This female monarch butterfly, although had a torn wing, fluttered about just fine this morning in the garden.
It definitely makes you wonder how long she has been flying and what happened.
She was a beauty, and fun to watch as she tackled the porterweed to grab some good.
I wonder how much nectar they have to consume in a day for their diet?
The life cycle of the butterfly is amazing to watch. Here’s a female butterfly busy laying eggs on a milkweed plant.
At the tip of the abdomen are short hair pencils on the male monarch butterfly, which helps in spreading pheromones during courtship through the wing glands. When the female lays its eggs they have already been fertilized with sperm, which have been stored in her body.
A few of the polydamas swallowtail caterpillars were in their molting process on the Dutchman pipe this morning. They will most likely consume their exoskeleton to conserve its nutrients.
These guys will grow up to 2.1″ in length and typically take 19 to 24 days to go through their four instars. There are definitely a few that are nearing that final stage before chrysalis.
A butterfly garden is incredibly calming and peaceful. The best part is when a butterfly does not notice you and continues to find its nectar plant. This gulf fritillary had no interest in me as it landed on a penta and began drinking.
The penta (also known as the starflower) flowers year round in Southwest Florida and is a favorite in my garden.
I have both red and white, with the red frequented more often. It have probably a half dozen in the gardens all at different heights. Some can reach 4 feet tall, which gives great dimension to a garden. All but one of these plants are in full sun all day. The one that is growing in part shade has thrived as well.
I have read that this flower should not be over watered, as it can cause leaf fungus. The pentas that I purchase from a native nursery do great without watering every day. I have also purchased these flowers from big box stores and they always wilt and die. Native nurseries are the way to go.
A walk through the garden yesterday uncovered a very interesting find, a type of sphinx moth caterpillar on my penta flower. The hook on the backside of the caterpillar is an indicator it is a moth caterpillar. Today it had disappeared.
