That's great, Laura!

I saw a female gulf frit the other day, nectaring in my garden. She nectared and nectared until I had to go back inside - couldn't stand the heat. I was hoping she'd leave some eggs, but she didn't! :(

I'm raising a grand total of TWO gulf frit cats now, that's all the eggs I've gotten! Maybe you'll get lots of eggs.

Sherry

They're here! Saw a female last week, and a male has been hanging around. Haven't checked for eggs--too much passion vine. Hope you get some eggs to raise.

Sandy

I got a picture of my gulf frit gal -

{{gwi:525206}}

At this point, I have to think she hasn't mated. I have the two cats, hopefully, at least one will be a male and, also hopefully, she'll still be alive and they can mate. :) I've got nearly as much footage of passionvines as I do pipevines!

Sherry

Whoopie!

She left me 6 eggs today, 5 on the passionvines and one on the Georgia asters that grow right next to them. I got all 6 of the eggs, including the one on the asters - passionvine/P. incarnata leaves stay fresh in water for a long time, so there's no danger they'll be stale or dried up by the time the eggs hatch, which is quickly.

Sherry

I found a small cat on one of the passion vines last evening. I'll leave it, as I'm taking a break from bringing in caterpillars. Had a beautiful female around yesterday--got a photo. I'm sure there will soon be lots of cats.

Sandy

Beautiful Sherry! I was so excited to finally see one! I raised so many last year and it was disappointing this year.

Not the best picture I've ever taken (battery was about dead.) She was very active and I was afraid to wait to take the photo so I ran inside and grabbed my camera, not realizing it had a low battery. I ran out to get a quick pic before she flew away.

~Laura

PS - I charged the battery after taking this picture! :-)

That's a great picture Laura! She looks just like mine, she's even nectaring on the same type lantana! :)

Sandy, gulf frits aren't usually bothered by predators here, but there's some type insect, don't know what type, that's hanging all over the partridge peas where the cloudless sulphurs have recently laid eggs. I saw the same type bug on the passionvines close to where the eggs were laid, so I'm wondering if this is an egg eater? I haven't raised a herd of cats like you have, so I brought them in, just in case. Speaking of partridge peas, I have half a bed filled with them, and they all can be traced back to the seeds you sent me several years ago - thanks!

Sherry

Glad to hear the Partridge Pea has spread for you. This year I have less than usual. I have been bringing in the Cloudless Sulphur cats as I find them. I watched the female lay lots of eggs, but only found a few caterpillars. The predators are numerous this year. The Black Swallowtail eggs disappear as fast as they are laid. I may have to bring in more larvae just to get some butterflies! Laura, your photo is beautiful. I tried to post a picture of a female from my garden, but GW didn't let me load it. Looks like you will have eggs soon, if not already. Always love getting the GFs in the garden.

Sandy

Nice shot! I can see the similarities to our frit's, how cool...

SCG

I released 2 today and have 4 cats in cages and at 1 fifth instar on the passion vine. Really slow this year, last I had lots and they all raised outside. This one is a male, I think.

This is the other one that I released, I think it is a female

How do you tell the males from the females? I remember reading about it once, like maybe one had more black than the other, or maybe it was a color difference, but I can't really remember.

This post was edited by alex928 on Tue, Aug 13, 13 at 19:58

Beautiful, Rick! What flower is that the male is nectaring on? The phlox is GORGEOUS!

Alex928, males are bright orange, females more of a tawny orange, also females are a bit bigger.

Sherry

Sherry, I'm not exactly sure on the correct id on he flower. I think I remember that it was a type of Coneflower, but not the bigger one. The female is on a Dianthus.

It looks like the male is nectaring on a red gaillardia. Beautiful. And your phlox is magnificent. Phlox is a fav of the butterflies in my garden.

Sandy

You're probably right on the plant id's, although the Phlox was labelled Dianthus at The Home Depot. I knew the leaves looked different, just figured it was a new variety. So, Phlox it is.

You know what, I read Sherry's post and just assumed phlox. It is dianthus. Quite a beautiful color.

Sandy

Definitely Dianthus, by the serrated flower petals, and by the way the petioles wrap around the stem.

They have continued visiting! I have cats in several different instars of both the Gulf and Variegated Frits now!

Yay!

~Laura

What a pretty picture, Laura! And congrats on all the fritillaries!

Sherry