Here is one I saw the other day.
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wow what a beautiful pic the color is so pretty.

Wow Sherry, sounds like you have been a busy beaver preparing for the butterflies! Good for you. We had a couple of beautiful warm weeks here in NW GA, and then this cold front settled in. It has been rainy, cold, and overcast for a long while now. Does not inspire the gardener in me to get out! I do own a White Profusion bush, but of the 8 different varieties of butterfly bush in my yard, I would say that the Pink Delight and the Sungold are the most prolific bloomers. I just planted an Attraction bush, so I don't know yet how it will do here. I have some seed and can't wait to grow the Zowie Zinnias this year for the first time. Orange Sceptre sure looks wonderful, but I don't believe it would come back here. I transplanted my Lindera Benzoin bushes in the fall because their original location was too sunny I think. They are both coming back, and I hope they are much bigger this year.~~Angie

That's a beautiful picture, nikonhead - yellow female tigers are much less common than the black ones here, but I think the yellow (and blue!) ones are the prettiest.
Angie, I have been busy alright! If Almost Eden is able to get and sell Orange Septre, I'll order it from them, since their prices are reasonable. Zowie zinnias are real popular with the butterflies, and the colors make some great pictures.
I've never been able to successfully grow spicebush - mine all die a slow death. Spicebush swallowtails use sassafras here. Fortunately, it's plentiful.
The sun came out here yesterday, so it should come out in north Georgia today!
Sherry

Here in Madison, most of the snow is gone, but there is still considerable ice on Lake Monona. We had a snowstorm pass through today, and it looked like winter was back for an hour or two, & then the fresh snow melted away. There is some open water on the lake, and there are many ducks around, spending some time here on their way north. And we have a few muskrats moving around-I think its muskrat mating season. So there are signs of life here, but we're not ready for butterflies yet. Thanks for posting the great photos!

Yal so luck i have nothing here but GF and all my passionflowers are eat to ground this year have to order more hehehehe I havent seen any other type of butterfly here.
Angie

The female spicebush swallowtail must have already met the male, because while I was working in my garden, she (or another one, maybe) laid a few eggs on the sassafras that grows on the edge of my garden. I've been seeing palamedes swallowtails doing the dance, so I'll probably be finding palamedes eggs/cats soon. The pipevines are growing like crazy, but I haven't seen any pipevine swallowtails, and I've got no PVS eggs or cats. Out of habit, my eyes still go to the leaf axils, looking for those red eggs! :)

Eric, this is the time of the year that I feel sorry for you! Hopefully, the weather will warm up very soon! When I see your posts, I think monarchs, and I didn't mention that I planted lots more A. curassavica yesterday. If I get monarchs, having a lot of milkweed will be great, and even if I don't, all butterflies love to nectar on the flowers.

Angie - I wish I had some gulf frits! My passionvines are growing great, all ready for some of those cute little yellow eggs!

Sherry

Im kinda hoping the pipevines keep grown here useally they dont get a chance this year maybe ill have enough to feed them havent seen no other butterflys here but GF so all but my passionflowers are grown bigger than ever .Iv never seen GF cats get so big the huge and look so healthy but saddly im running low on passionflowers and all nurseys here have is red passionflower and i wont every get them again , this is crazy this year I have tons of dill and rue and even my cassia tree hasnt been touched.
Angie

Dill going nuts parsely too
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I spent the day laying down compost and digging out weeds and bunch grasses.It is such back-breaking work. I had one of those spasms at one point and had to stop and come inside for awhile. I am also expecting some new plants in the mail this coming week like a Buddleia Golden Glow, a Button Bush, and some lantanas from Plant Delights as well as an Almond Tree Verbena. Does anyone have the Golden Glow? I also got some new salvias that are supposed to attract butterflies as well as hummers and they are called the Blaze Series, I believe.

