Butterflies!

I don't seem to have the greenest thumb, and in space-constrained Singapore there isn't much scope to grow our own food. I tend to buy potted plants from the garden centres and pop them in the ground or in pots and hope the dog doesn't chew them up.

But I have been noticing some amazing butterflies around my garden, some that I've mistaken for small birds because they were so large, so I thought I'd post some pictures. I'm taking them from the web because I'm about as handy with a camera as I am gardening and I don't usually have one handy, anyway.

Please feel free to add your pictures too.

I saw one last week that was turquoise and black. I've never seen turquoise (which is one of my favourite colours) on a butterfly before. I didn't get a good look at it and I'm not sure if I'm remembering it correctly, but it could have been this one:



This one is a male banded swallowtail.

Seen in: Singapore

gorgeous!

>3 tardis: Thank you!

At the end of January I saw a butterfly that looked like this:



It looked like it had grey upper wings outlined in black with white spots on the lower wings. Although it was quite large, I'm not sure it was the Great Helen (cute name for a butterfly, hey?) which is the picture I've grabbed, which can grow to 16cm. It was large but I don't think it was that large. Of course, I didn't measure it. :0)

Seen in: Singapore

And at the end of December I happened to see a butterfly that looked like this in my garden:



It seems to be a common birdwing or the related Malayan birdwing, which are uncommon in Singapore. It was quite large, about the size of a sparrow. And no, the picture isn't mine; I was far too fascinated watching it to go and find a camera and risk losing sight of it.

Seen in: Singapore

I think it might really be Spring. We saw a Red Admiral in the garden and a Brimstone in the National Park.

Vienna, Austria

>7 MarthaJeanne: Ooh! Do you have pictures?

The Brimstone just fluttered by. Jerry tried to get pictures of the admiral, but they didn't come out. He's been out since readjusting his focus. The amazing thing is how they managed to fly at all in the wind we have today.

Grab from the net. That’s what I have to do. :0)

Correction. not an Admiral, but a Large Tortoiseshell.

Like I’d know. :0)

How pretty! I like the little purple scallops. And the tiger skin effect.

We get a lot of the admirals, but at the beginning of the season, without getting close, I'm out of practice. This one settled on the grass long enough to get his picture taken.

On PBS, there was an episode of Nature that kept my rapt attention, and makes me want to see it again. It was titled "Sex, Lies and Butterflies" and was amazing. I even learned that ALL butterflies are descended from a single moth. I believe that the episode is available here:

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/sex-lies-butterflies/16076/

I'm *still* amazed at it all, and it's really *hard* to do.

>13 MarthaJeanne: Little show off, was he?

>14 Lyndatrue: That sounds fascinating. Unfortunately, I can’t seem to get it, due to regional restrictions :0(

>15 humouress: I'm really sorry to hear it. I hate those stupid country restrictions, I really do. It's so pointless and sad.

>16 Lyndatrue: No worries; I’m getting used to it.

Though it’s not quite my back garden, but since we’re talking about country, my younger son was asked to do some filming for a kids’ program at Sungei Buloh Wetlands, which is a nature reserve. Although we went in the late morning, we saw quite a few interesting creatures (apparently there are more animals out when it’s cooler). We saw a salt water crocodile who’s lost most of his tail, a hornbill that swooped in right over the crew’s heads, a couple of monkeys that investigated their bags (which I’m all blasé about because we’ve had monkeys in our back garden), a pair of orange and blue stork billed kingfishers (the largest type in Singapore) and heaps of water birds (some of whom haven’t migrated yet, though they should have) and butterflies. The only one I heard the guide name was a sailor - which, of course, didn’t stay still long enough for a picture. Let me see if I can find one on-line.



I did think the ones I saw had thinner brown veins and more light blue, though. We also saw lots of classic yellow butterflies.

Seen in: Singapore

The auroras are out now, too. Actually, that's the German name. Anthocharis cardamines, is the Latin and Orange Tip the English. Only the male has the lovely orange spots.



We've seen several these over the past few days, both in the garden and on walks. This one was checking out the low flowers in the Marchegg Nature Preserve where we went to see the storks.

>18 MarthaJeanne: Oh, that's pretty!

They tend to flutter by and not stop, but you still catch sight of the orange. I love watching them, and the German name pleases me.

We also saw couple of buzzards, and a pair of swans nesting on the water. The storks are back in force, clapping their beaks when they come back to the nests. In Marchegg they are mostly in large trees. Each tree will have several large nests. The wetlands around the mouth of the March river, where it flows into the Danube is great territory for them.

We were also at the Schlossinsel in Orth. The turtles are awake now, and we saw a water snake try to catch a frog. The frog got away this time.

Such lovely pictures, thank you for starting a butterfly thread!

I have seen a couple butterflies so far this Spring, no photos. I think one was a Fritillary, it was checking out the violets which is a host plant. The other was a bluish-white, so probably one of the Spring complex butterflies.

But I got my first photo this week, of the common but always welcome Silver-spotted skipper!

Great thread. Thank you for pointing it out elsewhere, humouress.

Saw my first Monarch today, flying in circles around the pond area, finally stopping on a milkweed long enough for me to get a photo. I was wondering if it was one of the caterpillars I saw several weeks ago, freshly emerged from its chrysalis?

We had a rather disasterous outing on Wednesday. We had not yet gone to see the bee eater colony this year, and finally had a day with low enough temperatures to attempt the climb. It's only about a 45 minute drive. Well it should only be a 45 minute drive, but a truck carrying wood decided to run into another with liquid nitrogen. The result was that the whole motorway in that direction (3 lanes, busy, the road to the airport) was closed. We managed to hear that all traffic was being taken off at the airport, and couldn't figure out why it was so slow, as that is a 2 lane exit. Soon, of course, the side of the road had pedestrians pulling suitcases. As one stopped next to us, standing her two large cases for a minute I offered her a bottle of water. She sounded like she hadn't even realized how thirsty she was until I said, 'Water?'

It had been about 1 1/2 hours when we finally got to the exit. Turns out we only had access to one lane, as cars (but not large trucks) were being evacuated from the motorway by turning around. After that traffic was still more than the smaller road can really carry, but it was moving, except at most red lights. (Police waved us through the first one.) Total trip time 2 1/2 hours. Blech!

The path we have taken before up to the bee eaters is not only steep, but also rough and gravelly. Not good terrain for my walker, so we decided to try something different. We drove further, and up the hill, hoping for a cross path. Well, no. We ended up going through one of the vinyards. Ploughed areas between the rows of vinyards are not good terrain for a walker either. However we got there, and discovered a second cliff full of their holes that we didn't know about before. We were a lot later this year. I saw one bee eater in a tree, but even with my binoculars, the colours were hard to make out through the haze.

