We came from here: The thread "August 2015 Butterflies, Moths & Larva" in Gardening for Butterflies, Birds and Bees forum

Well, summer is ending but the Monarch migration is beginning! Let's all cross our fingers it's a good one.

I haven't been outside yet because I just woke up. Had to take Benadryl last night for allergies and I figured it couldn't hurt for those fire ant bites. Woke up to lots of little pustules this morning. Yuck. Some insects are not my friends. But butterflies, moths, and caterpillars certainly are!

This is a picture I took yesterday but I held it for today because I'm sort of in love with it and I want to see it as a thumbnail all month long. This is the same summer white-form Barred Sulphur I saw yesterday but here it's eating Spanish Needles. This was taken a little later in the day after it had warmed up.

Very pretty. He/she looks so industrious!

Thanks for the new thread Melanie. And Happy day 2 of birthday week!

Yeah well it is an addiction playing with photo's Besides takes me a while to catch up new thread and all


The swallowtail again , actually thrilled , so few this season ,
pearl crescent their still playing around here also

I agree, that is a beautiful picture I will like looking at all month. I don't think I've ever seen white sulphur. The wings are so attractive, reminds me of faerie wings.

Made me want to go look at pics of sulphurs (and sulphurs that look like faeries ).

Sorry I didn't see your post of pretty butterflies, Jim! My computer is running slower than molasses!

More faerie sulphurs...

Wildflowers , all good ,, like most , I enjoy watching and browsing through all the Butterflies , I love the Sulphurs , Their not as secure as once was , doing good though ,
As said Melanie photo's many we rarely or never see ,, SO Melanie gets a GREAT BIG

And you also wildflowers , for being so polite

My favorite Sulphur

Wowee, Orange sulphur is a beauty!

Those are great shots, Jack.

I was editing my photos and found this photo that I took in June, I have sent it to BAMONA for an id, it could be Edith's Checkerspot or Anician Checkerspot, of course I could be wrong and it is neither.

Oh how pretty... it looks kinda checkered to me. Both WOW photos!! Love the blue and gold together.

Looks like we're off to a great start! Fall is a great season for Sulphurs. I think they have a higher survival rate when the Sennas and Cassias bloom and the caterpillars can camouflage themselves better.

I went to the movies today and did a double feature. I was behind on movie watching and Tuesdays they charge the early morning price so it was only $5 plus tax per movie. I fed the caterpillars before I left, but when I came home and started cleaning my pockets, I startled a very irritated Giant Swallowtail! And I had just checked them last night to see if anyone was coming out soon! They can surprise you sometimes. I took some photos of it in the container because I knew as soon as that lid opened, it would be gone. And it was! It flew up into the oak tree where I told it to go to bed.



And while cleaning the Skipper container, I saw that one of my Long-Tailed Skippers is about to pupate. Like many caterpillars, they turn funny colors before they do so. FYI, that's a Dorantes over on the right side.

If I had that pupating LT Skipper I would think it was dying. It looks like it has ICK. So another lesson learned. Thanks Melanie.

Thank you Christine.

Great photos from everyone to start a new thread!!

Caterpillar update:
Just watched one of my cats turn into a chrysalis! I knew he was about to turn because of the way he was bending and wiggling about, so I stayed to watch and sure enough--the green began to grow upwards from his head. I called DD and she came out to watch, too. So now I have 2 chrysalises, plus one in J position, one about to go into J, and 14 caterpillars that are growing long and fat. (Yes, I'm back to a total of 18 now!!)

Today I have put over 40 milkweed leaves into the habitats for them and boy are they snarfing down--I could actually *hear* one of them munching away! Well, I expect by the weekend more of them will be settling into the J position and getting ready to pupate.

Several of the catties, getting so big now:



The new chrysalis. He's shed his skin and is now secreting the green coatings that will harden into the outer shell of the chrysalis.



I of course am nervous that something will go wrong. So, how does that chrysalis look so far? Anything for me to be worried about??

Wow Robin!!! Wow, wow, wow! That is really cool seeing the photo where he's actually in the midst of making his chrysalis!


Margaret, I don't think it's the Anician Checkerspot. I found photos on Bamona & there are tiny white dots inside the orange that lies between the white areas above & below the orange & yours doesn't have that. The Edith's is I think endangered so you may have something rare there. I could not find ANY reliable photos of Edith's except one's showing it with spread wings which is the wrong side from your photos.

That is Super Great photo of chrysalis Looks like the second or third week of September is going to be big for the Monarch Migration
Really Nice Catmint20906

Thanks Ann, I guess we will have to wait and see, I looked at so many photos I was going cross eyed, I had 2 books from the library on butterflies of BC and I looked on line and not all of the photos of the Edith's and the Anician looked the same. And of course the butterfly didn't cooperate and open it's wings fully before it flew off.

mcash70 Checkerspots are nice little butterflies lots of color , Only one we have remaining here is the Silvery Checkerspot , I can remember four or five though . Rare to see and always nice
Very few have I ever seen , I keep hoping though