Beth's Day ~ Butterflies & the Moon

Settlement is 11 days so between walks around the garden, I have been packing.  The gardens are still going as we haven't had any frosts yet.  It seems like each year the frost comes later and later so butterflies are here longer.  Later, this afternoon, I went over to CM Point to drop off a load of my things where I'll be staying for the next 6 months unless I find new house sooner.

American Lady butterfly

Fiery Skipper

Fiery Skipper 

Monarch Butterfly

Cape May Point Lighthouse

Waxing Crescent Moon

Waxing Crescent Moon with Earthshine
Earthshine – "the dim glow on the darkened portion of a crescent moon – is light from Earth cast on the night side of the moon.”

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 ~ Gardens

  It's that time of year where Monarch's start to migrate to Mexico, some southern butterfly strays are coming up from the south to spend a while with us before the butterfly season is over and the Ruby-throated hummingbirds are here fighting amongst themselves before heading south for the winter.  There's plenty of nectar for all but even the skippers will chase the hummingbirds away from the flowers.

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

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

 

Beth's Patch ~ Monarch Butterfly

 And this happened today on the Purple Milkweed...

Beth's Patch ~ Butterflies

The butterflies are loving the blue and purple flowers in our garden.

Monarch on Black and Blue Salvia

Monarch on Black and Blue Salvia

Cloudless Sulphur On Black & Purple Salvia

First of Year Fiery Skipper

Broad-winged Skipper

Black & Blue Salvia

Black & Purple Salvia

Blue Rhea Salvia

Beth's Patch ~ Monarch

It's always exciting when I see the first Monarch Butterfly of the year in my yard.  Here it's getting out the Common Milkweed.  Will she lay any eggs?  Sadly, not this time.

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 ~ Milkweed & Pollinators

Tiny first instar Monarch caterpillar on Grape Milkweed which is the Monarch's host plant.

Grape Milkweed

Orange Butterfly Weed

Yellow Butterfly Weed

Pollinators on orange Butterfly Weed

Monarch Butterfly on Swamp Milkweed