I quickly gave up on that and devoted my attention to the various white butterflies fluttering about. We walked back down a paved path, Jerry eventually turning up through the vinyards to get the car. I got back to the road in time to take a seat in the shade and watch the butterflies better. Three species. One mostly white with a bit of black on the wing tips and a hint of yellow on the lower wings. One with lovely black vein markings. Probably Black-veined white (Aporia crataegi http://www.ukbutterflies.co.uk/species.php?species=crataegi). There was one checkered black and white that I had stopped several times to try and see. Finally down there one not only settled, but even displayed it's wings to me. This was probably a marbled white (Melanargia galathea https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/invertebrates/butterflies-and-m....

We did not proceed to the national park house or stop at our favourite restaurants in the area. We drove straight home. I spent the evening harvesting and freezing herbs. Lots of basil and some mixed.

First sighting of a Sleepy Orange butterfly. I also saw a Jewel Ebonywing but couldn't get a decent photo.

>25 fuzzi: That’s a cute butterfly with a wonderful name. I have to admit, though, what I’m most struck by is the way you’ve taken the flowers so their delicate petals stamens stand out against the background. I assume you didn’t take it with your phone?

>26 humouress: I took this photo and all my macro photos with my Ricoh CX5, a superior little hand-held camera that has impressed me so much that I have purchased used ones as backups. I've worn out two or three of these little wonders (dropping it on the pavement will shorten its lifespan) so I keep at least one spare camera handy.

My bird photos are with my Sony DSLR.

The dark background in this particular shot is probably partly due to 1. shady area next to the house and 2. the brightness of the sun at the time of the photo. I've a photo of a Shasta daisy that looks as if the background is black, and it was due to the brightness of the sun (midday) and the digital camera's compensation.

Butterflies photographed on our recent vacation, all first-time views, all seen in the UP Michigan:


7/11/18 - Wood nymph


7/12/18 - Great Spangled Fritillary


7/12/18 - White Admiral

>28 fuzzi: Fantastic pictures.

>29 pgmcc: thank you!

Nice photos! (I usually have to snag mine from the internet.)

>31 humouress: I love it when the butterfly cooperates with my attempts to photograph it. I saw a large dark butterfly in WV, but the photo I frantically took is nothing more than an indistinct dark blur.

>32 fuzzi: I have many photographs of where a butterfly used to be.

>33 pgmcc: hahaha! I have a photo from our visit to Shenandoah, on which I put a note "a bear is behind this bush"! Missed the shot, hahaha.

>34 fuzzi: Still, that's better than the picture we have of a deer neither one of us saw because we heard it about to cross our path, and Jerry was determined to get a picture of whatever it happened to be. Only after the film was developed did we know what it had been. Yes, it's a good picture of the deer we didn't see. (A long time ago!)

Hilarious! Even with camera phones, I never seem to have a camera to hand when I see a butterfly. Usually I’m at home and the phone/ camera is in another room.

>36 humouress: yes, I do take my camera with me everytime I step out the door. I might just be taking out the trash, but often that's when I'll see "the shot".

>35 MarthaJeanne: hahaha!

Another one to add to my life list!


Brazilian skipper

They do frequent the coastline of NC, but I'm a little ways inland. Kaufman Field Guide to Butterflies of North America says they like Cannas, so I'll keep growing them!

>38 fuzzi:. Super picture.

8/16/18 - Fiery skipper


8/20/18 - Monarch


8/25/18 - Azure butterfly


8/25/18 - Eastern Tiger swallowtail


9/1/18 - Palamedes swallowtail

>39 pgmcc: thank you! Conditions were "just right".

>40 fuzzi: Oh wow! Did you take those?

I only have my camera phone and even that's not usually accessible when I see a butterfly, so I just have to observe it before it flies away and then google it later. So even if I did manage to take a picture, it would probably just be a blurry dot in the distance :0)

>42 humouress: yes, I did. I took the first four pictures with my little Ricoh CX5, which is a superior camera for macro photography. I saw the Palamedes through my kitchen window, grabbed the Sony DSLR (300x lens) and headed out the door for the backyard. The Palamedes shot I posted was one of only three photos that were worth keeping. Many, MANY (most) times I don't even get one opportunity to take a picture. However, the flowers I have planted are butterfly magnets, and distract my flutter friends long enough for photo opportunities.

We finally got to our traditional Donauinsel walk on Wednesday. This lovely was sitting on a flower while Jerry tried to get a shot in spite of many plants in the way. Then it started to fly, and we thought it was gone, but it only moved about 50cm to resettle on a free standing clover.

There is a lot more underbrush around the path than we are used to there - we must not be the only ones not walking much this year. There were several of the smaller dragonflies, but not the big ones. No frogs either. We always hear frogs there! But not this time. There were several goldfish in the pond. No, of course those aren't native. This was the largest species of butterfly that we saw. Medium white and yellow ones around. The little blue males, but not their brown females. And then some tiny brown butterflies that made the blues look big.

Looks similar to our fritillaries.

>43 fuzzi: Ah, distraction. Good tactic.

>44 MarthaJeanne: Stunning!

I saw a butterfly with white upper wings edged with black and orange hind wings flying around the treetops behind my house yesterday. As far as I can google, it seems to be a painted jezebel, so that's what I'm going to capture from the web.



Seen in: Singapore

>47 humouress: how LOVELY!

As I was walking out of the plant nursery the other day, arms loaded with my swag, I saw this guy flitting around. He kept flying around for a minute or two and then coming back to land on the ground in front of me. I was hoping he would sit still for me to be able to get my phone out and take a picture for once, but no joy. I was standing there for long enough for one of the gardeners unloading a truck to comment 'You like butterflies'.

This seems to be a lemon emigrant, common through this part of Asia all the way to Sri Lanka. I love the colour though mine was slightly more green/ aqua - one of my favourite colours - even though it doesn't have exciting patterns on it.



Seen in: Singapore

I've seen butterflies at the local plant nursery, too. I try to have my camera with me, charged up and ready to go.

Butterflies and bees - and even birds wandering around at the larger of the nurseries I go to - are good endorsements for the nurseries, I think. The other week I picked up some flowering plants because I saw bees hovering around them. Singapore is a super-urbanised city-state-island so I really appreciate these reminders of nature.

When I bought one plant a few years ago, and had to transport it through Schönbrunn zoo to get it back to my car, there were bees around it the whole way. Fun! I love the smell of the blossoms, too. It's one of the non-jasmines that are called a jasmine.

>52 MarthaJeanne: I wonder if any bees sneaked home with you.

Speaking of birds and bees, there's an amorous pair of zebra doves on my balcony railing, completely ignoring the fact that I'm sitting just inside the door. One second ...'Oi mate! The lady said "No"'.

Males can be so persistent. Never mind; the female (I assume) made her escape.

The brimstones are definitely out. I've been seeing flashes of yellow for at least the past week, but this one flew around where I could watch with my binoculars.

OK, not an exciting butterfly. Just about the most common one around here, and present nearly the full year, but still pretty. I have not seen any of the white females yet this year. My book says that's typical.

German - Zitronenfalter 'lemon butterfly', a much nicer name.

2019 Update from NC...

Saw my first fritillary today, no photo, sorry. It probably was a Variegated fritillary.

