I love watching the polydamas swallowtail caterpillars. The stages they go through and the size they become is fascinating. There are probably two dozen caterpillars on the birthwort eating.
The caterpillars grow up to 2.1″ in length.
The sunflower has always been one of my absolute favorite flowers. They just look happy. I’ve had dune sunflowers for a good four, or five years, but the sunflower, I can’t tell you when.
My daughter and I have been looking for the perfect flower for a particular spot in the garden and saw this, and well, it went right in the cart.
This morning a male monarch butterfly was resting, and walking on my new addition.
A gulf fritillary butterfly found new growth of one of its host plants, maypop passionvine, to rest.
Two monarch butterflies emerged today. One in the garden, and the other in our butterfly house.
Both of them hung out on my zinnia plants, which is a new feature in the garden, a DYI fountain, that has plants surrounding it in a pot.
The monarch butterfly’s scientific name is Danaus Plexippus, which means “sleepy transformation” in Greek. The male has two black spots in the center of its lower wings and are larger in size than the female. According to the National Wildlife Federation, the spots are scent glands, which help the males attract females.
The monarch caterpillars feed solely on milkweed leaves, which produces glycoside toxins, according to the National Wildlife Federation, which deters other animals from eating the caterpillars. The toxins are stored making them taste bad and remains after they emerge into a butterfly, continuing to protect them.
The monarch butterfly will emerge 10 to 12 days after making its chrysalsis. The transformation is incredible to witness as the green chrysalis eventually becomes translucent revealing the beautiful black and orange body within.
The butterfly emerges headfirst with small and shriveled wings. As it pumps body fluid through its wings they grow in size. The butterfly will remain in the same spot for up to two hours drying its wings, hardening them getting ready for flight. According to Arizona State University School of Life Sciences, during the two hours it is also waiting for air to replace some of its fluids.
It’s pretty cool to watch caterpillars eat. There are still some great southern white caterpillars in the garden.