Okay, I'm crossing threads which, as I learned from "Ghostbusters", leads to disastrous results. But I forgot to say to David that I'm glad your Dad was okay after the snake incident. We're talking snakes on the bird thread because we learned about a bird that kills snakes and now we're considering how to import them as pets.
In case you missed the plethora of pictures I posted in the new plant picture section, I'll inform you that I went to USF Botanical Gardens today. I went to see my therapist but then I needed some nature therapy. And caterpillar petting therapy. It was a pretty nasty day today. Low 60's but overcast all day and a bit windy. I wore my jacket and I'm usually the one that's always hot. I was going to say I'm running my humidifier but I see I'm out of water. Got to fill up after I post.
So the short story is that there were no butterflies today. But I did find caterpillars. And because El Nino has screwed everything up, I found two Polydamas cats. Overwintering means nothing, I guess. I did notice that there are lots of Pipevine volunteers all over the gardens. I'm pretty aware of where the host plants are and I've never seen this much pipevine. Unfortunately, it's the tropical kind so it's only good for the Polydamas.
This Polydamas was not happy to be picked up. And my hands were warm, too! As you can see, I got stinkhorned. Fortunately, I was near the bathrooms so I washed my hands after this encounter.
Notice the discoloration in the middle of my middle finger. That's where he got me. Why don't they all love me? Sniff, sniff.
Now, there was also plenty of milkweed so I expected Monarchs. Monarchs don't really quit here. We only get two weeks of "winter" around early February in an average year, maybe four weeks in a bad year. That's about the only time you won't see butterflies of any kind for an extended period. But imagine my surprise when I turned the first leaf over to find a Queen! (Yes, I thought about stealing it. But, I didn't. But only because I have no milkweed right now and MOSI is low. Although, they would totally find some for a Queen. They don't watch you too much at USF, but I didn't feel like chancing it today.)
FYI, when Monarchs get cold I find they tend to go closer to the ground. Unless the sun is shining in which case they sometimes bask on the top of the plant. Years ago at MOSI, my boss left instructions to cut down the milkweed to six inches or so. This was in February. I was wearing a sweatshirt. It was cold. But as I started cutting, I started finding Monarch cats in the mulch. I found so many I had to go back in the lab and get a mesh pop-up for them. So if you have Monarchs year round, be careful where you step!
Molting on a seedpod!
More gratuitous Monarch shots. You know I petted the chubby one!
So about this time I was also taking bird photos (see bird thread for bad pics) and any time one would fly near the milkweed I would have a freak out and go walking over to scare it away. The only other people besides staff were some European folks and they weren't speaking English so what did I care? Besides, it's okay to be a "crazy American" when you're in America. That's how international relations work.
I finally got around to the butterfly garden, proper. Not to be confused with the newer, pollinator garden, which is where I saw the Queen. Over in the butterfly garden, I found a Cloudless Sulphur. No, I didn't steal this one either.
Hey, another Monarch! This one is on Giant Milkweed. All the rest were on Tropical Milkweed.
I saw this Polydamas on the fence and I said, "I hope you're in a sling!" He was, so it's all good. See the silk on the chain link of the fence? And I found more pipevine growing right below him in the grass. That stuff is really getting around.
And I found a Bagworm. Which is actually a caterpillar in disguise.
Well, I hope this helps get some of you through winter. If I couldn't pet a caterpillar every now and then, I'd be very sad.
for everyone on the thread!
I did put socks and a jacket on for the drive, though. Anyway, I still have Gulf Fritillary caterpillars because they never really quit; they just slow down. the first one is on Corkystem Passion Vine while the second one is on P. 'Lavender Lady'.
tropics and Butterflies ,, and gardens and kiddies ,,, 
David, did you see the one seed in the lower right, with it's silky little parachute all nicely deployed? Apart from the nice fat caterpillars, that's my favorite part.