My White Profusion that I planted last spring didn't seem to have a single visitor. And the only butterflies that ever nectar from my curassavicas are the Gray Hairstreaks. I also have never had a visitor on my Joe Pye Weed or the coneflowers. It makes me think of the time I was looking out over all my efforts and admiring all the flowers in bloom and it suddenly came to my attention that at that moment there was only one butterfly in view and it was nectaring on a dandelion. What an ingrate. I felt like chasing it off. But I am so excited to see the spring weather again. I sure hope it holds. We had two days last week in the low 80's. And today it was about 70 or so. Just that little change and it was very noticeable how the new growth on some of the plants made visible increases in that short a time. Murray

Yes, Murray, we had very warm weather up in the mid-80's for quite a while before the cool spell came, and the new growth on my pipevines, passionvines, and just about everything else around here was tremendous. It's funny that the butterflies didn't like your White Profusion or tropical milkweed - they love it here.
Today we went to Mobile, but before we went, I saw a medium sized orange butterfly fly away quickly down my road. It may have been a gulf frit, a variegated frit, or a question mark, don't know which. I then saw a monarch nectaring on my new zinnias. On the way to Mobile, I saw another monarch and another unidentified, medium size orange butterfly and lots of others on the roadsides - spring is here for sure.
My black swallowtail cats are eating and growing as are the red admirals in their nests outside - I love it!
Sherry

Sounds like you have some excitement coming in the mail Murray! Isn't it thrilling to open them when they arrive? I have a Joe Pye Weed in my yard too, and I have never seen one butterfly on it. It must attract butterflies somewhere in this country. Gosh, that Almond Verbena is so tempting to me. I wonder if it can be grown in a pot and overwintered in a garage.~~Angie

The cats are still growing - I got this picture of one of the six black swallowtails -
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Sherry

Angie, someone said on a post that the almond tree verbena roots very easily in water so you could probably take cuttings in the fall and have some ready by spring if the parent plant didn't come back. I seem to be in a marginal zone where a lot depends on how cold a winter we have each year. We are too cold for tropicals at times and yet some do quite well. It may be worth a try. This past winter I tried covering some of my less hardy plants and it made a big difference, especially with the lantanas. They always survive but take awhile to recover but this time it looks like they will recover in record time.

Wow, Misssherry, how neat to have cats already. And I really wish we had the diversity of butterflies you have in the southeast. Murray

I just wanted to say that today I found eggs on some roadside milkweeds. This is so great! All last year...no Monarchs! At least, it's probably Monarch eggs...I've seen a few Monarchs coming through and haven't seen any Queens so far this year. Will raise them....of course. Otherwise, I have two kinds of tiger cats, both ETST and the two-tailed kind. And also what looks like an AL cat is on the Sweet Everlasting. PVST visited again yesterday and some egg-laying took place this time. Looks like a good butterfly year, have seen many kinds of butterflies!

I too saw an Anise swallowtail laying eggs on some of my bronze fennel this morning and tonight there is a Cerisy's Sphinx moth on the side of my house apparently waiting for a male to come by. Tomorrow morning I will have to go out and see if she has a friend and get some pictures. They are shameless about it all and don't mind being photographed during their "thing", so to speak.

By the way, Misssherry, I ordered some Sonset Lantanas this morning from the nursery you mentioned so I will let you know how the plants arrive. The prices were great.

Linda, what kind is sweet everlasting? I have been trying to find the Pearly Everlasting for a long time but I only see it available occasionally from native plant nurseries but too far from home.
Murray

Murray, this below is what I believe the plants in my area appear to be. Bless the birds or whatever that originally brought the seeds to this area. There are other common names used, but I like that name!
http://www.missouriplants.com/Whitealt/Gnaphalium_obtusifolium_page.html

Here is a link that might be useful: Sweet Everlasting

Sweet Everlasting is what we call Cudweed here in Oklahoma. Latin name is Pseudognaphalium obtusifolium. It is a native to southern USA. It grew for me in the driest, leanest soil ever. I cannot seem to grow it's cousin, Pearly Everlasting, or Anaphalis margaritacea. I think I like to water things too much, and these plants can virtually survive with no water.

