Our last white peacock butterfly emerged a few days ago, taking our final count to six that we were able to raise from caterpillars we brought home from Butterfly Estates. I now have four plants for them to lay eggs on in the garden, so hopefully they will return and keep their population going. It’s been a few days since I have seen them return.
The white peacock butterfly is on a white lantana, firebush, blue porterweed bush, red penta, pink zinnia, cone flower and scorpion tail. These are all amazing nectar plants to have in the garden.
Each butterfly is so incredibly unique and beautiful in their own way.
As with every species, I am in awe of the coloring of the white peacock butterfly. The journey that began more than three years ago has been incredibly gratifying for the simple fact that we continue to invite more and more species into our garden.
Our second white peacock butterfly emerged this morning and was released early this afternoon. It was not eager to leave my hand, so I gently moved it to a zinnia flower where it remained for a little while longer before it flew to a red penta flower not too far away.
I am excited to share while I was working in the garden last night, I spotted a white peacock butterfly in the garden. It may have been the one I released earlier in the day. It would be wonderful if these beauties hung out and began their lifecycle in the garden. We have plenty of food for the caterpillars.
A trip to Butterfly Estates, in downtown Fort Myers, on July 28, 2023, provided us with a great opportunity to finish raising white peacock butterflies, as they were closing their doors. I am happy to say we had our first peacock butterfly emerge today. The coloration of this butterfly is absolutely stunning! After I released it, it stuck around the garden for a while giving me ample opportunities to take photographs.
The white peacock is part of the Nymphalidae family, the brush-foot butterflies. Their wingspans can range from 3.5 to 6 cm. I read that male and female peacock butterflies do not differ in appearance. It’s also interesting that their coloring becomes paler during the winter months and are smaller and darker in the wet summer months.
According to the Florida Wildflower Foundation, males will pick out about 50 square feet full of host plants to defend it against other male butterflies in a hopes to find a female.
This species enjoys the warm weather, which might be why we see such an abundance in Southwest Florida. The temperatures are quite extreme right now.
I have one white peacock caterpillar left that appears to have just molted. The white peacock is 1.4″ in length and can be found in peninsular Florida, as well as southern Texas. The butterfly will lay green eggs, which are laid singularly. The caterpillars oftentimes hide near the ground during the daytime.
The caterpillars eat frogfruit, and the volunteers at the Butterfly Estates said wild petunia, which is what they have been munching on inside the butterfly house. So, I have yet another plant to put in the garden for the white peacocks, as I already have two fogfruits established already.
The other five that we brought home from Butterfly Estates on July 28 have already created their chrysalis. They are tiny in size, and green.
A gem of a place closed its doors Friday, July 28 with a great deal of sadness. Butterfly Estates, located in Downtown Fort Myers, became a destination for my daughter and I, as well as our good friend, and my mom. The first time I visited this butterfly conservatory, which is full of Florida native butterfly species, was in 2015 while I was pregnant with my daughter. The story fell into my lap for the publication I still write for today. I went and took photographs, and well, was in awe of the beauty fluttering about.
Before our daughter was born, her momma was already hooked on butterflies. Before my daughter was born the significance of the butterfly was born, the wonderful meaning they represent was given to us. Unfortunately that meaning drove home a little more after my grandfather, the man who constantly reminded all of us of the importance of family, passed away.
“Butterflies appear when angels are near.” I believe in this with all of my heart.
The beautiful journey since then was creating a butterfly garden with my daughter that continues to grow in size and species we attract. My favorite part is knowing I am giving my daughter an education about nature, which she truly enjoys.
After I read “It is with great sadness that we close our doors tomorrow 7/28/23 at 2pm. We want to thank our customers for their support over the years. Butterflies & Staff will miss you.” I knew my daughter and I had to make one last final trip to the Butterfly Estates and witness the last release, walk the conservatory one last time. It was an emotional journey through the conservatory. Not only did I capture many moments with my camera, I also held many in my heart as we took one last stroll around the grounds.
The Butterfly Estates volunteers always taught us a great deal of information when we went for a visit. We took home many eggs that we raised in our garden, as well as new plants that attracted new species to the garden.
Every time we visit it seems a new butterfly captures our attention. This time it was the white peacock. It was everywhere. The best part is we took home five caterpillars and a chrysalis, as they have to rehome all the caterpillars and butterflies inside the magnificent enclosure. So a piece of Butterfly Estates is now in our butterfly house waiting to go through its lifecycle.
“Today our regular butterfly release takes place at 10:30 am. Once we close the butterflies inside will be caught and re-homed. This will take awhile. The outpouring from the community has been overwhelming. THANK YOU,” another post from Butterfly Estates on their Facebook page.
