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Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Bugs n butterflies... again!

Mating rituals in the lantana

Gulf frit joins the party...

Gulf fritillary luv

Aw man!
Can't get a bit of privacy around here...

Now, this is just crazy...

The verbesina virginica is popular....
Monarch and red-spotted purple share a nectar source.

Red-banded Hairstreak visits the yellow.
The butterflies took a while, but they're visiting the ironweed...
I'm thinking spice bush swallow-tail... but those dark form tiger swallowtails are practically indistinguishable from the spice bush... so... still looking for an easy way to tell them apart.

Blooms on the physostegia virginiana ...

 Carnivore luv... wheel bugs (Arilus cristatus)
Looks as dangerous as falling in love with a black widow or a prayin' mantis...

Eupatorium serotinum
I'm using a pic I shot in Macon... my eupatorium serotinum has vitis on it, and didn't make a nice picture...
 But... I got wasp pics from mine...
Double trouble...

Finally, for your viewing pleasure... Check the saddle-back I spotted on the sassafras...
There were a pair of them... but getting widely spaced multiple caterpillars in the shot is even more difficult than multiple butterflies...

 

11 Comments:

Blogger Jean Campbell said...

Marvelous, just marvelous.

The easier way for me to tell the Tiger and the Spicebush apart is to look at the undersides, the Spicebush has some spots and the Tiger has some lines that give them away. Or you can do what I do and just call all of them "Dark Swallowtails."

Eurytides marcellus has returned after several weeks' absence.

September 17, 2013 at 3:53 PM  
Blogger Sally said...

You have such a talent for capturing critters! Every pic was wonderful to see......the Saddleback is so strange looking....I love it!....thanks for sharing.

September 17, 2013 at 6:50 PM  
Blogger Gardens-In-The-Sand said...

@ Jean Campbell....
I haven't seen Eurytides marcellus since August... no cats on the paw paws when I check either... Checked your blog... no zebra swallowtail pictures...

@ Flower Freak...
Ima fan of butterflies... n other bugs...
Glad that you are enjoying them too!

September 18, 2013 at 2:13 PM  
Blogger Sally said...

Thanks for visiting my blog. You must have thought I'd lost it (I pretty much have!)I meant to save the post to finish it and posted it instead.
It's all fixed and looking spiffy!
Love the suggestion about more host plants. Do you have any suggestions? It would give me a goal for next growing season.
Sally

September 18, 2013 at 4:39 PM  
Blogger Gardens-In-The-Sand said...

Flwr Freak...

You might enjoy this post about gardening for butterflies.
I've included 4 links to butterfly host plants...

It's important to figure out which butterflies are likely to visit... and garden for them. Usually this means not pulling out plants that are natural to your area.... or re-introducing the local natives....

A butterfly's host plants can often be found in that patch of "weeds" out in back... all that may be necessary is to avoid mowing while the butterflies are using them.

September 18, 2013 at 5:18 PM  
Blogger Sally said...

Thx so much for the info. I'll do a little deeper digging as I want to eventually have mostly natives but, you're right, I need more host plants. Did another quick run through your post.....your pics are amazing....the butterflies really are one of life's joys!

September 19, 2013 at 9:03 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Enjoyed seeing the red-spotted purple butterfly. Don't think we have that in Florida.

September 19, 2013 at 9:53 AM  
Blogger Gardens-In-The-Sand said...

@ Linda AKA southern...
I'd be surprised if the red spotted purple missed florida...
I remember seeing them posted on Jean's blog she's close to the fla border... I think... and yall's long winged zebra is abundant up here this year...

Butterflies and Moths of North America sez that they range down through central Florida

I looked through yr butterfly posts agin jest now... purdy... I want to see some cat shots with the butterflies... and maybe some host plant pics...

Of course... some cats are more difficult to spot than others...

September 19, 2013 at 10:34 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

You really get the beauties. The Gulf Fritillary are just gorgeous. Nice captures of all the action too. Glad to see we will have some butterfly offspring on the way. Not too much happening up here in that department. No caterpillars that I have seen all summer.

September 19, 2013 at 7:23 PM  
Blogger Gardens-In-The-Sand said...

@gardenwalktalk
No caterpillars all summer? What did the songbirds feed their babies?
It's been a tremendous year for them here

September 23, 2013 at 3:01 PM  
Blogger stiener said...

Great pictures and a great butterfly population. !

September 28, 2013 at 6:45 AM  

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