The zebra longwing flying in for a sip from the penta flower.
The butterfly’s tongue, or proboscis, has two parts that have a groove on the inner side. When a butterfly first emerges, you can see the proboscis in two parts, as it uncoils and coils it during the early stages of emerging from its chrysalis. When it is done with that motion the two parts are fused into one for drinking.
Did you know there are muscles, nerves and air tubes the length of the proboscis? When blood is forced into the proboscis it extends and the muscles help the butterfly move it when feeding. Tiny sensory pegs on the outside of the proboscis, one near the tip, both find and taste the nectar. The zebra longwing is a special species as it collects pollen, protein, from flowers as well with its proboscis.
I do not think I could have chosen a better location if I tried. Our butterfly garden in our front yard constantly brings happiness when I peek out the window watching a variety of butterflies stop in for a visit. I love watching our regulars, the monarch and gulf fritillary, but when we get a nonregular, the giddiness bubbles over.
Today the cloudless sulphur returned to lay more eggs on our cassia tree. I sat, watched, and of course took tons of photographs as she both glided and fluttered her wings near and on the tree. I was pleasantly surprised when I looked at what I captured.
The cassia tree, it’s host plant, is still young, and has a lot of growing to do. I love frequenting the native garden sale at a park nearby, as it includes a great assortment of young plants that the master gardeners grow and sell for incredible prices. I could not pass up the tree this past time and hope next month they will have more, as I may need more caterpillar food if she continues to frequent my garden.
The eggs she laid are a cream color at first before turning orange. When the caterpillar first emerges they are incredibly small and all yellow. As they grow they turn green with yellow lateral lines and blue patches.
The courtship of the cloudless sulphur is one of a dance. According to the Florida Wildflower Foundation the male will scope out a female around nectar plants during the day. The male will touch the female’s wings, and if the female is okay with his courtship, she will flick her wings and close them. If the female does not want to mate, she will raise her abdomen and open her wings telling him she’s not interested.
The cloudless sulphur takes a lengthy journey during its migration with some migrating as far as 100 miles north of Gainesville, Florida. This butterfly does not cope well with temperatures below 20 degrees Fahrenheit. According to the Florida Wildflower Foundation, they fly within three meters of the ground and if they run into an obstacle they fly higher instead of around, so they do not alter the direction they are headed.
Although blurry, I love this photo because it showed just how fast her wings were fluttering near the tree.
The wingspan of the cloudless sulphur ranges from two to three inches. The males are mostly all yellow, while the females have dark spots along the border of its wings, as well as the center of its forewing. This butterfly’s favorite nectar plant are those of red coloring. They have very long tongues enabling them to reach far down into flowers.
I found so many baby polydamas caterpillars in the garden this morning. Just briefly scanning the Dutchman pipe, I found four different clusters of caterpillars, which at this stage of its instar is incredibly common. They explore on their own when they get larger.
I now have three different Dutchman pipe plants thriving in the garden, all vining up an archway and across a rope meeting together. The abundance of large green leaves, I am sure will soon disappear as the caterpillars continue to grow.