I'm seeing a few butterflies here in Oklahoma. There have been several sitings of Monarchs. Reports have it that the Monarchs are numerous out of Mexico this year. Sure hope so.

It is very rough here right now in Oklahoma since we are in a severe drought.

Sherry, I bought tons of red zinnia seeds and the Zowie Flame one, too. Will plant this week along with Tropical Milkweed and Cosmic Red Cosmos. Also ordered another Dwarf Red Porterweed, since it was so popular last year with the hummers and the big butterflies, Monarchs, Cloudless Sulphurs, Swallowtails, and Gulf Frits. Also got a Cuphea 'David Verity', Salvia darcyi, Dicliptera suberecta aka Firecracker Plant or Hummingbird Plant, and this is another "must have" native - Gaillardia suavis. Why I haven't noticed it before now, I don't know. It is supposed to be very fragrant - the common name is Perfume Balls. It is rayless and supposedly a huge attraction for butterflies. Gotta try it!

Susan

Here is a link that might be useful: Gaillardia suavis

You've got a lot going there, Susan! A drought in early spring? That's pretty bad! It hasn't been dry all winter long has it? I thought it snowed a lot in OK this past winter.
That rayless gaillardia is one I might just have to try - anything that smells good AND attracts butterflies is a winner!
Angie, sweet almond verbena is pretty cold hardy. I think I remember reading that it can survive winters as far north as North Carolina, so it would probably do for you. I had one, and I loved the smell of the flowers, but I planted it too close to the gate, somehow it got badly broken, and since I only got bees on it with an occasional butterfly, I ditched it. I don't know why the butterflies didn't go for it any more than they did, since it seems to be real popular with them elsewhere.
Sherry

Thank you Linda and Susan, I see that the sweet is very similar to the 'margaritacea' that I am familiar with. I will have to try to get to one of those native plant nurseries in my area.

But I am so excited because I have two shipments on the way and receiving plant packages turns me into a kid in seconds. Murray

Thanks guys for the info on the Almond Verbena. Now then, I guess I will have to go about the business of possessing one of those sweet plants! Just what I needed...another plant!!! LOLOLOLOLOLOL :o) My family already thinks I am nuts.

Susan, we're in extreme drought...sorry to hear ya'll are suffering too. Actually, except for a year off for El Nino, we've been in a bad drought for years. I'm going to throw away my rain gauge if this continues. Not sure I remember the last time it really rained here. With this map, I'm east of that "AH" in the orange part of the western Texas extreme drought zone.

Here is a link that might be useful: Drought Monitor

Sorry about the drought, Linda, but congratulations on all your cats! I wish a pipevine swallowtail would show up here, because my pipevines are growing like crazy - they need pruning! :)
My black swallowtails are continuing to grow. I think they're in the fourth instar now - some are regular colored, and some are dark. Lately, I've gotten so many dark ones!
I brought in 5 red admirals to finish raising, and, knock on wood, none of the cats I found outside have been parasitized - that's amazing!
There are several cats on the Christmas cassia in my garden. I usually get only sleepy oranges this early, but there have been plenty of cloudless sulphurs flying this spring, and these appear, by the yellow line down the side, to be cloudless sulphurs -
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Sherry

Sherry, I think the Cloudless Sulphurs are flying earlier this year - I saw one yesterday and was real surprised to see it. Probably due to the warmer temps and the strong southerly winds we've been having. Seeing more Monarchs this year than ever before in my garden!

Angie, I am in the "red" or orange zone, too. We have wildfires right now all around us. The smoke makes the atmosphere hazy and you can smell it, too. People are having trouble breathing. We've had a red flag fire warning and burn ban for so long now, it seems normal. The ground is so dry, the water just rolls off of it. It's taking me forever to get the plants watered right now. Dust is everywhere and on everything. Even my car has a thick coat of dust on it. I gave the plants a "bath" this morning and I think they really appreciated it.

