It seems these last couple of weeks have been a time for the butterflies. Carol at Flowerhill Farm just posted about her Monarch butterfly birth and my last two posts discussed two types of Urbanas longtail Skippers. Actually, it seems this has been a banner year for butterflies altogether. Thankfully, it seems the show is not over.
My friends Cindy and Chris were fortunate
to witness the miracle of birth for numerous
Gold Rim Swallowtails, or the Battus polydamus.
This one is just emerging!
Here she is with fresh, wet wings, free from her cocoon.
Chris said he could actually see the wings expanding and growing right before his eyes!
She gets her bearings as her wings expand and dry for her first flight.
This photo shows the upper side of the Gold Rim Swallowtail.
Courtesy of www.ufl.edu
This species is one of only two swallowtail butterflies in the United States without tails.
These are the eggs laid by the butterfly.
These are the Gold Rim Swallowtail larvae / caterpillars.
They have HUGE appetites!
I was with Cindy and Chris when they purchased their
Dutchman's Pipe Vine,
host plant to the Gold Rim Swallowtail.
This vine is a large, fast growing plant that will cover a trellis
in the first year.
Courtesy of Wikipedia.com
The Pipevine gets it's name from the formation of the blooms that
resemble a large, old fashioned pipe.
The plant is also host to the Pipevine Swallowtail.
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Courtesy Wikipedia.com
Courtesy Wikipedia.com
Pipevine Swallowtail lower side.
Courtesy Wikipedia.com
This is the Pipevine Swallowtail Caterpillar. Very exotic!!
Cindy and Chris witnessed numerous Pipevine caterpillars,
but they succumbed to hungry birds before
they could morph into the glamorous butterly!
Mother Nature at work!
I haven't been blessed with either of these butterflies...YET!
Cindy gave me some pipevine seeds and I already have a couple of seedlings.
Thanks, Cindy!
BTW, I've been after her to start blogging.
Her property is AMAZING...you'd LOVE it!!!
I was blessed to capture this beautiful Monarch with my lense this afternoon.
PS - This post is dedicated to
all the innocent victims of the 9-11 attacks,
along with the brave heroes that selflessly gave their lives
to this horrible act of terrorism!
May God bless their souls and their families!
13 comments:
Wow ... such great photos of the Gold Rim Swallowtail emerging from its' cocoon! We seem to have so many more butterflies around over here than we have had for quite some time ... wish I was fast enough every time I spot one so I could get a shot of them before they take off!
Hi Kimberly, Those are excellent shots! I have not seen cocoons transforming in front of me.
Dear Kimberly, It has, as you say, been a wonderful year for butterflies, not only in the real world of gardens and countryside, but also in a series of superb postings to which you, of course, have contributed greatly.
All of this is so reassuring at a time when all forms of flora and fauna appear to be in decline.
What a gorgeous post! I wasn't familiar with this butterfly yet, and I enjoyed getting to know it. Those caterpillars are the height of exotic. It seems appropriate that they match up to that incredibly beautiful and otherworldly vine. Love the wee pipes. :)
Thank you for the sympathy you expressed on my blog recently, and I so appreciate the dedication of this post, Kimberly.
Hi Kimberly!A very interesting post. The Monarch is beautiful.
It's butterfly season here in Mumbai too. I've got a baby Common Mormon waiting to emerge from its chrysalis any day now. And I have a post about its journey just waiting for the big day.
My sympathies and prayers are with all the victims of the 9-11 attacks and of terrorism all over the world and, of course, with their families too.
Hi Kimberly,
What a beautiful way to pay tribute to the horrors of that fateful day in America. God be with our brave men and women and bless the innocent victims of every act of cowardly terrorism.
The butterflies are so fun to see in every stage. I don't think we have this swallow tail up here but I'm going to check my trusty manual now that you've enlightened me. I do know every year I 'say' I'm going to add pipevine and I haven't yet. Must remember to do that next spring.
Enjoy all the new life unfolding around you and your friend!
Meems
I had a lot of swallowtail caterpillars on my fennel a few weeks ago, but they all disappeared. I'm not sure if they got eaten by birds or just hid themselves well to form a crysalis. I saw a swallowtail butterfly in the back garden this weekend and I wondered if it had come from one of "my" caterpillars. Love your photos of the butterfly emerging.
What great pictures of new life emerging. I've had my eye on Pipevine for some time but now I MUST get it.
Nice tribute for the 9/11 victims. Really I guess we all have been affected by that terrible event in some way. This butterfly post reminds me that God does provide hope for the future.
I saw one of those butterflies , pipevine swallowtail , in Edisto a few months ago on my secret path. I never had seen a butterfly with that beautiful blue wings, great post, Gina
Fabulous photos Kimberly, and interesting too. I had no idea there were Swallowtails...without tails!
Kimberly, Thank you for the link to my post. I love these photos of a Swallowtail I do not know. I once knew a verandah that had Dutchman's Pipe vine growing all over it... wonderful plant and flowers. Great photos of it here too. I think that is a Queen you have at the end... it often fools folks by its mimic. Who knows maybe the light is fooling me too. Lovely way to remember that sad day. Lovely post!
The pipevine is on my list, but I am not sure if I have space for it. Great post
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