I'm so going to feel it tomorrow, but I spent three hours at MOSI today! Now, that used to be normal before my health went kaput, but now it's pretty rare that I spend that long there. And it was warm today! Car said 87 when I left. Since MOSI didn't have too many Monarchs last week I decided to take about twenty of mine out there since I'm running out of milkweed. Unfortunately, they seem to have found about 100 in the past week because it was Monarchs galore! Luckily, about half were in their chrysalis so I spent a lot of time pinning them into the little chrysalis boxes. But I still had to make three trips with my bucket and scissors to collect milkweed. I hope the boss has some more plants ordered!
Here's one of mine that was in its "J position" this morning when I left. By the time I came back he was a nice healthy chrysalis.
Meanwhile, at MOSI the flight cage was full of activity. This Zebra Longwing was laying a clump of eggs on passion vine.
We had a Cloudless Sulphur in the flight cage and lots in the garden.
This Monarch was flopping around on the ground. That usually means they're very young and can't fly yet or old and on their last legs. But I didn't release any butterflies today although judging from the color this one didn't look old enough to be dying. Either way, I scooped him up and threw him in one of the flower pots so someone wouldn't step on him.
A Gulf Fritillary in the flight cage. I ran into a guy in the garden who was a former employee of MOSI and hadn't been by since last fall. He was showing his son a Gulf Frit flying around and said it was his favorite butterfly. I was like, "Really? But they're so common." But he maintained that he liked the silver on the underside of the wings so I had to give him that. To each his own, I guess. For the record, my favorite is the Zebra Swallowtail. But here's a Gulf Frit.
The caterpillar I wasn't sure about last week was an Orange-Barred Sulphur. I knew I should have gone with my first instinct. I also saw an Orange-Barred in the garden laying eggs so yea!
And here's a Cloudless Sulphur cat I found in the garden. They're normally greener but I think he's about to go into his chrysalis and they get a little "glowy" and transparent right before that happens.
And here's a top and side view of a Common Buckeye.