I have also seen a Cabbage white and some sort of yellow butterfly that was probably a Sleepy orange. This time of year they don't linger at the wildflowers so photos are hard to get.

Yesterday I saw an Ebony jewelwing and a yet-to-be-identified that I think is a duskywing. I managed to take a photo with my phone, so I can get help with identification.

And Friday I saw a yellow and black butterfly at a distance, probably some type of swallowtail.

If it would only stop raining for a bit, we might even see a few butterflies here. Coldest, wettest May for decades here. (No, people who don't believe in climate change can't rejoice. For over a year every month has been the hottest. One month doesn't change the bigger trend.)

I'm just reading a book on gardening for butterflies. Mein Schmetterlingsgarten is really only interesting for those of us living in central Europe, but there is some useful advice that I had been looking for for a long time.

If you have a butterfly meadow, even as small as ours, You should mow half in June, the other half in September. That way anything destroyed is only half destroyed. Also, the plants should be cut fairly high - 8-10 cm, and they should be left in place for a few days before being thrown on the compost. This gives eggs and pupae a chance to move on to the next stage and caterpillars a chance to move to the uncut area.

This all makes so much sense that I wanted to share it.

>57 MarthaJeanne:
Thank you for the advice.

The good news is that to a large extent butterflies and I have similar taste. Many of the suggested plants are already (out of control) in my garden. I need to buy in a few new sorrel plants. Try Josta again? But it's good to hear that something might be getting good from all the lemon balm and oregano.

Of the others that she recommends I have to watch whether my garden will be a good home for them - right now the lawn feels like a sponge when I walk across it, but when it gets dry in the summer the clay gets very hard. (And we won't talk about how many plants can't take the damp roots in the winter.) A few others are poisonous and/or cause photosensitivity after touching. I don't want to grow those.

Another book, different advice. Wo die wilden Nützlinge wohnen (Where the wild useful things are.) suggests cutting the butterfly garden in late winter, but leaving the cut bits in a pile until after Easter.

My current plan, as I am cutting with edging scissors is to try to do some any week the weather allows on Tuesday or Wednesday. I find that I can deal with 0.5 - 1 m at a time. Our compostables get picked up Tuesday mornings, so I can throw the cut bits in Monday evening when we put the bin out for collection.

No we don't compost ourselves. The garden isn't big enough, and as I recall, it takes a good deal pf physical effort a few times a year. We can pick up the city compost for free, and I use a lot of it. More than I would be able to make myself. I do have worms for kitchen garbage, and a bit of the grass cuttings. I use their compost for the plants that need special treats. Right now I need to find the energy to dig out the bottom tray and restack the whole thing. It's just about full.

My gardens are overrun, but in a good way. I planted carrots a couple years ago and they're blooming profusely. They are attracting butterflies and hummingbirds as much as my Lantana and Pentas, which are annuals.

>60 MarthaJeanne: while I do have a composting barrel (with a crank), I am mostly a lazy composter: I put the ingredients in the barrel, give it one crank, and let it sit. When I had a compost pile enclosed in a circle of fencing, I'd turn it once or twice a month and it wasn't a big chore at all: I'd unroll the 10' section of fence from around the pile and set it up within a foot or so of the pile, reattaching the ends to recreate the cylinder. Then I'd just fork all the compost back into the fencing.

Here's a description of how easy it is to make a compost pile with a 10' section of fence: https://www.thespruce.com/simple-compost-bin-with-wire-fencing-2539494

Different methods make less work of composting. My mother used to dig holes in her garden to bury vegetable peelings, and we occasionally had a "volunteer" potato plant grow in an odd place. She turned a section of sand into loam within a few years.

But I do not have a space for that. Tiny garden.

>57 MarthaJeanne: I was going to say how wonderful to be able to have a garden big enough to have a butterfly meadow >62 MarthaJeanne: but maybe you don’t need so much space?

We do need to get a composting bin though.

>61 fuzzi: How interesting that carrots attract hummingbirds. I didn’t even realise they have flowers.

Our 'butterfly meadow' is just a small triangle between a pear tree and the front hedge. A right angle triangle maybe four meters along the hedge and two meters along the neighbor's driveway. It was very hard to mow because of the tree, and most of the plant growth wasn't grass. Any compost bin there would be in full view of our windows, the neighbor's windows, the both neighbors' driveways. Maybe not the street, because the hedge is fairly dense. However that is the only area of the yard not intensively used. Still we get several species of birds and butterflies using the yard, also hedgehogs and lizards, recently even a dragonfly. We have the front yard and a much smaller side yard where my vegetable beds are. In most cases there is only 30-40 cm. between the raised beds, in a few places even less. Just enough that I could build them.

The plot of land is 150 square meters including the house.

And as I said above, I don't need a compost heap, because the city does major composting and I can go pick up as much as I like. Not quite true, only half a cubic meter at a time. A lot of what we throw in the bio container is cuttings from bushes that would need chipping. Most of the grass clippings go onto the veggies as mulch or to the worms. Kitchen compostables go to the worms except for onions, citrus, large seeds, and banana skins. The city uses machines to turn the piles. They keep it properly damp. And they sieve the result.

>63 humouress: Carrots have a two year cycle. The first year, they have delicious roots. The second year, if you leave them in the ground, they become Queen Anne's Lace (although not as lovely as the wild version). Hummingbirds do love hem, as I recall. Me too.

https://www.jerrybarton.eu/Miscellaneous/DailyPicks/i-4k2WKdH/A

These are coming out now in Austria. Notice the heart on the left wing.

>65 Lyndatrue: Pretty! You learn something new every day.

>66 MarthaJeanne: Also pretty! What is it called, by the way?

>67 humouress: In German it's called the Kaisermantel - emperor's coat. My book says the English is Silver-washed Fritillary (Argynnis paphia). Apparently the females lay eggs individually in trees where the caterpillars can drop to the forest floor to eat violet leaves at night.

>66 MarthaJeanne: lovely! We have fritillaries here, too, but not with a heart!

This is good news: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-england-norfolk-48860751/purple-emperor-butterfly...

I saw one of these at Schloss Orth last year, and it is breathtaking. The purple is the kind that comes from light refraction, 'structure colour' rather than through regular colour, so it is shimmery. The rangers sort of acted like there are lots of them around, but I don't think that's true here either.

Anyway, that they are recovering habitat anywhere is great.

>70 MarthaJeanne: gorgeous!!!

>70 MarthaJeanne: Beautiful! Thank you.

I was out in the garden last week when a pretty, velvety dark brown butterfly flitted past. It had a purple shimmer to the upper side of the bottom wing but when it settled, it had its wings up and firmly together so I couldn't see the shimmer. It did have pretty, frilly edges to the wings, though. I meant to post about it but forgot, but I keep seeing the same (type of) butterfly, so it obviously wants to be remembered.

So I'm not quite sure what it is, but it seems to be a member of the Crow family.


This one is a Common Indian Crow


This is a Dwarf Crow

Seen (or something similar) in: Singapore

A few days ago I watched two white butterflies flutter around together. Then they landed high in a tree. Soon 'one' flew down into a bush at eye level, and it proved to be both of them, slotted together. We were not able to get a usable picture as the phone camera doesn't do well with whites in the sun. But this was the first time I have seen butterfly sex.

