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.
We had six more gulf fritillary butterflies hatch in our butterfly house this morning, creeping our number up to 13 successes. They were beyond ready to be released this afternoon. Many started digging in right away, taking long sips from the sweat nectar, after I placed them on the penta. Five of them stuck around giving me a chance to try out my new camera. I forgot how much fun it is to take pictures with a good quality camera. So . . . needless to say there is picture galore today of the gulf fritillary, a true favorite of mine.
And of course a few beauties hung out for a little while before climbing onto the penta.
Interesting fact: a butterfly usually does not have more than five distinct colors on its wings. According to author Thomas C. Emmel in “Florida’s Fabulous Butterflies,” each scale on the butterfly’s wing has one color. The intensity of the color is a result of the overlapping of scales, as well as the light’s reflection off those scales, Emmel wrote.
Furthermore, there are only two types of colors, pigmented, which are chemical compounds, which may come from the organic dyes in the plant the caterpillar eats, according to Emmel. The second is called structural, which comes from the reflection of the light.
The gulf fritillary is among the most common butterflies found in Florida. Since the species cannot handle any kind of freezing weather, Southwest Florida is a perfect location for them to be. They frequent our garden daily.
According to Emmel, the brown and red areas are pigmented scales, while the silver spots appear through the light, as it refracts through prisms in the scales of the wings.
It is so incredibly fascinating to learn more about these beautiful insects. I have grown a new appreciation for them and enjoy the many species even more fluttering in our garden.
A zebra longwing, the Florida state butterfly, stopped by for some sweet nectar from a red penta flower. I was so excited to photograph this beauty. This flower is among the most visited nectar plant in our garden. The U.S. Forest Service stated that they are intelligent insects and can remember where they are getting their food sources, therefore returning to the same plant they fed on before.
This species of butterfly can live up to several months, as they feed on both the nectar and pollen of flowers. According to the U.S. Forest Service, the zebra longwing’s saliva enables them to dissolve the pollen taken in from the flowers for its nutrients, which are rich in proteins. Because of these proteins it allows the butterfly to produce eggs for many months. Their lifespan can last as long as five or six months, while other species only live for a few weeks.
Once the zebra longwing gathers pollen, which collects in globs along the outside of the proboscis, it will find a quiet leaf that offers some shelter for an hour, or more, as it” secretes digestive enzymes,” which is done through the tip of the proboscis, according to author Thomas C. Emmel of “Florida’s Fabulous Butterflies.” Those enzymes break down the pollen grain protein into amino acids, which then go through its proboscis. Emmel stated that the amino acids are then used to produce sperm, or eggs, in addition to helping with body maintenance.
