Hey, I saw a butterfly today! Actually, I saw two but those Gulf Frits are not interested in stopping. And then it went over my neighbor's fence so it was a lost cause. But I did scare up this Zebra Longwing. Good to see one still around. They can be very affected by the cold. We had two bad winters in a row a few years back and I went an entire year without seeing a Zebra Longwing in the wild. So that was a little scary!
I scared it up around my plumbago but then it settled in on my Duranta (aka Golden Dewdrop). Some nurseries try to sell this as a native plant, but it's not. Still, it's not invasive and the butterflies like it. I bought one because USF Botanical Gardens has a huge one growing on a trellis by their plant shop. I've seen it just covered in butterflies and knew I had to have one.
Just like I had to have a Mexican Flame Vine after seeing one at USF. I don't think they have theirs anymore because I don't remember seeing it the last few times I've been there. I kind of thought mine would have gone dormant by now, but I guess it hasn't gotten cold enough to stop it.