>73 humouress: lovely!

>74 MarthaJeanne: I've not seen butterflies "coupled" but I have seen their courtship displays.

And I'm just lucky to be able to see butterflies.

Mind you, I was in my library/ study the other night with the lights on and the door open after dark when something large flew in and made a lot of noise crashing around. It turned out to be a large (about 15-20cm) grasshopper-looking insect. (Although I could live with it in the room, I didn't want it accidentally crashing into me, so I didn't examine it.) I hope it found its way out the next day; I haven't caught sight (or sound) of it since.

If you are planning on being in the UK this summer, this article tells you what to look for.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-49041006

My younger son has grown a sudden passion for learning to ride, so I've signed us up for classes although all we've done so far is learn how to groom and tack (and untack) a horse/ pony. Yesterday, I spotted a butterfly in the stall where I was grooming my horse although unfortunately, it looked as though it had been trodden on. I managed to rescue it but it's wings looked quite damaged.

I'm guessing it was a common jay; it was a pretty, aqua colour with a thick black border to its wings with white markings within the black on the lower wings. Google shows me different variations on colouring and even on wing shape, but it looked something like this:





The body was a mid-brown; I got a good close-up look at the butterfly for once - but, as usual, didn't have a camera on me.

Seen in: Singapore

>78 humouress: whenever I see something photo-worthy, I don't have my camera handy. I try to carry it even while doing errands around town as butterflies do show up in parking lots, gas stations, etc.

>77 MarthaJeanne: I've been seeing a lot of painted ladies in my part of Indiana, which is rare, as we don't even tend to get a lot of the American painted ladies (there is a difference). I'm not sure if this means that their migration pattern just happened to take them across our area this year, or if we have had an explosion of their caterpillar host plant, thistles. Red admirals are far more common, because their host plant, nettles, grows everywhere here.

>78 humouress: That is one striking butterfly. Just lovely! I've been using the phone's camera a lot because I do tend to have that on me, and if I take the picture through the iNaturalist app for uploading, it also dumps the photo into my photo folder so I can upload to Flickr later. Not as nice, quality wise, as the Nikon but very convenient.

Spotted a Red Admiral today and rushed outside with my camera, rushed back inside to find a new battery for it, then rushed back out again. It was still there, I'm pleased to say. Taken in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

On my living room curtain in Vienna, Austria this evening:

I found this moth in the mountains in July - I think it is an opulent tiger moth - Arctia opulenta



Edited to add: Summit Lake area, Alaska Highway, northern BC, Canada.

>81 tardis: Beautiful! And how considerate of it to wait for you. I wish my butterflies were as patient.

>82 MarthaJeanne: What intricate patterns that one has. Do you know what it is?

>83 NorthernStar: Very opulent :0) And striking, especially the way the white patches are so neatly outlined.

It was after midnight. I haven't looked it up yet.

Lovely, all of them! Thank you for sharing.

Lovely! We actually saw a American Luna moth this year--not easy to do, as I'm convinced the silkworm species in America are on the decline:





This was in Marshall County, northwestern Indiana.

>88 CassieBash: How lovely! You are so lucky!

I saw one years ago on a cabin at my son's wedding venue. It really made my day.

>88 CassieBash: How gorgeous! And what an unusual shape.

ETA: I just looked it up - it’s a big moth.

>91 humouress: Yes, they are, though this one was on the smaller end of the spectrum. Here are other moths in Indiana that are pretty big:

Cecropia, a Luna relative (silkworm)



Polyphemus (another silkworm)



This one's not a silkworm, but it's also a decent size; it's the Imperial moth:



These were in Marshall County, northwestern Indiana.

>92 CassieBash: oh, how beautiful!

I'm intrigued by the second photo, where it appears there are clear sections of its wings!

>93 fuzzi: You see correctly. Not many North American temperate species of Lepidoptera have clear patches, but the Polyphemus is one of them. I've noticed that most Lep species with clear wings or clear patches are tropical. Although I do believe the clear patches do appear bigger from below than above.

Re: >82 MarthaJeanne:

My butterfly book was missing, but it has turned up in time to go to England with us. The closest I can come to identifying this is that it might be a Lewes Wave (Scopula immorata). Mine is darker than most pictures I found, but there seems to be a lot of variation.

Another moth with clear patches on the wings is the hummingbird clearwing, Hemaris thysbe, which we see up here occasionally. They look like tiny hummingbirds in flight, but if they hold still you can see that most of their wings are clear.

I posted some pictures on facebook a couple of years ago, but to save time hunting will link to Wikipedia instead.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemaris_thysbe

Beautiful.

Interesting, that some of them have clear patches. I never knew that before, and certainly never seen/ noticed any even though I live in the tropics. I’ll have to look harder.

I've seen some of the clear ones in the Chester Zoo butterfly house. One of the outings we will do if we stay in England long enough. Love Chester Zoo!

Painted Lady spotted today in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

>99 tardis: That's just a gorgeous photo all round. I love those two little bees getting on with their business; it's a good thing sunflowers are large enough to share.

Folks, it occurs to me that since we're posting butterflies and moths from all over the world, it might be useful for the curious if we jot down where in the world we spotted these beauties.

Mine have all been in Singapore. Maybe I'll just go back and add that to my posts.

>101 humouress: good idea. I added the location to my post.

A tiny cabbage butterfly called Pacific Orange Tip, Anthocharis sara Lucas, in Southern California, USA in mid May.

Why isn’t my pic showing?

Got it! :)

>101 humouress: yes, great idea. I've gone back and added my location, too!

>103 Yamanekotei: Similar to the one in >18 MarthaJeanne: in Austria. They seem to be related, despite how far apart they live.

>105 humouress: Both Anthocharis, so quite closely related.

We walked in an English Nature Preserve today known for it's dragonflies, but they weren't out. The consolation prize was that several magpies were about right next to the motorway headed there, within a few meters of the car while we waited for traffic to start moving again. Lovely birds!

In the nature preserve we saw several large dogs, two horses, and numerous human beings, some on bicycles.

>101 humouress: Done. :)

I know that the pictures have all been of adults so far; anyone interested in caterpillar pictures? Since I raise and release, I have lots of pictures from multiple life stages. I post a lot on my thread but I could share the more interesting and attractive ones here too, if you like.

I saw my first Monarch caterpillars today, and they're big & fat!

>107 CassieBash: please do.

Probably the most unusual one I have right now are the double-toothed prominents. There were two, but I took photos of the biggest:





Slug caterpillars are unusual, too:



Haven't been seeing much variety recently; our temperatures have been cool for a long time. Mostly I'm seeing sulphurs and cabbage whites, with a few of these buckeyes, which are by far probably the prettiest of the late summer/fall species we see up here:





I don't know why we only see them in the fall; I usually don't find the caterpillars even until mid- to late August. They eat some of the species of weeds that grow in our horse pasture throughout the summer so you would think that even if they migrate upwards in the spring as the red admirals do, we'd see them throughout the summer (like the admirals). Yet it's rare to see one until the summer is almost over, and they don't winter over as swallowtails do.

