Would you please send him here, Sandy? I've released two females recently, including one today, but no males. My pipevines are leafing out pretty good now, they just need some of those red eggs on them! :)
Sherry

i just bought two pipevines yesterday. i can't wait to see them grow. i'm trying to get more swallowtails in my yard this year, already have three pots of parsley out, going to buy some dill soon.

Congrats! Congrats, Sandy! Any growth on your Pipevines, yet? MIne hasn't started leafing out, or popping up yet. I have noticed some dieout on my vines that I need to trim off.

Saw my 1st Black swt. today. It was really windy.

You are very lucky. I think it will never get warm here! I think we're gonna go to Easter services wearing our winter coats and ski caps instead of Easter Bonnets....

In the shade, the ground is still frozen and nary a Cabbage White to be found...

I'm hoping my two Pipevine plants made it through the winter..

Maryann in CT

Out here in CA the pipe vines are starting to leaf out and I released two PVSs last week. I hope they weren't too early to find mates. The outside chrysalids are still dormant. But I saw an Anise Swallowtail laying eggs on some of last years fennel plants that made it through the winter.

Last year we had so many freezes that I thought the garden would never come back but this year was a bit tamer out here. I spoke to relatives on Long Island who said it is still cold and too early for anything yet.

By the way, this is my first time back on the forum in a couple of years. Is California Sherry still posting. I was wondering how she and Chelsea are doing. Murray

I actually have quite a few PVS flying around my yard. All my fimbriata are leafed out, growing like crazy, and I spotted my first eggs today. Here we go again...
I also have lots of tigers, and last week watched a black female lay eggs on my ash tree. I've waited all winter for this. I love it!!!

I too saw my first female PVS laying eggs today. I was so excited. I am hoping this this year there will be enough cats to eat all the pipe vine. Every year I only have a fraction of it eaten. And I planted so much of it over the past 5 or more years hoping to establish a sizable resident population in the area.

The other day I was working out in the yard and a couple from down the street stopped their car for a moment and said they were planning to do some butterfly gardening in their own yard. I did my best to encourage them and felt good to know that I inspired someone else to get involved.
Murray

Congrats to khakitag and Murray on your PVS eggs! And that's great that you inspired that couple to butterfly garden, Murray!
CalSherry still posts, though I haven't seen any from her recently - hopefully, she'll pop in soon.
That's tough, Maryann - I can't imagine frozen ground!
Sherry

It must be catching!
{{gwi:457494}}
Sherry

What a beautiful sight! And speaking of beautiful sights, this morning I went out into the backyard to see another PVS laying eggs and then later in the afternoon I spotted a male nectaring back there on some purple lantana. I am beginning to think that my dreams of having a large population of PVSs here on an ongoing basis may be materializing at last. And the time is right because I have pipe vine sprouting up almost everywhere.

I am also making room for a large patch of bronze fennel for the Anise Swallowtails. I love those guys too and I decided to remove a couple of large bushes to make room for different hostplants. My yard is so small that I have to kind of be sort of selective about which species I cater to. I would love to have enough space to have a smorgasbord "sp?) for everyone but I just have to be realistic. Murray

I saw over 2 dozen Pipevine BFs today. It looked like they were searching out pipevine. They were definitely doing the mating dance. It was funny as there were some Mourning cloaks around and everytime the Pipevines would get close by, the MCs would join the jig too! It was great entertainment. I also saw a Great Purple Hairstreak, a Red Admiral, Sulfurs, Monarchs, Black Swallowtails, Goatweed Leafwings, and a Question Mark or a Comma. It was a great BF day.

Sandy

Everyone seems to be seeing more butterflies than I am. We have to be warmer than you folks up north. I hope this isn't a sign of how it is going to be this season.

Where are you Sandy and Murray? I am in Florida.

I live in NE Oklahoma.

Sandy

I am in Northern (sort of) California about half and hour or so north of San Francisco. And I must admit that if I saw as many butterflies on my best day here as you did Sandy, I would think I was dreaming. I don't think we even have that many species. I am hoping to see some Gulf Frits this year. I didn't see any at all last year. I remember a couple of years ago there was huge migration of Painted Ladies that came through in spring and there were hundreds at a time all day-everyday for a month or so and then they were gone. But it was wonderful.

mboston, I am in central Fl and have seen very few butterflies lately. Just a couple monarch's and a couple Gulf Fritillaries. However I have found many cats of both. But ever since all the windy days, the butterflies seem to have been blown away.

Hope

Murray,

I don't see these BFs in my BY yet. I have several areas where I go walking, and it's there that I see the BFs. It will be a while before they take residence in my gardens, as nothing is up yet for nectaring. I go to places where there is great habitat for BFs-- lots of native trees, grasses, weeds, a water source like a creek, pond, or along the river-- and it's there I see them. I am fortunate to have areas like that close by. If I were just looking around my backyard, I'd think there were only sulfurs here.

Sandy

Hope, I agree. I do think the wind plays a part in the way some of the species migrate. Some years I have had Polydamas as early as March 1 and I have only seen one this season. Even the Gulf Frits that hang around nearly all year long have disappeared. I saw my first in quite some time yesterday. I had more Monarchs last month than usual but even they seem to have disappeared the last couple of weeks. I think the winds keep them closer to the coast than inland. At least that is what I noticed by peopl's postings last year.

So apparently wind is a problem in other areas as well. Last spring seemed to blow right by us - we had nearly 5 or 6 weeks when the wind just would not stop. I got frantic after a while. I hope it won't be like that this year.

I know what you mean Sandy because I have places in town where I see species of butterflies that never make it over to my yard. The Mourning Cloaks are like that. They seem to like the streams and wooded areas. The same with the California Sisters which I love but very rarely visit my yard.

I'm here...I've been super busy with PTA and School Site Council and Parent-Teacher Conferences and...ARGH! I am SO glad that I have this upcoming week off. Last night I couldn't even sleep because 1) I ate some chocolate that was leftover from Easter (that dratted See's Candy! I am fundraising chair so you can imagine what that means. I bought all the stuff that wasn't sold and have slowly been eating through it...) and the caffeine did me in, 2) I stayed up a bit too late working on my Kindergarten blog, and 3) I kept thinking about things that need to get done.

Anyhoo, I did spend time outdoors this afternoon and I collected lots of Gulf Frit eggs. I had my camera out cuz the PVS were out and I kept saying to them, "Would you please get a move on and lay some eggs?!" I'm sure my neighbors thought I was nuts (or they're just so used to me they didn't think anything of me mumbling about butterfly sex). ;P