I'm taking a day off! MOSI yesterday was a lot of work. Fun, but still tiring. My new volunteer is gonna work out really well, I think. But having someone else around can slow me down because I get to talking and explaining and well, there goes an hour! Plus, it's way too hot for March. Tampa broke a record last week! But the butterflies were certainly active. I even saw my first Polydamas Swallowtail and they're usually the last ones to emerge in the spring. Maybe those record temperatures got them all confused.
We found lots of Sulphur caterpillars (Cloudless and Orange-Barred) and some Monarch caterpillars, too! I met a family from KY with a 2 year-old boy who loves butterflies. They have a butterfly book and one of his favorites is the Orange-Barred Sulphur. Luckily, I had one in the flight cage so his mom took pictures. I also brought out the caterpillar and with his dad's help we gently petted it. The father also got to watch a Zebra Longwing laying eggs so that was cool.
The Renaissance Festival is happening next door to MOSI. They do themed weekends and I'm going to guess this was their St. Patrick's Day theme. It was the loudest weekend yet! I'm used to hearing bagpipes in the garden by now, and the occasional canon fire, but the crowd was so loud yesterday. Hope everyone had a great time.
I met a Russian lady who owns four florist shops in Russia. She uses Venus Flytraps in her arrangements and was really interested in our new carnivorous plant display. It's been getting a lot of attention. Also, I meet the most interesting people at MOSI.
The pollen has certainly covered everything and I hear the car washes are loving it. We've always hand washed our cars and Dad had to wash his truck twice yesterday, it was that nasty! My allergies are killing me! And there's no rain in the forecast.
While you're watching out for pollen, I saw my first Tussock Moth and Forest Tent Moth caterpillars last week. I give my full permission to everyone to kill them at will. I certainly do. Try to avoid the insecticides and just squish them with a stick like I do. Don't want to hurt the good ones at the expense of the bad ones. Not that they're "bad" but they can become a serious pest in some years so I like to keep their numbers at manageable levels. Also, Tussock Moths can irritate and cause allergic reactions so use that stick and not your fingers! The cocoons also irritate so stick to using the pressure washer! Here's a pic of a Fir Tussock Moth (which actually eats oaks and cypress). It's the most common one in Florida. Know your enemy!
