You lucky dog! Or is that dogface?

Southern dogface was on my wish list for last summer. There was a report of one in our area. The spot I go to even has lots of indigo bushes (which is my new favorite plant). Thanks for the ID details. It helps. I can't help but wonder if I saw one and thought it was something else.

Maybe she left you a present!

Cheers,
Elisabeth

Oh, I'm so happy for you, Sherry! I bet you're on cloud nine! I'll keep my fingers crossed that you will find eggs sometime soon!
Cathy

It appears to have the characteristic "pointed" edge on the outer forewing. I have debated getting an amorpha plant for my yard just to see if I could get one to visit. Do you know if either of the amorphas will work or is one preferred over another? Murray

Congrats on the new arrival! :)

Thanks all!
Murray, my indigo bushes are all Amorpha frutescens. I remember I got them through mail order, probably from either Pine Ridge Gardens or Mail Order Natives, and that's the only kind they sold. I don't know which one southern dogfaces prefer, but silver-spotted skippers have been using mine ever since I got them. I'm guessing that they don't care, so which ever one does better in your area would be best.
I'll be checking the bushes regularly.
Sherry

I had (and still have) Amorpha fruticosa plants in one-gallon pots last year and got Silver-spotted Skipper cats on them. They are so cute! I just love how they sew the leaves of the plant together and it looks like they're peeking out at you. I'm debating if I want to plant mine outside or not because I don't know how much they spread. One probably would have been enough, but I have four. I would be open to giving some away for postage.
Cathy

Mine got about 7' tall and about 6' wide before I pruned them severely last year, Cathy. They're growing back again, with lots of new growth.
And I meant A. fruticosa, not A. frutescens - I shouldn't rely on my memory!
Sherry

Sherry, Gee, that's pretty tall. I can see why you pruned them. I bet with all of that new growth, the SSS would love to lay eggs on them! Do you know offhand how old your indigo bushes are? What kind of surroundings are they in? Mine are potted yet and I have no idea where I want to put them. I wonder if one could live in some kind of big pot indefinitely and I'd just have to keep trimming it to maintain a reasonable height. If I remember correctly, these bushes spread through rhizomes. Any time I read about plants and see that word, it kind of scares me. Ha. It's what has always stopped me from planting Common Milkweed here in the gardens. I made an exception with Lespedeza capitata (Round-headed Bush Clover), which I hope I don't regret at some point having planted it here last year. Actually, it seems like a lot of members of the pea family have those root systems. Oh, I also planted Cassia hebecarpa last year, but I planted those far from the gardens in a tree row where I don't care if they spread. I also have Baptisia australis, but I don't recall reading that it spreads through rhizomes. This is their third year in the ground, and it looks like I'll get to see them bloom this year. This is also the third year for my gas plants and also first year of bloom. I just think it's funny how it takes some plants a few years (or even a dozen years) to bloom for the first time. Oh, and don't worry about your memory. Every year I seem to remember less and less, and I didn't have a great memory to begin with, so can you imagine how much of a disadvantage I have! ;-)
Cathy

I can't remember when I planted the indigo bushes, Cathy, maybe ?5 years ago, after the hurricane? They grow pretty fast. Mine are in part sun/part shade, and they've been very easy to grow.
I know what you mean about members of the pea family and rhizomes, but I don't think you have to worry about that with your Cassia hebecarpa, at least none of my Cassias have spread. I had some Baptisia australis, but they died out. I never got any cats on them, and their once a year blooms, though beautiful, didn't attract butterflies, at least I never saw any nectaring on them.
Let us know how your gas plant does. I thought about ordering one several years ago, but then decided not to, since I've got a lot of rue, several hops bushes, and a big orange tree.
Angie, let me know how your spicebush does in your acid, rocky soil - the conflicting information has me confused.
Sherry

B. australis is taprooted, I believe. So shouldn't spread around.

I grew my A. fruticosa from seed. It's about 2' tall this year from sowing last year. Haven't had any SSS on it yet, altho I see them a lot. My neighbor has a humongous Wisteria and they also use that as a larval host plant.

I see the Dogface butterflies here a few times a year. Sure wish they would lay some eggs for Mama!

Susan