Yaaaaaaaaaaaaay Meridith!

Okay, the cable guy claims he came here at 4:45pm and no one answered. I was in the shower, but both my parents were home and my brother was taking a nap. And believe me, if someone rings the doorbell, I'm pretty sure the neighbors hear it. So he's coming out in the morning. Mom is very angry (she's a retired computer tech, FYI). But my internet is still all sporadic so I'm going to give you a little tease for my super marvelous post tomorrow.

This is my favorite butterfly in caterpillar form - the Zebra Swallowtail! I call them Humpback Caterpillars because, look at them! I saw two yesterday but I left them in the woods because I don't have any pawpaw to feed them. We'll talk more about what I did take home tomorrow...

So that's what a Zebra ST cat looks like. Kewl! I do believe I can remember that one.

Humpbacks with razer shades.

Yeah, but they also have a black form. I was trying really hard to find one but couldn't. They're all born black but around the third instar some go green and some stay black. I think this time of year it pays to be green.

Oh wow, that's fascinating! When they are black -- either 1st & 2nd instar or after that -- do they have any other colors on them & are they humpback from day 1?

I'll get some of my old photos out and we can do a Zebra Swallowtail lesson! They're my favorite butterfly so I'll enjoy it, too! Plus, all you northerners (which is nearly everyone compared to me) can look for them on your Pawpaw trees. We just have Pawpaw shrubs here. I took pictures of those, too. I'll work up a lesson plan. Right now I'm going to take a muscle relaxer and go to bed. Too much fun makes a tired and sore Melanie.

I feel like a broken record but the cable guy is supposed to be here between now and noon. So I'm going to the movies. You'll have to hold your collective breath for a little while longer. Until then, here's the one Zebra Swallowtail adult I managed to get pictures of. The others flew way too fast for me. I am not fast, especially in above average heat. Oh heck, who am I kidding. I've never been fast.

There many of these on the car - what is it?

A tussock moth caterpillar, perhaps white-marked tussock moth Orygia leucostigma
http://bugguide.net/node/view/...

It looks like one of the saddle back caterpillars a very young one, which can usually sting, I am not sure though.

That's a Tussock moth caterpillar. They're all over the place right now. They tend to fall out of the oak trees here. They don't sting but their hairs (on their body and on their cocoon) can irritate.

The cable guy came but couldn't fix things so we're getting a supervisor tomorrow. I might split this into a few posts because if I lose a big post I'm going to be yelling bad words.

Okay, I took a few pictures on Saturday so let's do those first. I released a bunch of Monarchs so they're all flying around. They don't usually land on the Spanish Needles so I had to get a picture of this.



Gulf Frit on Jatropha



And here at Melanie's garden we provide complete relocation services for caterpillars who have run out of host plant and need something fresh to eat. These guys were off to the Giant Milkweed.

Sunday morning I woke up and went butterfly hunting. Now, the thing about that is my favorite butterfly hunting spot is a preserve. As in, everything is legally protected. And you can't take anything out. But I would never do that.

I was getting into the car and the Duskywings were flying around. I think I've got my own colony now.



But when I got to the preserve, there were darker Duskywings. I sent my photos to BAMONA for identification so I should hear back in about two months. Not kidding, folks.



There was a Gulf Frit taunting me from across the road.



And this is why I do it, folks. This is a Spicebush Swallowtail cat I found on Redbay that was molting. He may or may not be in my house. I plead the Fifth.



You already saw my Zebra ST cat photos. Those have to stay in the woods because I don't grow Pawpaw.

Here's a cool Skipper. He was very well-behaved and sat still. On a Pawpaw, coincidentally.



Saw some Common Buckeyes, including one that was missing the bottom of his wings! He was still truckin', though.



The whole time I was being stalked by damselflies. Seriously, there were so many of these things!



I saw a Palamedes ST, a couple of Spicebush STs and tons of Zebra STs. But they were being kind of uppity and ignoring me. I had used the back entrance to the preserve, but I decided to go around to the side entrance. (This involves getting in the car and driving a few miles.) There were a lot of signs about construction and off limits but I took that as a suggestion rather than a rule. I checked the county website when I got home and they're expanding the Upper Tampa Bay Trail to go through this place. I'm like, "Really?" You're doing construction work in a "preserve" and I would get fined if I picked a flower? Anyway, the Zebra STs over there were nicer. We saw this yesterday, but here it is again.



