The gulf fritillary butterfly is always one of the first visitors in the morning. Not just one, but a half a dozen at a time. This one was enjoying a fire bush.
Another was enjoying the nectar of a Mexican sunflower.
A little breakfast
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Tag Archives: Gulf fritillary butterfly
The ‘it’ place
My Bahama Cassia tree is the “it” place for chrysalis.
Today while searching the tree for caterpillars, I spotted yet another chrysalis, this time a gulf fritillary. The foliage of the tree must be a great hiding place for them to safely emerge.
One of the gulf fritillary butterfly’s host plants is the maypop passionvine. This plant I stopped buying as it shoots up everywhere in the garden and has been quite invasive.
According to the Flordia Native Plant Society, it has a “stoloniferous rhizome
root system,” which allows new plants to grow from suckers all over the garden.
To be honest, I do not remember where the original plant was planted in the garden. Now I have it growing in probably more than a dozen places, all over my extensive garden space. It has grown through dense mulch I just put down, too.
For the most part, I have put up stakes where it is growing and just let it be, while in other places I pull the plant. It definitely provides an abundance of food for the gulf fritillary caterpillars.
Just hanging out
A gulf fritillary butterfly found new growth of one of its host plants, maypop passionvine, to rest.
A celebration of sorts
Today my daughter and I began our first butterfly garden many years ago not knowing what kind of passion it would evolve into over the years.
Here is one of our favorites, a gulf fritillary, one of the first to visit our first garden, and since has been a constant visitor. It is always one of the first to flutter into the garden every morning to find its breakfast.
Today it’s preference was the variety of pentas that I have in the garden.
Zinnia flowers are a must
I recently planted orange and white zinnias in the garden, and they are among the most visited in the garden for a sip of nectar. I love them for its beauty, and well being a butterfly attractor id an awesome bonus!
The gulf fritillary loves this flower.