I absolutely love the chrysalis of a sulphur!
A favorite!
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Monthly Archives: April 2023
They are back
To my great surprise, I found a dozen orange barred sulphur caterpillars in the garden this morning. They are all quite big, so I have missed them for quite a while on my cassia tree. I am beyond thrilled because this is the first time the orange barred sulphur has returned to my garden since Hurricane Ian. I was shocked as I never saw the butterfly visit the garden. Cannot wait for them to make their chrysalis!
The great southern white caterpillar
Well, I am happy to say these residents of the butterfly house sure have a healthy appetite! Thank goodness the pepperweed is in abundance in the yard, as they are eating more and more as they grow in size.
I have found an easier way, and well affordable too, to keep the plants in water, while keeping the caterpillars away from the water. Take a water bottle, cut a hole in the cap and stick the plant through. My plants stay happy and green for a while before having to restock their source of food. I know when that time comes because the caterpillars scatter all over the butterfly house in search of green leaves.
They have been in the butterfly house since the second week of April. Some of them look as if they might be ready for a chrysalis soon.
The blanket flower
Nature, amazing. Two different varieties of the blanket flower on the same plant. When I experimented with this flower in the past it became very leggy and unattractive. I must have found the perfect location this time because it has filled so much space and looks beautiful. It keeps spreading and filling in more space, which is my favorite part of native gardening. I plant them and let them take over spots, adding character to the space. I might just have to purchase some more and add it to my ever growing garden.
Now a regular
The great southern white caterpillars are slowly growing and multiplying in our butterfly house. They sure do blend with the leaf coloring of the perpperweed, making it rather difficult to get an exact count of how many caterpillars are taking up residence. They lay about 20 eggs in a cluster and there were quite a few clusters.
I have read that the caterpillar will eat for two to four weeks, so they have a ways to go. The chrysalis stage is anywhere from eight to 14 days.
The great part is its host plant grows freely in our yard, and my neighbors yard. There is an abundance everywhere. So I have been experimenting with the peppergrass. I have dug some up and put it in a vase full of water to let it root some more before planting it in the garden.
The butterfly has become a daily visitor of the garden, with its favorite nectar plants being the red penta and an occasional zinnia.
