Beth's Patch ~ Butterflies

I was surprised to see the long-tailed skipper again today though it's not the same one as Monday as shown in my pictures. I was also surprised to see it nectaring on the canna. Also seen by Karen Thompson as she used her last 2 monarch tags in the yard. It was a double digit butterfly day with 10 species here plus black swallowtail, cloudless sulphur, monarch, and american lady caterpillars in the yard

American lady butterfly

American lady butterfly

Common Buckeye Butterfly

American lady butterfly (lt) & Common Buckeye Butterfly (rt)

Fiery Skipper

Monarch Butterfly

Long-tailed Skipper

Ocola Skipper

 

Beth's Patch ~ First of the Year Butterflies

                                                      

Gray Hairstreak Butterfly 6/29 ~ host plants include legumes & mallow

                                                                       

Common Buckeye Butterfly 6/29 ~ host plant Snapdragons

Variegated Fritillary Butterfly 7/4 ~ host plant Violets & Pansies

Mourning Cloak Butterfly 7/7 ~ host plants include Willow & Hackberry Trees

Horace's Duskywing 7/8 ~ host plants include various oaks

 

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly 7/9 ~  host plants include Wild Black Cherry & Tulip Trees

Beth's Patch ~ Common Buckeye Butterflies

Last year around the end of August there was a big influx of Common Buckeye butterflies.  Several days the totals were more than 150 of them.  It was amazing.  Until today I had only seen up to 5 CB's a day but today we had an increase and there were over 25 Common Buckeye butterflies in the yard.  Here's a male that is interested in mating though the female just isn't interested.

See the little bug below the flower.  I think it could be a praying mantis.

You can lose a lot of yourself, yet, keep on going.

Beth's Patch ~ Butterflies

This year November hasn't been kind to the butterflies with early cold spells and rainy, gray weather.  The cold has killed off almost all nectar except the snapdragons.  Several days this November I have had 10 species of butterflies in the year though the mix has changed for a total number of 13 species seen.  Add to that the 2 species of chrysalis that are overwintering and there have been a total of 15 species for this month.  My biggest surprise was seeing the Sleepy Orange butterfly numerous times this fall including today and twice last week.

American Lady Butterfly

Common Buckeye Butterfly

Cloudless Sulphur Butterfly

Cloudless Sulphur Butterfly

Cabbage White Butterfly

Monarch Butterfly

Sleepy Orange Butterfly

Fiery Skipper

Beth's Patch ~ Common Buckeye Butterfly

Back in Sept we had several days in the yard with the Common Buckeye Butterfly numbering well over 150 but gradually their numbers came down and we have a more modest number of about 6-10 per day.  the result of all of the CB's being here was lots of mating and egg-laying on the snapdragons we have along the side of the house.  Now that means lots of caterpillars and some chrysalis being found in the yard.

5 varying sized Common Buckeye caterpillars

It's amazing any butterflies make it.  Look at the crab spider waiting for a tasty morsel.

Common Buckeye chrysalis

Common Buckeye chrysalis

Beth's Patch ~ Awash in Common Buckeye Butterflies

Common Buckeye Butterfly

The yard is awash in Common Buckeye along with Painted and American Ladies.  I estimate over 200 Cb's are flying and nectaring in the yard. 

These Common Buckeye Butterflies are still mating despite how much of their wings are gone.

Another (different) CB is laying eggs next to the snapdragon plants that are a host plant for them.

Beth's Patch ~ Amazing Common Buckeye Butterfly's

Back in September 2010, I saw the largest migration of butterflies I have ever seen with Monarch's, American and Painted Ladies and Common Buckeyes passing through Cape May Point State Park.  It was a magical sight.

Then on May 2nd, 2012, there was large migration of primarily Red Admirals, American and  Painted Ladies coming from the south and flying north to NW.  It followed a smaller migration the preceding day.  A local naturalist, Don Frieday estimated that close to a million butterflies flew through Cape May County that day.

Today, I had well over 65 Common Buckeyes in the yard.  It was magical.  That is the highest number of any butterfly in the yard other than Monarchs, of which I have good numbers of each fall.  I have some hyssop and mountain mint on the back bank in a 2' by 5' area and there were over 20 CB's just in that small area.  The pictures didn't do the area justice.  The butterfly species count for the day was 23.  There were also several species of caterpillars.

Sierra Vista, AZ ~ Brown Canyon Ranch ~ Butterflies

American Lady Butterfly

Common Buckeye Butterfly

Desert Checkered Skipper

Gray Hairstreak

Gulf Fritillary Butterfly

Sleepy Yellow Butterfly

Orange Skipperling

Orange Skipperling

Golden-headed Scallopwing

Golden-headed Scallopwing

Several species puddling