All of these pictures were taken at my house in northwest Indiana (Marshall County).

That Slug caterpillar is cute!

>109 CassieBash: that buckeye is lovely, I've never seen one. And I like your caterpillars. What do they become?

>111 NorthernStar: The double toothed prominent is a moth. I believe that the slug is, specifically, a yellow-shouldered slug, also a moth. The buckeye's caterpillar is also lovely.

>109 CassieBash: The buckeye is beautiful. It is not a species I have seen.

>109 CassieBash: Butterfly or moth caterpillar, I couldn't tell the difference (but didn't someone up thread say that all butterflies are descended from a single moth?) - those are wonderful-looking caterpillars. I love the shape of the double toothed prominents and the way they mimic the plant leaves. Despite the name, the slug caterpillar is fascinating, too.

The buckeye is gorgeous; it reminds me of one we saw in Nigeria.

Milbert's or Fire-rim Tortoise Shell butterfly, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

>115 tardis: What a beauty!

>115 tardis: lovely!

>115 tardis: very nice.

>115 tardis: Gorgeous colours, including the flower. Those 'eyes' look scary!

>114 humouress: I know that moths are the earliest group of Lepidoptera; butterflies and skippers probably did branch off from the moths. Everyone thinks of butterflies as colorful and moths as drab, but obviously that isn't the case. (Neither is the diurnal butterflies/nocturnal moths rule of thumb; many moths, particularly small ones, can be found flying during the day.)

>115 tardis: Milbert's Tortoiseshells are unusual in Indiana but I have had one season where they made it this far west and north. They were lots of fun to rear, because the females lay their eggs in clusters on stinging nettle, and the caterpillars strip the plants from the top down. Because they're in groups you can collect a lot at the same time, and because they all develop at the same rate, when they emerge from their chrysalises, there's usually a good 25-50 of them. When you let them go, it's like a butterfly explosion. :)

For those interested, both the prominent caterpillars and the slug moth caterpillar have made their cocoons. The prominents "burrowed" under the paper towel I use to line the bottom of the terrariums, and the slug moth "cut" bits of the oak leaf he'd been eating, folded it half-way over him, and stitched a little "sleeping bag" of leaf and silk.

Speaking of non-drab moths: this is, I think, a wavy-lined emerald moth that I found on the north doors of Ancilla College, in northwest Indiana, where I work.



This is the Polyphemus caterpillar; the start of the 2nd picture in >92 CassieBash:; I collected 3 total from our horse pasture. One has woven its cocoon of silk and oak leaves, and this is the larger of the two remaining.



These are Io moth caterpillars; I have 7 I've collected from my yard. Like Milbert's Tortoiseshells, they lay their eggs in small clusters, so when you find one, there's usually more in the general area, if not on the same plant. They eat just about anything, so once they get big, they spread out. Not too many birds like them, because the spines are sharp and irritating, like getting a good sting from a nettle plant.





They are sexually dimorphic, meaning that the females look different from the males.

>120 CassieBash: So gorgeous (excuse my using the word yet again); my favourite colour (the moth).

Caterpillars have evolved some fascinating shapes.

>121 humouress: It is a lovely green.

From my northwest Indiana picture files:

The double toothed prominent caterpillars (from >109 CassieBash:) successfully pupated; this is what their cocoons look like. In fact, a lot of small moths have very similar-looking cocoons, often burrowing into the ground to make them. Many of you with gardens may have come across them when digging up weeds or when planting.



Much to my surprise, I found a giant leopard moth caterpillar crawling up the kaftan I was wearing one evening after dinner. These bristly fellows aren't poisonous like the Io moth caterpillars above, but the stiff bristles are startling if you brush against them unknowingly, like I did. He was probably trying to find a place to winter over, since this species hibernates in caterpillar form up here, waking up sometimes when the temps get warm enough to nibble on newly sprouting vegetation under the leaf litter and snow.





I did have a late-season question mark emerge late last week; this species is a relative of the red admirals and is so named because of the silver mark on its hind wing that looks a bit like a question mark tipped on its side.

From my northwest Indiana area, last night's emergence of a buckeye butterfly:







Just an update on the caterpillars for anyone interested: I lost one of the 3 Polyphemus to either disease or parasites. One is in cocoon stage, the other is still a caterpillar and rather small, so I'm not sure if it's going to have the time to make a cocoon before succumbing to the end of the season. Supposed to get cold tonight so I'm bringing it in overnight. 6 of the 7 Io moths are in cocoons, and the 7th is a decent size--not as concerned about him. I have about a dozen or so spicebush swallowtail cats that are likely going to make it to chrysalis stage with little to no problems, provided our highs continue to remain at least in the 60s as predicted.

Wintering them over in the basement usually works well, so that's where they'll be headed once temps dip down to the freezing mark. Most of these species would do fine anyway, but the prominent moths and a couple of others I have would normally be underground and so would be insulated, so into the basement they go.

>123 CassieBash: love the "Common" Buckeye, so beautiful.

Thanks for taking care of the butterflies.

My last emergence for the season, another buckeye.







Winter is almost here, so unless you want me to post pictures of chrysalises and cocoons, I'm probably about out of source material for the season.

Love Buckeyes!

Assumed to be a Cloudless Sulphur (Phoebis sennae) in So Cal., USA.

The man in this pic is a dad of Eagle Scout then candidate, trying to screw wooden boards on the gazebo top at his son’s Eagle project, about three years or so ago.

>127 Yamanekotei: Gosh, that butterfly is huge!

>127 Yamanekotei: I love it.

I saw what I think was a Cloudless Sulphur today while I was out working in the yard. It was gone before I got a good look (or photo), but some do overwinter here in the mid-part of the state of Georgia (USA) - although they fare better further toward the south and/or the coast - and show themselves on warm, sunny, days, which this was.

It was a lovely surprise.

>130 Dejah_Thoris: I've some butterfly sightings/photos in November, might even have one from December. We've had frost at night, but still a frog or two come out to bask in the sunshine.

Update for 2020:

Within the last week I've spotted:

A small orange butterfly, probably a Sleepy orange
A small yellow butterfly, no dark markings, probably a sulfur
A small dark butterfly with spots on the edges, probably a black swallowtail

A Cabbage white
And yesterday, a Silver-spotted skipper!

No photos, sorry, it's always hard to get them to sit long enough for a picture early in the season. Once I have lots of red blooms, well, then I'll get some images!

>132 fuzzi:
I haven't spotted any butterflies this year yet. We do not have as many exotic species as you appear to have. Still, I love the ones we have.

Oh, of course; you’re all coming into spring now. Looking forward to photos!

>134 humouress: it's going to be 80F again tomorrow, and might hit 90F on Sunday, which is above average! Might be one for the record books.