Duskywings over on that side had lighter coloring.



Still checking Redbay trees and I found this cool-colored inchworm instead. Well, he's not a worm, he's a looper caterpillar. Haven't found him in my book, yet.



I was actually looking for some native orchids I know bloom over in that area. I have past photos from a previous year showing they bloomed in April but I couldn't find them. So I turned around, and walked back to the car. Got a picture of a bird which the bird folks told me was a Great Crested Flycatcher. So that was cool. Then, I drove back around to the main entrance. Yes, the place has three official entrances and I know all of them. I used to work for the county (although, I was an accountant but I knew people in Parks and Rec). So I get there and I'm checking the willows for Viceroys (no luck) but I almost stumbled on this Zebra Longwing. Always good to see them in the wild. No idea what plant it's on.



So I'm literally just inside the main entrance because I was too tired to walk anywhere at this point. I start looking around the parking area at the weeds and I see something familiar. An American Lady nest! Only found one, though. But that's better than none!



Still hanging next to my car. The "parking lot" is three regular spots and one disabled spot on gravel. And yet, it's where all the action was happening. Like this Phaeon Crescent.



Then, I saw some Blues flying around. Now, normally I have Cassius Blues. Everyone has them because they use plumbago as a host plant and everyone plants the stuff. It's in Wal-Mart parking lots and such. But I took a closer look and realized this was a Ceraunus Blue! And it was laying an egg! The kind folks over in the plant ID forum helped me confirm this is Creeping Indigo (Indigofera spicata). And I was the first one to add a picture to the plant database!



So after that excitement, I swung by Panera where I ordered a massive amount of food to refuel me. Which brings me to my next post back home...

I've just decided Cassius Blues would make a cool name for a band. So I get home and the Gulf Frits are on the Jatropha again.



And Monarchs are still on the Spanish Needles. Hmm...



I start checking my host plants because that Spicebush egg from the other day totally hatched. I'm checking my Passiflora lutea. Both the one I planted about a month or so ago and the five I transplanted a couple of weeks ago. Ooh, it just started raining which is good because those transplants need it. So I'm looking them over and I totally got egg-bombed. Probably by a Zebra Longwing because the eggs are yellow but the yellow eggs I picked a couple of weeks ago turned into Gulf Frits. They're messing with my mind! So here's one of the eggs I find on the larger, more established plant along with a picture of the entire plant. As you can see, it's not very tall yet. I'm going to have to transplant some caterpillars, too.



So then I think, "I better check the transplants. But those plants are so small. They wouldn't leave eggs on them...or would they?" And they totally would.



And just to add insult to injury, I think a Gulf Frit and a Zebra laid on the same leaf. Here's what I'm used to seeing when I talk about the difference. Gulf Frit on left, Zebra on right. The second picture is the Gulf Frit egg up close. Third pic is Zebra up close. See how they're different colors?



And this is the size of the whole plant! If you look close you'll see two additional yellow eggs on there.



So I'm going to be transporting to caterpillars to greener pastures, so to speak. While all that was going on, I had one of my Monarchs on my other Jatropha. This one is in the butterfly garden, the other one is in front of the house.



And the most worn-out Gulf Frit I've ever seen came by. And I had to chase it away from the Passion vine, too! She probably laid eggs once I was gone.



My Giant Milkweed got egg-bombed and Mom saw it happen. You would think me putting those three big caterpillars on it would be a discouragement, but apparently not. So I finally went inside and how cool is this. The caterpillars which I do not admit to having in my possession had to share space in some tupperware on the ride home. And the American Lady made a "nest" right behind the Spicebush on the Redbay leaf. Seriously, I turned the leaf over and that thing was silked right to it. I had to detach it though, and put them in separate rooms.



So that's all the fun I've been having. Hope you enjoyed it vicariously through the computer!

Lots of finds there Melanie! I know what that plant is the ZLW is on but I can't remember the name of it right now. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

I cross posted with you Melanie. Boy, you're having a time keeping everyone in their proper class room aren't you? They're trying to switch seats on you.

And now I have to go plan my promised Zebra Swallowtail lesson!

Love the update mellie!

memays said:Love the update mellie!