Sounds like you're off to a roaring start :) I can't wait to see pix of those Pearl Crescents you've been raising. Welcome Summer!!

John

Yes, things are really roarin' around here, John!

Check out the Pearl Crescent thread.

Sherry

I just checked it out...
Congratulations, Sherry
Things are picking up here too; I just had my first BST ELF yesterday and another American Lady ELF this afternoon.
Plus I saw a couple of Cabbage Whites and a Sulfur of some type. Red Admirals flit around from time to time as well.
The Milkweed is popping up all over and I anxiously await my first Monarch. It has been in the upper 70's-lower 80's for a few days now with no cool weather in sight. I think Summer may finally be here :-)

John

I'm re-posting for the two of you. I put seedlings in the mail for both of you last night, but they likely won't arrive until after the weekend. If they don't survive the trip, I have lots more seedlings and I can try again. Let me know how they look when they arrive.

Martha

John, where do you live?

Summer is in full force here too, Sherry, and like you its going to get very hot without rain for the next few days. I'm watering my plants as we speak.

Lots of monarchs here as well as sulfurs, giants, polydamas, zebra longwings and gulf fritillaries. Once in a while I will see a tiger.

Tom

Central Florida

I'll be on the look out for the seedlings, Martha. I'll post a picture of them when they get here, so you'll know how they fared the trip.

You've got a lot of butterflies, too, Tom. Do you have any pipevines for the polydamas swallowtails?

Sherry

I have lots of different pipevines, Sherry. Once the Polydamas reach a certain number they seem to multiply like mad.They haven't reached that number yet.

The problem I have is that they like the same pipevines as the Pipevine Swallowtails.

I saw my first monarch of 2014 today, around noon, in our front yard, here in Madison, Wisconsin. It has been a cool spring, and we only have 4 milkweed up at this time. Three of our milkweed are green shoots, under 2 inches-only one plant is leafed out and monarch-ready. Our blueberries are covered with flowers, and we have several kinds of digger bees, plus bumblebees, and also a few honeybees out there, working the shrubs.

Eric,
I'm glad to hear the native bees are active in your area. I've been trying to get a native bee "house" up in my yard this spring, but hadn't come up with a design that worked for me yet. I got it hung last night, so, hopefully, the bees are still foraging and making nests for their offspring. Good luck to all of you with your butterflies this season.

Martha

Thank you Martha
I'll look for my seedlings in the mail :)
Tom, I live in Madison, WI. I grew up in Pompano Beach, Fla and lived around Broward County until eight years ago.
Eric, you give me great hope of seeing a Monarch soon.
Did you report your sighting to The Journey North and Monarch Watch?

John

My first red-spotted purple is hanging in the "J" in its cage now. There is another big caterpillar that will probably be doing the same soon, there's a moderately big one, and two small ones. Only five caterpillars, but I've seen many butterflies spring from a small number.

I released my one and only red admiral this morning. I hope it can manage to find a mate. 'Haven't seen any red admirals around here in a long time. :(

My pipevine swallowtails have nearly all emerged, including one hanging out in the cage now, and there are lots of cats and eggs on the vines.

One spicebush swallowtail has made its chrysalis, and there is a big palamedes cat sitting real still on a redbay leaf. I think it'll be purging and pupating soon. There are many other spicebush cats that are big and will undoubtedly be pupating pretty soon.

My one tiger swallowtail cat is sitting still, as usual, so all is normal there. I think it has one more instar to go before pupating.

I brought in some more American lady cats to raise about a week ago. Two have made their chrysalis, and the other four are getting big. Since I can't raise red admirals, I guess I'll raise as many of this type of Vanessa as possible.

I've released a total of 5 pearl crescents, with several more to go.

Sherry

Sounds like you're really busy, Martha. I'm glad you are having a fruitful butterfly season :) I'm starting to pick up around here too. I've discovered several AL nests on my Pussytoes and Anaphalis. I was visited by a Monarch ELF yesterday and she left me 3 eggs. A while ago I saw an RA ELF on Pellitory, which I never knew I had nor did I know even grew here! She also laid on some Wood Nettle. An AL also laid more eggs on my PT and Anaphalis as well today, and I can just barely see the eggs.
I also have four BST eggs under safe keeping.

John