I saw a Red Admiral yesterday, and it (as usual) wouldn't sit still long enough for a photo. At first I thought there were two of them, as it was spiraling up and up with another butterfly, but the second one turned out to be a Silver-spotted skipper. I get that type by the pond all summer long.

Not my photo:

Here's my photo of the Silver-spotted skipper from yesterday:


Location: Eastern North Carolina, USA

I also saw an Ebony Jewelwing, but did not get a decent photo.

Not my photo:

---

Oh, I just remembered seeing a small orange and black butterfly through the window yesterday, or Wednesday. It was probably a Pearl crescent.

Not my photo:

I love the pictures, even the ones that are not yours.

You have taught me something today. I have seen Ebony Jewelwings before, and have even managed to take some mediocre pictures of them, but I never know what they were called. :-) This home schooling is working out great. Thank you!

>138 pgmcc: I recommend this for your home schooling:


This is an excellent field guide, and has made identification of butterflies easier than other nature guides.

>139 fuzzi: Thanks for the recommendation - I may have to pick one of those up!

>140 Dejah_Thoris: I got my copy on Ebay. Then, when I mislaid it, I got another copy on Ebay. I got used hardcover editions in very good condition for about $10 each.

>141 fuzzi: Even better!

>139 fuzzi:
Thank you for the recommendation. I see it is for North America. I have a couple of butterfly books for Europe.

Good try, though. :-)

While I was outside this afternoon I saw a dark fluttering, grabbed my camera and


Red-spotted purple butterfly

Gorgeous!

Beautiful! (Though I don’t see any red spots.)

>144 fuzzi: Wow!

>146 humouress: this shows the spots better:


not my photo

There are variations with individuals.

>148 fuzzi: Another "Wow!"

>148 fuzzi: >149 pgmcc: I’ll echo that.

Lovely; it’s too early here for the purple yet but I did see a glimpse of what I think was a painted lady the other day. And I had a couple of spice bush swallowtails and a Polyphemus moth emerge earlier this week. When I have something other than my phone’s 4G, I’ll post pics.

>151 CassieBash: I'm looking forward to your pictures! I have a toad picture I think you'll like, but I won't post it in a butterfly thread.

I have seen what I assume are Tiger swallowtails above the yard, but they fly about 15' or so above my head, and don't land in my gardens, so I don't have any photos.

I did plant pentas, celosia (the plume variety), and New Guinea impatiens already, all red varieties. Here's hoping I can attract more butterflies.

Anyone have recommendations for nature books for a 4 year old? I don't want gimmicky, I want something that is quality and will pique her interest.

I've started a thread for recommendations, here:

https://www.librarything.com/topic/319060#

Thanks.

>152 fuzzi: Sorry that I’ve not been on LT much. This pandemic work from home stuff and monitoring mom’s health has kept me busy. Plus I’m making a bunch of felt roses for my older sister who wants to give one to each cast and crew member of the local high school’s drama club. They were supposed to do Disney’s Beauty and the Beast this year but COVID19 shut down the performance, so she’s hoping sometime this summer they can at least get a cast party and a felt flower for each of them.

I would love to see the toad pictures; feel free to post them on my Critters thread.

They could be tiger swallowtail butterflies but also giant swallowtails. Tiger caterpillars eat tulip trees so it’s possible they fly that high up, especially around their host trees. But I’ve seen giants up high, too.

>154 CassieBash: don't feel a need to apologize, real life and family take precedence. 🌞

We have tulip trees, guess that settles it?

>155 fuzzi: Possibly—unless you also have a member of the citrus or hops family. Such as an orange or prickly ash tree. That’s what giant swallowtail caterpillars eat.

>156 CassieBash: well, there is some tree in the woods next door that drops small golf ball-sized fruits in my yard. They smell like oranges. They're not edible.

>157 fuzzi: Maybe one of these? Unusual citrus

Finally, one of my own pictures. I took this a couple of weeks ago in the late evening just before twilight so I suppose they stayed still because they were settling in for the night. I think they're Acraea violae, common name tawny coster, which are found from the Indian subcontinent down to Singapore (and they also have African relatives).

>159 humouress: pretty!

>159 humouress: Well, I've definitely never seen one of those before! Very pretty, indeed.

>159 humouress: Ooohhh, species I've never seen before! I love the black and white edging along the hind wings that's coordinated with its body!

I had a few emergences this spring, including a Polyphemus moth:



and a spicebush swallowtail:





And then there's the unidentified moth:

>162 CassieBash: I love Spicebush Swallowtails!

>163 Dejah_Thoris: Spicebush swallowtails are certainly one of the most common swallowtails here in northwest Indiana (I forgot to tag location in the post).

American Lady on Milkweed

No pictures to share yet, but just a heads-up on potential future ones! My younger sister bought me a prickly ash, the only native tree that will host giant swallowtails in northwest Indiana, as a birthday present last year. The thought was that on those years when we see one or two giant swallowtails--they aren't numerous up this way but we do see them occasionally--they might lay an egg or two on the tree and I'd get the chance to raise them. I haven't raised one in years, since mom's mini-orange tree, which used to live on the open porch area during the summer, would get one or two eggs and I'd secretly rear them. Last night I went to inspect the tree and found 5 orange balls--swallowtail egg size and shape--and verified with Google that giant swallowtail eggs are indeed orange. (Unlike the cream-colored eggs most of the other swallowtail species around here lay.) We had thought it would take a few years for the swallowtails to find the tree, since it's maybe only three to three and a half feet tall, but I guess prickly ash isn't common so the lady felt she had to lay her eggs where she could.

I will try to get pictures of the eggs and/or caterpillars tonight and will try to document their development here for you, if you'd like.

>166 CassieBash: That's marvelous! Hooray for native host plants!

>166 CassieBash: looking forward to pictures!

The eggs were first noticed on June 8. It is now June 11, and 3 of the 5 have hatched! They are indeed giant swallowtail caterpillars, right here in northwest Indiana--in mid-June!

One of the eggs:


One of the caterpillars, right before collection this morning:


All 3 collected, in "nursery":


Full disclosure: I had to really zoom in with all pictures. The eggs were maybe the size of a standard pinhead. These caterpillars are like little threads when you look at them in actual size. You can't imagine how small they are looking at these pictures!

>169 CassieBash: SO cute!

Update: 4 caterpillars, and the last egg is darkening—often a sign of impeding hatching....

I did remove the last egg from the tree because a (really cool-looking) spider was near it. I didn’t want the youngster grabbed before I could collect it so I have the final egg, too. It’s so close to hatching that it should suffer no harm as long as it’s kept away from the other cats. I should have 5 cats by tomorrow morning if not by the end of the night.

>171 CassieBash: so cool!

I assume you're rearing them to prevent them being nabbled by the local wildlife? Good luck with them. Looking forward to more photos.

You must have eagle eyes to have spotted those eggs on your tree. They're tine!

>173 humouress: In part. I can’t remember ever not raising caterpillars and then releasing the adults. Even as a child I don’t remember ever trying to keep the adults. I think part of the magic was (and still is) in the release. I think I’m still captivated by the magic of the metamorphosis and then that moment of release, which is great when the butterfly is not in a hurry to fly and it sits on your finger or hand, completely at ease.

