Thursday, September 30, 2021
Cape May Point ~ Monarch Roosts
Monday, September 27, 2021
Beth's Patch ~ Gardens
Guess the top monarch is too ragged to fly south |
Will this Monarch make it to Mexico? I have my doubts. |
Brazilian Skipper |
Brazilian Skipper |
Ruby-throated Hummingbird |
Ruby-throated Hummingbird |
Ruby-throated Hummingbird |
Saturday, September 25, 2021
Beth's Patch ~ Sleepy Orange Butterfly
This year has been exciting because the Sleepy Orange butterfly arrived in my yard in late August. It's the first year that they have actually hung around and laid eggs on the Cassia given to me by Jim D last year. And since then they have completed their lifecycle here in my yard. This is the 14th species to complete their lifecycle in my yard.
Sleepy Orange Butterfly laying eggs |
Sleepy Orange Butterfly laying eggs |
Sleepy Orange Butterfly laying eggs |
Sulphur species eggs - Both Cloudless Sulphur butterfly and Sleepy Orange butterfly eggs |
Sleepy Orange caterpillar |
Sleepy Orange Butterfly metamorphosis |
Sleepy Orange Butterfly metamorphosis |
Sleepy Orange Butterfly metamorphosis to chrysalis |
Sleepy Orange Butterfly metamorphosis to chrysalis 24 hr later |
Sleepy Orange Butterfly chrysalis 72 hrs later |
Sleepy Orange chrysalis 10:30 AM with the butterfly almost ready to eclose. 3 hours later this Sleepy Orange butterfly was out and waiting for the wings to dry before flying off. So fun to see. Also, this butterfly was dime-sized with the wings closed when I came back after lunch and was still pumping up the wings.
Monday, September 20, 2021
Sunday, September 19, 2021
Wetlands Institute & Nummy Island, Stone Harbor, NJ
Yellowlegs |
Tri-colored Heron |
Tri-colored Heron |
Great Egret |
Great and Snowy Egrets, young White Ibis |
Great and Snowy Egrets, young White Ibis |
Snowy Egrets |
Thursday, September 16, 2021
Wednesday, September 15, 2021
Beth's Patch ~ Black Swallowtail Butterfly
It's amazing how much wing a butterfly can lose and still fly and do their job. This Black Swallowtail female was laying eggs on the Rue. You can see the other egg she laid on the leaf above. She was definitely impaired in her flying.
Tuesday, September 14, 2021
Beth's Patch ~ Autumn Joy Sedum And Pollinators
Autumn Joy Sedum is a "chocolate cake" to the butterflies & bugs when blooming in the fall. It can get tall, leggy and fall over so I cut mine back twice during the summer so it gets bushier and stays more compact. Sedum loves full sun but can also take partial shade. It's so worth it to have in your gardens. And if you knock a branch off just stick it into the ground where it'll root itself
Sachem Skippers |
Gray Hairstreak |
Summer Azure |
Summer Azure (top left) and Eastern-tailed Blue (bottom right) |
Crab Spider waiting to take an unsuspecting butterfly |
American Lady |
Painted Ladies and Common Buckeyes |
Native Honey Bee |
Milkweed Bug |