This male monarch butterfly was not bothered by me at all squatting down close to him while he eagerly took a drink from the penta flower. It always amazes me how far down the proboscis goes in order to get the nectar the butterfly is seeking.
The butterfly gardens are crawling with monarch caterpillars this month, which is so encouraging to see.
This caterpillar is hanging on while munching away on a flower that has yet to open on a giant milkweed. The giant milkweed has become a must have in the garden, as it provides an abundance of food for the ever hungry caterpillar.
The giant milkweed is also known as the crown flower and is native to Asia and Africa. Mature plants can grow up to 15 feet tall and wide and is very hardy plant as it tolerates both the hot sun and wonderfully sandy soil of Florida.
This giant milkweed has been in the garden for a year now and is quite tall and does really well in full sun. I also use this plant for cuttings for the butterfly house, which is encouraging a great deal of new growth. I have also found that keeping the stems in water produces roots, making it easy to plant in the garden and encourage more growth.
A zebra longwing butterfly landing on a maypop passionvine, one of its host plants, laying eggs. If you look closely you can spot the yellow egg she left behind.
This Florida beauty is able to produce eggs for many months due to it being able to dissolve pollen taken in from flowers for its nutrients.
A bit of a torn wing did not stop this beauty from laying quite a few eggs on her host plant.
There is definitely a sense of thrill when you find a caterpillar that is not as abundant in the garden.
This morning a scan of our citrus tree revealed a very small giant swallowtail caterpillar hanging out on a leaf. When the caterpillar is young, they are predominately black, or brown, with a white saddle. When they become older, the saddle becomes white, or cream, while the remaining part of the caterpillar is dark brown.
Since it is probably in the first instar, I cut off the branch it was on and put it in a vase of water. I used saran wrap to stuff in the hole, so the caterpillar is safe from falling into the water. I sure hope this caterpillar makes it to the chrysalis stage and beyond. The giant swallowtail is absolutely stunning.
As always here’s a link to my page about giant swallowtails for more photographs and information: https://bit.ly/3KrqvKs.
The giant swallowtail, Papilio Cresphontes Cramer, is said to be very abundant in Florida. The caterpillar has been said to be a pest, and has been known as “orangedogs,” as it feeds heavily on citrus leaves. The wings are magnificent with a forewing span of 11.7 to 17.5 cm for males and 13.5 to 18.8 cm for females.
The penta, also known as Egyptian stars, is a must have for a butterfly garden, especially red, as it is a gulf fritillary favorite.
Each of the tubular flowers has five lobes creating a star. This plant can grow more than a foot in width and three feet tall. As with other flowers, if you pinch off the dead flowers, it will help encourage more growth. I have found when I purchase the penta from a native garden store, rather than a big box store, it thrives.