The last egg has not hatched, and while I haven’t given up on it, I doubt at this point that it will. It happens sometimes and 4 of 5 is good, especially as they are doing well. I’ll try to post updated pics tomorrow.

>174 CassieBash: thank you for what you do.

Updated pictures, as promised! :) Our little friends are growing quickly; I think the largest will probably molt into the 2nd instar soon. The top photo is actual size; I included the pen as a sort of scale. There are three in the picture, two by the pen and one on the upper left part of the leaf. The second photo I chose to take of the 4th caterpillar and zoom in. Giant swallowtail caterpillars will remain brown and white (to look like bird droppings--a sort of camouflage); unlike the tiger and spicebush swallowtails, which start out brown and white and gradually turn green, with "eyes" on their backs (to mimic snakes, it's thought).

Cute! Remind me, what are you feeding them, orange tree leaves?

>177 fuzzi: Prickly ash. It's a native so it survives our winters and will continue to get bigger (and theoretically be able to support still more caterpillars).

There is apparently a trend towards these butterflies becoming more common in the northern states. I will say that this is the third year in a row that I've seen monarch butterflies here "early" compared to when they used to arrive. Early this year was actually late May--about a month earlier than when they used to arrive in late June.

No new pics of the babies; they haven't changed that much in a day, but I am monitoring a new egg that I suspect may be a Lep egg of some sort. Not sure what kind of plant this is other than it was a native wildflower we specifically put there. Maybe a type of coreopsis? Anyway, sadly, the pictures just don't fully do justice to the opal-esque look of the egg:

The last giant swallowtail egg hasn’t hatched; by now it should have. The egg above hasn’t either but I keep checking the leaf since I don’t know when exactly it was laid but it may not be quite a week even.

The 4 giants are growing though two have lagged, to different degrees, in how much they have. Still, all four are eating so I’m pleased enough. I will share pictures soon.

>179 CassieBash: looking forward to your pictures.

I saw and photographed a hairstreak over the weekend, but haven't had the opportunity to edit and upload yet.

>180 fuzzi: Looking forward to the hairstreak pic!

I released the smallest caterpillar into the wild, putting it back onto the prickly ash. It just isn't growing like the others and I'm concerned that it may be a case of failure to thrive. Unfortunately, I know there are several hunting spiders making their home on the tree, and I haven't seen it since I released it. On the other hand, I also haven't had a chance to thoroughly look, since we had a sudden downpour yesterday evening when I was getting the food for the others. It seemed more prudent to just gather a few leaves and get inside. But we had a beautiful double rainbow after the rain passed.

The caterpillar, released back onto the tree:



The caterpillars still living with me have been moved into a larger terrarium.







This is a beggar moth that I caught in the house and released back into the outer world the other day:



Here are a couple of the rainbows, too, just because:





Just a reminder that this is northwest Indiana, since we're tracking where we find this things. :)

Wow, lovely rainbows! And critter pics, especially the moth. Pretty.

I need to move my photos from my camera to my computer. It's June, which is my busiest month of the year, so I might not get it done today. I have at least three different butterflies captured by the lens.

>180 fuzzi: I knew about butterflies and moths but now I'm learning about skippers and hairstreaks. I'm curious about that last - awaiting photos :0)

>181 CassieBash: We can always use rainbows. I love it when they're so vivid like that.

When I lived in Sydney for a brief time, there seemed to be rainbows all the time and they often came in doubles or even triples. Here in Singapore - where we have rain every other day or so and tonnes of sunshine - I've only seen about three and a half rainbows. The half was an odd fragment suspended in the sky and it was years before I saw another one. The day my youngest finished Kindergarten, there was a rainbow and the class WhatsApp group had photos of it coming in from all parts of the island. Maybe it's the atmosphere or the latitude that makes them so rare?

Okay, here are my latest butterfly pictures!


6/21/20 - Red-banded Hairstreak


6/24/20 - Cabbage White


6/24/20 - Clouded Skipper


6/24/20 - Female Black Swallowtail


6/24/20 - Male Eastern Tiger Swallowtail


6/26/20 - Eastern Comma


6/26/20 - Eastern Comma Butterfly (side view to show the "comma")


5/31/20 - American Lady butterfly

>183 humouress: It’s good to learn about new things! :)

I know nothing about why rainbows would be so rare there—though in fairness they aren’t particularly common here (though more than what you describe). Your guess is as good as mine.... But I’ve never seen a triple; what a remarkable sight that must have been amazing!

>184 fuzzi: Pretty! I have been very lazy about collecting caterpillars and therefore have few pictures this year. So hot and muggy, the mosquitoes are terrible, and balancing work and caregiving just make it seem like too much this year. I have had a few admirals, I have my giant swallowtail caterpillars, I’m checking the poplar for tiger swallowtail caterpillars and eggs, and I’m keeping an eye on my Queen Anne’s lace, dill, and fennel plants for black swallowtail eggs and cats. I do plan later this year, maybe around September, to go looking for spicebush swallowtails. But this is sort of like a year off for me. Keep sharing those lovely pictures!

The latest pictures of my caterpillars; the remaining three are growing fast! One molted the other day, as you can see in the photo below. Shortly after I got this picture, he turned around and ate the shed skin, which is perfectly normal.

The shed skin is the blob beside the top caterpillar.



Like all swallowtails I've encountered, this species also has "horns", which are really fleshy filaments called osmeterium. The osmeterium smells bad and may actually remind birds of forked snake tongues, rather than horns. If you look carefully, you can see the small ends, red in color, just starting to poke out of the top of its head.



Out of curiosity, while I know this group is predominantly Lepidopteran, I thought I might post a picture of a feather and see if anyone can ID this possible Avian. This was found in the barn; we suspect one of the wild turkeys but I've never seen them wander into our outbuildings. Maybe an owl or night hawk?

Giant swallowtail update!

My 3 are doing very well; the smallest has almost caught up with the others now, and my biggest has just gone into the pre-chrysalis act of attaching himself in his "harness". He will be in a chrysalis by this evening most likely.

These two pictures are of the largest before he was quite ready to commit to making a chrysalis.





All 3; I think the one crawling on the side is probably the big one, since they get wander lust before they find the perfect spot.



A closer look at the two smaller cats:



This was the state the largest was in when I left for work this morning; classic half-heart shape of a swallowtail making a chrysalis.



Late this past week, I saw a seedling sassafras tree with a leaf curled over on itself--usually a sign of a spicebush swallowtail caterpillar. The tree was so small that I doubted myself I couldn't resist a quick peek anyway, and sure enough, there was a little spicebush swallowtail caterpillar. There was no way the tree would ever grow fast enough to support a caterpillar so I have now adopted this little (and I do mean little) guy, too. I'm using my pinky fingernail, which is not quite 1/2 inch from cuticle to nail end, as a point of reference.

The pictures are so interesting. I like to re-read the messages to see them. I have very few butterflies here but do have some bees.

