We came from here: The thread "March 2017 Butterflies, Moths & Larva" in Gardening for Butterflies, Birds and Bees forum

Well, it's April so hopefully some of you will start seeing an increase in butterfly activity soon! I went to a bird talk today at Brooker Creek Preserve and was having fun watching this Gulf Frit doing acrobatics. I think it's on Lyre Leaf Sage, but let's not quote me.

only thing flying around here so far is cabbage whites and an occasional little yellow sulphur.
as well as watching 26 hibernating black swallowtail chrysalises while waiting for a little warmer weather.

Before I left this morning, I did see that one of the Tussock Moths made it to adulthood.



Some kind of Looper was on the house.



As was what I think is an Eastern Tent Caterpillar.

I found two very small cats on Hop Tree today...looks tigerish to me, hoping for Two-Tailed Tiger Swallowtail cats. We'll see. Also I found a Giant Swallowtail cat on Rue...maybe 3rd instar. The Crimson Patch eggs hatched. The cats are so very tiny it's kinda hard to tell they're really there at this point.

Anyone with sunflower experience, preferably up around New York, help a new member out: The thread "Sunflowers for Dummies" in Gardening for Butterflies, Birds and Bees forum

My asthma decided to act up today so along with doing my breathing exercises for my vocal cord dysfunction, I've been having to hit up my inhaler. Too much fun outside, yesterday. Mom did buy a new bottle of Zyrtec while we were at Target and it came in very hand about 2am.

I briefly went outside just now and there wasn't a whole lot flying besides the Gulf Frits and the Zebra Longwings. And not surprisingly, those were also the caterpillars I saw.

Zebra Longwing



I also found a Zebra Longwing chrysalis, and one that was empty. People ask me a lot if my butterflies stick around and I have to think that they do. You can just look at the other houses on my street and mine looks like something out of Disney with all the birds and butterflies flying around. The neighbors...not so much. The one across from me was spraying something on the cracks on his pavement (probably roundup) and I was just glad it's not windy today. Keep your pesticides on your side! Okay, here are those chrysalises. /end rant



This big Gulf Frit cat was hanging out right by the garage so I assumed he wanted his photo taken.

1 (male) black swallowtail emerged , 25 more to go
took a few photos in the shade before walking him out into the sun to warm up and after a minute or two , off he went

for Kurt and Black Swallowtails! He's a handsome fella; hopefully, he'll find a female and they'll make more Swallowtails!

Poor little bee looking for a spot on the salvia....first there were two American Ladies,



and then there were three!



Little fellow was definitely out-numbered today.

Just a little battle-worn Buckeye on a blooming Blackfoot Daisy. (Couldn't resist the alliteration )

Good weekend for cat watching.

Calling this one the three amigos... they are getting huge (that's giant milkweed they are munching on)!


And eating a giant milkweed leaf on a mirror?


I am awful at actual butterfly pictures, just too slow I guess.


And one of the many gulf frit cats we now have.

And a couple of more "artsy" pics... playing with my phone.





Thanks for looking!

It's not a bad picture if I can ID the butterfly, and that's clearly a Gulf Fritillary.

Melanie went on a spending spree. Dad tilled the areas I want to plant - well, some of them. Some I have to get in there and do it the hard way. Luckily, we're supposed to have a cool down later in the week so it sounds like time to get out and plant stuff!

From my favorite online retailer, Mail Order Natives, I ordered 4 Spicebush and 10 Monarda punctata (Spotted Bee Balm). Mom and I saw the bee balm when we were at Silver Springs last year and the Skippers were all about it. Bees, too. I'd seen it before, but never in large swaths like that. Also, Mom is funding part of this project so I like to throw a few things in there I know she'll like. Although, if it attracts butterflies, she likes that, too.

Then, from over in Largo, FL, I ordered from Wilcox Nursery. Dad and I have been there before and he said he was going to St. Pete tomorrow so I'm sending him on an errand to pick up my plants. He's got the pickup truck and I'm not driving across the bridge if I don't have to! No sense wasting gas and time. Anyway, I just talked to the owner and we had to make a few changes due to inventory issues, but I ordered: a whole bunch (16?) of Chapman's Liatris, 4 Starry Rosinweed, 4 False Rosemary, 4 Georgia Calamint, and 4 Tampa Verbena.

Luckily, the butterflies like purple as much as I do!

@mellielong Melanie, I just wanted to say thanks for that heads up on Mail Order Natives. I wasn't aware of them before but now I can't wait to order some new things to play with!

Oh, you're most welcome! I've been ordering from them for years. They have a lot of great plants for Florida and Georgia, and plenty that are native to the Southeast. They have some really hard-to-find plants, but luckily I'm seeing them more and more. The market will only increase the supply if we increase the demand! So demand butterfly host plants and nectar plants without pesticides for our bee friends! (I raise butterflies, but I have an economics degree.)

I've also gotten bonus caterpillars before in the mail! The last time I ordered Spicebush I got a free caterpillar. That was so worth it.

Released another Red Admiral yesterday.



And in today's caterpillar check-up...my moth caterpillars are pupating. Moths can take a lot longer than butterfly cats to pupate. So if you're raising a moth and it looks like it's shriveling and dying, just give it time.

This is one of my Woolly Grays.



This Woolly Gray is probably going to pupate soon. Its colors have dulled and it shrank.



Same story with my Oak Beauty.

Crimson Patch cats are getting bigger:

Giant Swallowtail cat:

Tiger cat on Hop Tree leaf. I've got two kinds of Hop Trees. This is the mostly western type, with shiny leaves.

The Antelope Horns milkweed blooms are much loved by the smaller butterflies and the bees also. This is Juniper Hairstreak:

Gray Hairstreak:

Fantastic, Linda!

No pictures, laptop is down but I saw my first cabbage white today What a good feeling, spring is here

The Monarchs are here!
I was walking out to my car to go to town when I caught just a brief glimpse of a butterfly flying up way over my carport. I wasn't sure, but it seemed like it could be a Monarch. On the road that goes to the highway, I stopped. They are starting to develop some of the old ranchland nearby, and I'm sure they've cut down or damaged milkweed along the road as they clear the brush next to the road. I spotted one milkweed that wasn't damaged and saw a few eggs on it. So, when I got into the city I headed for a nursery (non-bigbox). It was sunny but a little bit cool after a front came in yesterday. At first, I saw no butterflies there at all. But at their butterfly garden area, one Monarch was perching on a tall pole thingy. There were a few fresh-looking eggs on the milkweed in that garden, no cats at all. I took home a few small A. curassavica plants, the kind with yellow flowers. Later, I found 3 eggs on them. Nice day!

Took a break from chores for a stroll around the front pasture. The Indian Blankets are getting lots of visitors:

Buckeye





American Lady





Gray Hairstreak



Yellows





and a Variegated Frit.



The butterflies have definitely arrived!