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Tag: butterfly (Page 4 of 6)

Painted Lady Butterflies Migrating

November 10, 2008 / / 0 Comments

It’s all about energy this morning.  I stepped outside to recharge my batteries and found painted lady butterflies everywhere. This time to year the painted ladies (Vanessa cardui) are migrating south, with rest stops in places like Phoenix where they can bask in the sun and drink lot’s of nectar from the pretty flowers everyone plants.

It’s in the low 50’s this morning, so the first butterflies I saw were basking on a wall with their wings directed to catch the sun. They are like mini-solar panels.

painted lady

Why are they basking? Insects bask in the sun to warm the flights muscles prior to flying.

I knew where there were some lantana plants in the sun, so I went to see what was going on there.

painted lady

More painted lady butterflies basking and drinking nectar. They weren’t cooperative at first, but after sitting still on a cold sidewalk for a few minutes, I was able to get a few good shots.

painted lady

painted lady

painted lady

Here’s one basking on a Texas sage.

painted lady

Seeing all these beautiful butterflies was a real charge for me. I hope other people notice them too.

If you are interested in learning more, or if you see painted ladies migrating and you’d like to participate in a study, check out the 2008 Vanessa Migration Project. Updated 2019:  The study is now at Iowa State

Bug of the Week: Pipevine Swallowtail Butterfly

September 16, 2008 / / 0 Comments

What would you do if you found one of these bright red creatures in your yard?

pipevine caterpillarpipevine caterpillar

You should cheer because they are the caterpillars of the beautiful pipevine swallowtail butterfly (Battus philenor). We found these at the Boyce Thompson Arboretum in Arizona.

The bright red caterpillars will turn into one of these butterflies.

pipevine butterfly

Check out the gorgeous metallic blue on the lower parts.

I should admit right away that it is extremely difficult to get a good photograph of a pipevine swallowtail butterfly. The butterflies have a behavior known as “flutter feeding” which mean their wings are in almost constant motion. This one was on the floor in a public place, so I suspect it may have been stepped on. Too bad.

The caterpillars of the pipevine swallowtail feed on plants called pipevines (Aristolochia species), hence the name. The plant is a small, drab vine and is hard to spot. I am grateful to my friend who pointed out this one. Edit: My friend says this plant is Aristolochia watsonii.

pipevine plant

The plants contain a nasty chemical called aristolochoic acid that deters most animals from feeding on them. The ability to feed on pipevine plants is a unique feature of these caterpillars.

The caterpillars change size and color as they grow. You may also see pipevine caterpillars that look like the ones above, but are black instead of red.  The larger, older caterpillars are often found resting on plants besides their hosts (the ones they feed on). The caterpillar above is not on a pipevine.

On the same day we also saw this little butterfly.

bordered patch butterflybordered patch butterfly

This is the adult of the bordered patch (Chlosyne lacinia). In some books it might be called a lacinia checkerspot. This little guy is really quite battered.

The bordered patch species is also quite variable in color, like the caterpillars of the pipevine. The North American Butterfly Association has a page of photographs of members of this species. You will see this dark color version towards the bottom. How did anyone ever figure out they were all the same species?

I was not surprised to learn the bordered patch caterpillars feed on sunflowers (as well as ragweed). Here is the garden that was only a few feet away from where I found the butterfly. If you want to raise butterflies, just plant a few of these.

sunflower garden

Bug of the Week: Gulf Fritillary Butterfly

September 3, 2008 / / 0 Comments

This week my friend Debbie called and invited me to visit her butterfly garden. Sure enough, when I arrived there were several species of butterflies flitting throughout her yard. By far the most common were the bright orange and silvery white gulf fritillary butterflies. I also saw numerous skippers and a few giant swallowtails, as well as a yellow sulphur butterfly.

It was hard to get the active gulf fritillary butterflies to sit still long enough to get a photo. The adults were searching her yard for the numerous passion vine plants she had planted. The adults lay eggs on the plant and the caterpillars use it for food. Can you guess what happened to this one?

gulf fritillary

Here’s an adult apparently laying eggs on a piece of passion vine. Note the remnant of a chrysalis hanging to the left of the butterfly. Can you see the beautiful silvery-white patches on the undersides of the wings?

gulf fritillary

Debbie’s passion vines are in various stages. Some have no leaves left from all the caterpillars that have been feeding on them in the past. If you are going to have brilliant, vibrant butterflies, you’ll have to accept that your plants may look a bit raggedy. The vines are around an aloe plant in a pot.

passion vines

She has a couple of different passion vines, with different shaped leaves. Here is one that still has leaves.

passion vine leaf

Here’s another with an empty chrysalis.

fritillary chrysalis

The passion vines have gorgeous, very unusual flowers. I couldn’t find flowers this week, but here is one I shot at the National Botanical Garden a few months ago.

passion vine flower

Here is a link for passion vine flower photos of several different species.

I did find a fruit.

passion vine ruit

Debbie opened one and showed me the unusual seeds inside. Cool!

passion vine seed

Here is a cute skipper that was more willing to pose for me than the fritillaries. The skipper caterpillars feed on various grasses and they are quite common. Sometimes they are mistaken for moths because of their drab brown color.

skipper butterfly

This experience made me realize how very rewarding butterfly gardening can be. We were able to see and talk about so much in just a short period of time. With a few well-chosen plants, some sun, water and patience, Debbie has created a lively and enriching environment.

Debbie, thanks for sharing.

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