Hehe I got my first butterfly today too it was a monarch and it layed a ton of eggs was so happy .Forgot how beautiful they are .I havent seen any GF yet odd and very few bees too.But hope ya live close to me maybe the monarch will make it by your house.

Congrats, Maryann! I think cabbage whites are very pretty!
And shame on your neighbor with the tennis racket!
MissSherry

Congrats! Congrats! Maryann. The 1st sighting is always the most special. Glad to here that your weather is more cooperative now. :)

Angie, there are many times I wished I lived close to you! I think CT is about 2000 miles away and that Monarch will have to do some pretty fancy flapping to get up here!

Still no milkweed up here yet so the Monarchs had better take their sweet time.

Misssherry, the poor neighbor has been trying to grow cabbage for years, only to have dozens of velvety cabbage white larva infest his plants. I told him..."I'll give you a couple of bucks to go buy some cabbage...leave your plants as CW hosts.." After he looked at me rather strangely for a few minutes he laughed and said.."Yeah, I guess you're really into this butterfly thing..huh?"
I may have a convert there as he is very appreciative of the world natural.

YAY! I tell you, the first butt is always the MOST exciting! :) Party on! :)

The other day I sat on my haunches for about TEN minutes, watching a Cabbage White...I was hoping for a photo shot of her ovipositing. Did I get one? NOPE. She just wanted to SUNBATHE!

Yippee, Maryann! I haven't seen them laying eggs yet either, and I have plenty of their host plant around.

Did see another Monarch, Eastern Tiger Male, and Goatweed Leafwing male yesterday, along with the Cabbage White.

I went and got some nectar plants today because I really don't have any nectar things for them blooming yet.

Hey, Linda, guess what? My A. clematitis is going to bloom, too! This is the third year for it in the ground.

I also got some calibrochia for the hummingbirds and moths, some Mexican Mint, fennel, Dusty Miller, a helichrysum species, parsley, pentas (about to bloom on very small plants about 4" tall, and Mexican heather.

And I went to only buy chicken manure!!!!!

Susan

This cabbage white must be a male because all he does all day is fly in a circular path around the house, from front yard to back, into the neighbor's lawn and then around into my veggie garden. I left a few cabbage plants there to overwinter and he's probably waiting for a female to be attracted to them.

Yesterday I saw a mourning cloak, some kind of anglewing (probably a question mark) and many spring azures...if I can get my image hosting working I'll post a picture....

I believe a spring azure marginata form...

{{gwi:461756}}

That's a really nice variation. Ours are all lighter -- I've seen but one so far this spring, along with a lot of sulphurs.

Typical Spring Azure near me:

{{gwi:461757}}

taken 2006.06.02, so it might be either the "summer" or "spring" form.

(yes, that's dog-poop)

Hi Jeff, happy spring!

I've read that the "Marginata", darker, form is more common in the North in early spring because it has more a darker coloration which absorbs more heat.

These little butterflies are so smart that they have adapted to regional climates!

Jeff, do you have any knowledge about Baltimore Checkerspots that you'd wish to share with me?

They are my pet experiment this year....

Maryann

Happy spring to you, too! I'm armed with seeds and planters, and I know to soak the potting mixture *first* this time!

I know little about BCS yet, except that your plantain trick doesn't work down here. I'm hoping to be able to help find nests in Montgomery Co. in June.

Jeff

Maryanne....happy spring....so slow to come to New England, but so treasuredly beautiful when it arrives....I wish I could be summer in NE forever.....

Cabbage white...I saw one with the little orange mark, and when I went to get my camera...GONE..

As to your neighbor with the tennis racket, those are the kind of people little nice old me wants to SWAT with a tennis racket. The same people who use gallons of pesticide to kill 2 weeds, you know, they kill everything that moves....then wonder why aunt Eunice gets cancer at 45....

Ditto to your comment about summer in NE, Paul. It is one of the most beautiful regions in our country in summer - and in winter, if you like snow. It is every bid a Currier & Ives portrait. But, the summers were just breathtaking there. I've never had my hydranges grow and glow like they do up there. And the fish and seafood is to die for.

Saw another Monarch the other day. It's hard for me to believe they will fly on cloudy days here.

Susan

So true about how long it takes it to warm here these past few years.

The falls are also beautiful, longer and warmer than they used to be. This year the ground disn't freeze until mid January and only thawed about a month ago.

It really takes until the end of June for most species of butterflies to show, although this year, I'm taking special care to try to locate the earlier species as they appear.

Paul, I used to be one of those cabbage white swatting fools before I realized how beautiful they really are...thanks to the education I've recieved here. I just gave up trying to grow the crucifers for human consumption. Now I plant ornamental cabbage for the CWs.

Susan, I'm still impatiently waiting for the monarchs and the milkweed to show up here.

Maryann I am so glad you hace finally seen your first butterfly for the spring. I just know there are many more to follow this little fella.