Released my first RA of the year today. Released first SBST from last year yesterday. I don't remember how many SBSTs I got to raise last year.

That's great, KC! My last SBST cat pupated yesterday, so now I've got 4 chrysalides waiting to emerge, 3 brown ones and 1 green one. I released two females a couple of weeks ago. I found a spicebush egg on some sassafras late this afternoon, so I guess I'll scour the property for eggs and cats tomorrow - somebody was out laying, don't know if it was one of the two females I released or not.

I'd like to make pictures of the life cycle of a barred sulphur. I saw a female laying an egg on a pencil flower plant this afternoon, but I don't know if I'd be able to find it again. There's a large area of pencil flower plants up by the main road - maybe if I find it, I'll find more. Anyway, I finally solved the ID mystery of the rusty colored leps I see in very early spring each year - they're the winter form of barred sulphurs! I've never raised any of these little ones, but I have raised little yellows and pearl crescents, so I could probably do it. It would be nice to have pictures of the various stages, like I did last year with my first pearl crescents. Speaking of PCs, I saw what looked like a newly emerged pearl crescent the other day. 'Wish I'd had my camera, the colors were so vivid!

Sherry

P.S. I'm waiting for the prometheas to emerge in the cage - 'can't wait!

P.S. again, the 'strings' you see on the leaves in the picture is from what we call mimosa flowers - the scientific name is Albizia julibrissin. I planted my two mimosas after the hurricane ten years ago to give some quick shade. I didn't know at the time what a draw they'd be for butterflies AND hummingbirds. I can look up at any time during their LONG flowering period and see butterflies on them, on sunny days I can see their shadows circling around. They say these are short lived trees, but mine are ten and thriving, long enough for what they were planted for.

Sherry