I grow my tomatos in containers and am using some Sunleaves grow bags this year, too. The bags are not expensive. I get them from Worm's Way and they have a white exterior so plants don't bake in them. They are prepunched and ready to go. Thought I'd give them a whirl. Lots of people using them and having good luck with them, too.

Your photos are gorgeous, MissSherry! I think you should consider putting together a "coffee table" book of them for all of us to enjoy!

I read a little about Orange Sceptre and it's a very pretty new color for buddleia, out of the University of Arkansas breeding program. Looks like it may stay evergreen for you, Sherry!

Susan

Here is a link that might be useful: Buddleia 'Orange Sceptre'

Guys, I am having a heck of a time putting my picture into my post. I have a photo, taken last year of course, much too cold up here yet, of a Painted Lady on a joepyeweed that I'd really like to share! I read above that you all don't have any butterflies that like to partake of the nectar, so I thought I'd share a photo, but something isn't working right. Photobucket, IMG code, copy and paste over here...they've changed at photobucket and I haven't been there in awhile. It's different. Under all my photos it only says IMG code, nothing else. Above it says share, edit, and a couple other things, but it looks like its for facebook or twitter. So anyway, I'm really confused. Any help would be really appreciated!

Your photos are all so vivid, so alive! I can't wait to see my first butterfly of the season! âº

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Ha! I got it! I knew it wasn't IMG that I needed!!

Here's my Painted Lady on joe. Just don't me which joe! I can't remember...lol....it's in my mini prairie..to much to remember....

Wow! That's a beauty, Terry!
The native joepye weed E. fistulosum, is real popular with butterflies. It grows in low, wet areas, so you really need a boggy, sunny area for it. I could manage that, but then it grows to be about 9' or 10' tall and inevitably, by the time it blooms in fall, it's falling over, and the butterflies are nectaring on bended plants. So I don't fool with it, but the prairie types are undoubtedly entirely different.
Thanks for sharing your picture!
Susan, when I can buy 'Orange Sceptre' for a reasonable price, I'll order it, but over $40 for one plant (with S&H at Plant Delights) is too much.
I'm REALLY sorry about the drought - I had no idea.
Sherry

All eight of the black swallowtails have made their chrysalis, several of the red admirals I brought in to raise moved quickly around the cage, then went back to the nettle leaves and made what is undoubtedly a nest for pupating, and the first of the cloudless sulphurs I brought in to raise was in the "C" and pupating when I last looked at it this evening. I brought in some more sulphurs, 'don't know which type they are, because they're so small.
My pipevines are growing vigorously, plus making even more new sprouts from the ground, so I'm really hoping to get some PVS eggs soon, but I haven't seen a pipevine swallowtail butterfly, so until then.....
I saw an American lady flitting around the garden yesterday, and the cudweed is "blooming" if you can call it that, so, hopefully, I'll be seeing some of those cute little AL nests soon.
It got up to 89 degrees for several days in a row, sort of felt like summer, but a cool front passed through this evening with a little bit of rain - it's still supposed to get into the upper 70's tomorrow, 50's at night for a few days, then another cool front Friday.
I'm continuing to work outside a lot, since the weather is good, just about to get the garden all planted.
There are a lot of red admiral cats raising themselves outside and NOT being parasitized - YAY!
Sherry

Love those cute little Red Admiral cats. Also love the Cloudless Sulphur and Sleepy Orange chrysalises - so pretty, especially when they turn a pinkish color.

Congrats on all your babies and chrysalises! I am ready (I think) for more babies.

I don't blame you for waiting on the Orange Scepter. They're always expensive when they are first introduced. It's still early in the season, so maybe there will be more nurseries offering them for sale. Who would pay $20 for a plant from Spring Hill anyway! Not me, that's for sure!

Susan

Susan