>187 CassieBash: love the updates!

I'm still waiting for Monarchs. I keep checking the milkweed but don't see any caterpillars yet.

>188 mnleona: Where do you live? Too cold? Country or city? There may be ways to increase the butterflies around you. :)

>189 fuzzi: I fear this year will be a poor one for monarchs. I haven’t seen many adults since mid-May, which is far too early for them to find milkweed up here in northern Indiana. Now the milkweed is up but I’m not seeing many adults to lay eggs. I hope they’re able to make a late rebound.

The giant was a chrysalis before 10 PM last night. The other 2 are close behind. I will share the chrysalis pictures when I’m back in the office; mom has a pulmonologist meeting mid-day and I decided it would just be easier to take a day off than to try to work a half day.

I live in Minnesota about an hour north of Minneapolis. I live on a lake and see some butterflies but not lots. I have a garden but maybe need to plant some different flowers next year.
Leona

>191 mnleona: research what butterflies are native to your area and what plants you can use to attract them.

When we went to Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan a couple years ago I saw several species I'd not seen before. There are butterflies even in colder regions, you just have to plant something to get their attention. :)

My sister lives near St. Cloud.

EDIT: try starting here https://extension.umn.edu/landscape-design/creating-butterfly-garden

>187 CassieBash: How exciting! I assume that since the caterpillars are different sizes going into their chrysalis that the butterflies will be, too?

>191 mnleona: & >192 fuzzi: Fuzzi is right; once you know what plants attract your native species, you can plant both the right flowers for nectar (to attract adults) and then host plants for the caterpillars to eat. I've always read (and it seems to usually hold true) that you can attract the adults for a day or two with flowers, but to keep them there, you need to plant things that their offspring, the caterpillars, will eat.

While I'm not enjoying the hotter summers, and the milder winters aren't supposed to be normal, northwest Indiana's climate is becoming such that we can now more easily raise plants we couldn't just a decade or so ago--and we're seeing butterflies like the monarchs that migrate up from the south earlier. We're also seeing butterflies, like the giant swallowtails, that don't usually migrate this far north more and more. Thus the reason for getting and planting the prickly ash last year, to give the mother butterflies a place to lay eggs. Once we start seeing zebra swallowtails up this far north, I'll have to start investigating the possibility of planting pawpaws, which normally don't do well with our winters but thrive in the southern part of central Indiana.

>193 humouress: The two smaller ones are still caterpillars, eating and growing, but they're fast catching up to the size of the first. There may be a slight difference in size but for the most part, I think they'll all be about the same size by the time they make the chrysalis and will be about the same size in the end. That being said, there's often a little size difference in genders.

And speaking of the chrysalis, here are the latest pictures:







The shape is very typical for a swallowtail; they create a harness that lets them hang at an angle from whatever they attach to. All of the swallowtail chrysalises I've ever seen have the "dog face" with the "ears" and the pointed "nose". They vary in color, size, and very subtly in shape; I can usually tell one species apart from another based on the chrysalis.

The only time I've seen a Zebra swallowtail was up in Michigan, a couple summers ago.

>195 fuzzi: He was a bit out of his range, I think! Unless there’s a food plant other than the pawpaw I don’t know about. Hmmm.... ;)

I have another in the half-heart shape, committed to becoming a chrysalis. The other isn't far behind. I won't be surprised if I have all three in full chrysalis form by the end of tomorrow.

Now, we wait....

All 3 giant swallowtails are now committed to the metamorphosis stage. I will wait until they have all made their chrysalises and then will empty the old leaves and paper towel--a basic cleaning. I don't want to risk disturbing them at this time.

Bad news to report; the last two giants had troubles making their chrysalis and appear to have died. This has not been a great year for butterflies overall here in northwest Indiana; I've seen so few adults and even fewer offspring. I searched over the weekend for the ever-common spicebush swallowtail caterpillars and found two, which puts my total up to a measly three. I also have maybe half a dozen red admirals--and those who used to follow my threads in the Gardens and Books group will know that admirals are usually found in large numbers. These things are cyclical to a degree; the higher numbers we've had mean that usually the time is right for a couple of years with high numbers of deaths from disease and parasites, but I also wonder if the prolonged cold spring, followed by the current hot, drought conditions this summer, are exacerbating the problem. It's also possible with the spicebush swallowtails that we're between generations--though it's been a long time since I've seen an adult fluttering about. I still have high hopes for the survival and eventual emergence of the first giant swallowtail caterpillar, however, as his chrysalis looks very good.

>199 CassieBash: Oh no! Is there any hope?

>200 humouress: Unfortunately not for those two, and two of my three spicebush swallowtails are no longer with me. Hagrid and Little Poo Poo Butt (my sister named them; don't blame me) have both passed, as did one of the spicebush. The other spicebush was released after I noticed the telltale bruises that almost always indicate parasites. I hadn't noticed it on him at first because spicebush swallowtails start out brown and white like bird droppings, and the bruise was on a brown spot and didn't show up until he turned green.

But yes, I think there is some hope! Finn MacCool (I suggested that one!), the one in the chrysalis above, appears to be showing his adult butterfly colors underneath his chrysalis skin! I think in a day or two, I'll have giant swallowtail pictures to share! I also have the last spicebush swallowtail as a chrysalis, I now have 6 monarch chrysalises and a very small caterpillar I hatched from an egg, and several black swallowtail caterpillars of varying sizes, plus maybe half a dozen red admirals and an American dagger moth in cocoon.

>201 CassieBash: sorry for the losses, will be waiting to see the adult pictures once he emerges.

>202 fuzzi: He has emerged and I will have pictures tomorrow!!

>202 fuzzi: Not long to wait; he emerged today and I’ll post pictures tomorrow when I am at work on something other than my smart phone.

As promised, some pictures of the giant swallowtail:









Giant swallowtails are pretty easy to ID if you get the chance to see both the upper- and under-wing coloring and patterns. They can look like the other black-hued swallowtails from above, but look more like tiger swallowtails from beneath. When they fly, it's quite striking.

And here is the black swallowtail caterpillar sharing the tank with the chrysalises:



Location reminder: Northwest Indiana, United States

>205 CassieBash: yippee!

No caterpillars here that I have seen, Black swallowtail or Monarch or anything. I have host plants everywhere. It's frustrating.

I’m glad that you do have so many that are doing well.

How wonderful to have nurtured that butterfly through to this stage; I have a big smile on my face just looking at your pictures.

>5 humouress: Sweet guys

This guy has settled in my bathroom for the night. I’m sorry, the photo is a bit blurry. It was sitting on a reflective surface so it’s not as big as it probably looks though it is quite large - the long edge of its wing is about the length of my thumb.



And, of course, the picture has rotated so my towel looks like it’s defying gravity.

ETA: it seems to be Asota egens with a wingspan of about 60mm.

>209 humouress: wow, pretty!

>209 humouress: Nice! I’m living my Lep life vicariously through those of you with year-round moth and butterfly sightings so do please post. It gives me something to dream about while my own babies are sleeping in their chrysalises and cocoons.