange-Barred Sulphur caterpillar in that tank", to that I say, "You are right". Space was at a premium and that Spicebush cat that never grew had the whole place to himself while the Orange-Barreds were getting too big for their tupperware so we switched homes. And butterflies don't harm caterpillars (maybe annoy them with all that fluttering) so it's not a big deal.
In other news, my bigger Viceroy cat molted so now you can really see his antlers! They get really awesome when he's in the last instar. You can see his molted skin behind him.
Still lots of Zebra Longwings. One of my Facebook friends who is a gardener but not a butterfly person even got a nice picture of a Zebra today. And I was like "Yay" and let her know what it was. And she said how at sundown she sees them all go to this same tree and group together. So I told her how they are one of the few butterflies that roost together and how I see it sometimes at MOSI. Don't know where they go in my neighborhood. My oak trees are pretty tall. That's where the Spicebush flew off to this morning which is why you got no more pictures. Anyway, here's a Zebra Longwing on firebush.
I was out picking pipevine before the rain washes us all away (it's been thundering for over an hour now) and I was looking for Pipevine eggs but found Polydamas instead! Remember, Pipevine are reddish orange, Polydamas are yellowish. Sad news, I lost two Polydamas cats today which is odd because they are near indestructible. I'm pretty sure the one was the one I picked off the vine a few days ago because he was bigger than all the others so maybe a parasite but I don't know what happened to the other one. He had just molted, too! Very sad. Polydamas are good ones to raise because they hardly ever die. But you need a lot of Pipevine because they hardly ever die (and they eat like Monarchs - non-stop!).
The Duskywings are always out there now.
And here's a bad picture of a Long-Tailed Skipper on the butterfly pea. It might have laid eggs but I guess I got too close. There were two of them flying around and they were nectaring but they are so fast you get your camera pointed at the flower and they've already moved on. That's why they call them skippers!
And speaking of Long-Tailed Skippers, some of my caterpillars are pretty big. Lots of them died because they do not have a good survival rate. But of those who made it, I recalled something super cool about the caterpillars. They have orange feet! It's adorable! I had totally forgotten about that because it's been so long since I raised them. Check it out.
Happy 4th of July everyone! My neighbors were already setting off fireworks while I was out picking food so apparently they don't require darkness. I imagine when it does get dark things will get really raucous, as always. I'll just pray I don't hear the sound of sirens meaning an ambulance is coming to take somebody to have their fingers sewn back on. Interestingly, my dad sees his hand surgeon on Monday (Dad has a genetic condition that affects his hands) and I'm totally going to tell him to ask the doctor how his weekend was. This and New Year's must be horrible for hand injuries. Stay safe, folks!
