End of the season butterflies

The butterfly season has almost come to an end for this year. I still have a few monarch caterpillars I'm raising. The milkweed looks bad, but it's come back somewhat since we've had some rain. I have a few black swallowtail caterpillars left, but most have pupated and will spend the winter in the refrigerator. The variegated fritillaries are still plentiful. I've sleeved about a dozen on the passionvine. I remember that last year, we still were seeing them into the first of November.

I've taught several monarch tagging programs, including an online one for the Association For Butterflies. Last week I did one for a home-schooled group. Everyone had a great time, learning about monarch migration and then individually tagging their butterflies. Some purchased monarch chrysalises in pupae pyramids to take home. We always wish them well on their long journey to Mexico before we release them. Maybe one day a butterfly that we've tagged will be found and reported to Monarch Watch!

Red Admiral adopts Washington, D.C. area man

Check this out: The Butterfly Effect ~

www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/15/AR2008081502356_3.html=features1&hpv=national

August's Swallowtails

We're seeing many types of swallowtails here, just showing up in the past few weeks. Tigers, Blacks, and Spicebush are abundant. I have collected over 60 Black Swallowtail eggs on the fennel in the past week. I've found out that the way to tell if the chrysalis will overwinter or not is the daylength. If, in the 5th instar the caterpillar receives more than 12 hours of daylight, it will most likely emerge in a few weeks. If the daylight isn't more than 12 hours, it will probably overwinter and emerge in the spring instead.

We have not had rain here in Central VA for six weeks. Everything is drying up and dying. The Buddleia have almost quit blooming. I don't know if there will be enough nectar plants for the migrating monarchs in a few weeks. I am teaching several monarch tagging classes this fall. I am finding a few wild monarch caterpillars on the tropical milkweed and bringing them in to raise them.

Imperial Moth saved from hungry bird!

Yesterday as I was in my car at the drive through window of the bank, I noticed a bird in the parking lot seemingly playing with something big and yellow. This caught my attention as I was waiting for my transaction. The bird would pick up the object in its mouth and try to fly away and then drop it on the pavement. This happened several times. Whatever the bird was trying to catch would flop around on the asphalt until the next assault by the bird. It finally picked it up again and flew away about 100 feet and again dropped it. By this time, I was finished at the bank and I drove over to where the bird was and got out of the car. The bird hopped away, but was still watchful. I discovered the yellow object was actually an Imperial Moth, which was still alive, but just barely. I put it in my car and drove it home. I thought if it didn't live, I would use it in my butterfly programs to show my audiences what one looked like. I was in a hurry, so I put it into a glassine envelope and then into a sealed container in the refrigerator. Tonight I took it out and placed it outside close to the house. I'll see in the morning if it's still there or if it flew away.

Busy butterfly season!

This has been the busiest butterfly season I've had. I have raised more butterflies and sold more butterflies than ever before. More people are becoming aware of butterfly releases and since there are so few people who are butterfly farmers, sometimes there are not enough butterflies to go around. An article appeared in today's Washington Post magazine about Social Butterflies: www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/01/AR2008070101828.html?nav=hcmodule
Check it out!

Black swallowtails are laying eggs!

Those black swallowtails have been laying eggs on my fennel. I've collected about 60 eggs lately and am raising them in covered containers. The fennel is about 3 feet high and I will cut about half of it to the ground soon. There is so much of it, it's about taken over a good part of the flower garden. As a perennial, it should come with a warning label ~ "Beware! Fennel spreads rapidly!" I don't mind since it does attract so many black swallowtails. Once emerged as adults, they are very striking when released from a container all at once. I'll try to dry some of the leaves when I cut it. I will collect the seeds in the fall, also. I use the seeds to season sauces, especially tomato sauces.

Florida Keys butterflies

The same trip to the Florida Keys allowed me to see butterflies I never see flying in the wild in Virginia. In a state park, there were many Zebra Longwings, some Gulf Fritillaries and Julias. The park's butterfly garden also looked nothing like the one that I maintain in Virginia. It was mostly wild and untamed native plants, rather than tended flower beds. The flowers were rather inconsequential, but the butterflies were nectaring on them. It just goes to show that a person cannot think all butterfly attractants are the same everywhere. The tropical flowers were all very lush and fragrant in people's yards, but I never saw a butterfly fluttering around them.