The orange barred sulphurs were busy in the garden today. My Bahama cassia now has an abundance of eggs.
It’s rare I can capture this beauty with its wings open, let alone depositing eggs on the leaves, as it is such a fast flyer.
Have you ever witnessed an orange barred sulphur create its chrysalis?
I am happy to say I finally was able to witness the transformation, not once, but twice on the same day. I always take one last peek into the butterfly house after I walk my dog the final time at night. Well, it completely paid off this time! I always wondered when the magic happened as the last peek at night the caterpillars were still hanging by their silk girdle, and the morning the gorgeous green, sometimes pinkish, chrysalis would be complete.
I have to say the silk girdle is no joke. It has incredible strength as the caterpillar moved in all directions possible as the chrysalis slowly spread the length of the caterpillar’s body. The first chrysalis I recorded, and the second one I captured through photographs. In a matter of minutes the chrysalis was complete. I of course stopped taking pictures as the wiggling slowed, so in this series I do not have a photograph of what the final chrysalis looks like.
It just goes to show what you can witness when you slow down enough . . . nature is incredible.
A while ago I purchased zinnia seeds from the Dollar Tree and was pleasantly surprised on how easy they were to grow and how many butterflies the flower attracted. After reading up on the zinnia, I found out that there are certain types you should plant in your butterfly garden. That type has yellow disk florets in the center, as the butterfly can sip nectar from this area.
I found a great website, Joyful Butterfly, that sells both plants and seeds. This is where I purchased my last batch of zinnias, zinnia elegans seeds, and they continue to reseed themselves quite a few times, and not in the same spot. They are now volunteering in other areas of the garden. It is definitely a plant that keeps giving.
It’s best if they grow in full sun, and really in any type of soil, as long as it is well drained. I have some in pots, and some in the ground. The one’s in the ground do much better.
I have spent the last few days in the garden cutting back some plants, pulling weeds and getting the area ready for new additions. This gulf fritillary in particular has become a “friend,” if you will. Every time I am in the garden, no matter what time of day, it flies fairly near and lands on either the ground, or one of the stepping stones close by. I know it is the same one because of its hurt wing.
The gulf fritillaries are among my favorite, just for their unique wings. The population of these butterflies is going to explode in the garden soon as there are tons of eggs on both of its host plants, the corkystem passionvine and maypop passionvine, as well as caterpillars newly hatched to ones that are almost ready for its chrysalis. Of course, my daughter collected many caterpillars, along with the host plant and put them in the butterfly house.
Before Hurricane Ian, we had the state butterfly, zebra longwing, visit our garden on a daily basis, both for the nectar and laying eggs on its host plant.
Unfortunately, the hurricane was not kind to this species, as it left devastation many of us have never seen before, in its wake. Although we are still patiently waiting for them to return to our garden, groups around the area are having great success in bringing this beauty back to the Lee County area. One of which is the Tom Allen Memorial Butterfly House-Rotary Park.
We had smiles plastered to our faces as we watched them flutter around us, laying eggs, sipping nectar, and on occasion staying still long enough for us to admire their beauty.
Hurricane Ian, which made landfall on Sept. 28, 2022, eliminated them from our area. Through conversations with other butterfly enthusiasts, they too have not seen them flying around. As of March 1, 2023, the Tom Allen Memorial Butterfly House in Cape Coal, and Butterfly Estates, in Fort Myers, are trying to reestablish the state butterfly in Southwest Florida.
These butterflies gather in roosts at night before returning to the same place daily, according to the U.S. Forest Service. The oldest of the zebra longwing chooses the best location for the night.
This species of butterfly can live up to several months, as they feed on both the nectar and pollen of flowers. According to the U.S. Forest Service, the zebra longwing’s saliva enables them to dissolve the pollen taken in from the flowers for its nutrients, which are rich in proteins. Because of these proteins it allows the butterfly to produce eggs for many months. The U.S. Forest Service stated that they are intelligent insects and can remember where they are getting their food sources, therefore returning to the same plant they fed on before.
