We recently had six orange barred sulphurs emerge in our butterfly house.
These butterflies are such a ray of sunshine, always drawing your eyes out the window when fluttering about.
Sunshine
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Tag Archives: red penta flower
Lovely
The gardens have been a monarch paradise these last few weeks. The garden has every stage of life from eggs to butterflies.
For the Sunshine State, they are seasonal in Northern Florida with low numbers during the spring before exploding by the millions during the late summer and fall. In central and southern Florida, the monarch butterflies breed all year.
According to the National Wildlife Federation, the monarchs are broken down into eastern and western populations divided by the Rocky Mountains. It states that the eastern population is the largest. This population migrates northward. In the spring they leave Mexico and migrate north into Texas and the Southern Plains, through the Northern Plains, Midwest and into the Great Lakes area. And by late summer the monarchs expand into Canada, eastward from its central migratory corridor of the United States through the northeast and southeast states.
The National Wildlife Federation states that the late summer, last generation of monarchs that emerges will delay sexual maturity for migration. This migratory generation can live up to eight months, compared to the typical few weeks.
It’s fascinating to learn about the monarch’s incredible migratory patterns. In Southwest Florida we are blessed with these beauties visiting the garden daily during the winter months as the weather never dips to unbearable temperatures.
Today, similar to many others, the nectar plant of choice is the red penta. We also had a female monarch emerge in the butterfly house, the one that is on the same milkweed plant as the monarch caterpillar.
21 and counting
The polydamas swallowtail has had an outstanding week in the butterfly house with 21 total emerging bringing our grand total to 75. The first photo is of its chrysalis right before it emerged.
The polydamas, also known as the gold rim swallowtail, tailless swallowtail and scientific name Battus polydamas lucayus, lays its eggs on the Dutchman pipe. This is the only swallowtail that lacks the tails at the base of the secondary wings, according to the University of Florida.
This species can be found throughout peninsular Florida, as well as in the Florida Keys. There are some that wander as far north as Missouri and Kentucky.
A favorite nectar flower of this species is the red penta. It’s amazing to watch them take a sip, as their wings never stop flapping. The ones released have been hanging out in the gardens this week!
Magical
Seriosuly, does it get better than this? A monarch caterpillar conversing with a monarch butterfly on a giant milkweed. Nature is the best, butterfly gardens even better.
This morning, we had two monarch butterflies emerge and released into the front garden. Both of them were female, and both fluttered to a different destination among the plants to rest a little longer. One a few times.
Our second
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.
