The sweet almond bush is among the favorite nectar plants for the atala butterfly. These tiny white flowers have an incredible fragrance. The atala butterflies have a short proboscis, according to the University of Florida, which is why they seek out flowers with short corollas.
Meet No. 100 polydamas swallowtail butterfly that has been successfully raised and released from our butterfly house.
It’s truly magical when this species hangs out for a little while. Typically they are eager to fly free once their wings are dry.
I dopped off two coontie plants that had new growth on them at The Florida Native Butterfly Society @ The Shell Factory in April, as they have a colony established. Success! The atala butterflies found my plants and laid numerous eggs. On April 29, I brought home those coonties and waited for the baby caterpillars to arrive.
Well today 5 absolutely stunning atala butterflies have emerged.
The atala butterfly, eumaeus atala Poey, a hairstreak, is among the largest and most iridescent in southeastern Florida, according to the University of Florida. At one time this butterfly was thought to be extinct from 1937 to 1959 due to its host plant, coontie, being overharvested for its root by early settlers for its starch production. Although this butterfly is still considered rare, colonies have been established due to the coontie being introduced into gardens and landscapes.
This small hairstreak is found in Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade counties in southeastern Florida with colonies being established north as well. The Florida Native Butterfly Society has done a tremendous amount of work to establish a colony in North Fort Myers. With the help of bringing home atala eggs, the hope is to establish a colony in my garden as well.
The adult’s forewing length can range from under 2 cm to 2.7 cm according to the University of Florida. The outer surface of both the female and male wing has “three curved rows of ultramarine spots,” which are iridescent. The University of Florida said there are two suggested functions of iridescence – defense and mate recognition.
The female has royal blue color on part of the upper surface of the forewing, while the male has bright iridescent Caribbean blue, or teal green.
I planted three new native milkweed plants in the garden late last month for Joyful Butterfly. I planted it right underneath my front window, so we spot the female monarch laying eggs on the plants all the time.
The monarch caterpillars are munching away at an incredibly speed!
As the yellow, black and white stripped caterpillar eats the milkweed leaf it continues to grow and molts its old skin, splitting it in half. The caterpillar often consumes the skin before continuing eating the milkweed leaf. It can grow in length to 2″.
The caterpillar will molt four times, going through “instars” before its last molt.
Once they reach two inches they are ready for their pupa stage. The caterpillar finds the perfect destination to form its chrysalis and weaves a silk mat. The caterpillar grabs the silk with its legs to hang upside down in the “J” form, according to Arizona State University School of Life Sciences.
The polydamas swallowtail butterfly photographed in midflight. These butterflies tend to be hard for me to photograph when flying because they are so fast. Well, I am happy to say, the action shots are becoming a little easier with my new camera lens!
Check out this beauty flying through the garden. I have never had so many in the garden at once before. Every day there’s at least a half dozen zooming about.
