Sunday, August 17, 2008

Oh Me of Little Faith

As most of you know I have been stressing over butterflies for a while now. I teach a butterfly/moth lab in late September and if there are no butterflies, eggs, or chrysalises, than I have nothing to teach or to share with the students. Well, Friday around noon (a good time to spot butterflies) to my amazement I spotted five different butterflies flitzing around the lantana and other flowers! Here is what I saw:

Two Beautiful Female Eastern Black Swallowtails
(hopefully laying eggs soon)


A Token Male Eastern Black Swallowtail
(hopefully finding the females...)


Beautiful Spicebush Swallowtails!


This is what the caterpillars looks like but I have never seen one in our habitat. I suppose I need to get some spice bushes for them to lay eggs on. Anybody out there willing to donate one?


Gulf Fritillaries


And finally I saw a huge Monarch sipping on the lantana. I knew it was a female because it was missing the two characteristic black spots on the hind wings that identify the males. Hopefully we will see eggs on the milkweed soon. I will keep you posted.


1 comment:

Anonymous said...

omg how did you get those pictures what kind of butterflys are they!?