It seems strange to post pictures of a bright sunny day while I listen to the lovely sounds of raindrops falling outside. But at least I’m dry.
Over the past couple of days, the garden was a green version of Grand Central Station. Butterflies, wasps, moths, flies, and other creatures all came to feast, rest, and feast some more. It was high noon when I took these, unfortunately, but beggars can’t be choosers when there are masses of creatures about all at the same time! You just get the shots when you can.
At last, Painted Lady butterflies have come to visit.
I love the hidden peacock feathers you see in their hindwings.
Variegated Fritillaries have arrived, too.
A Snout Butterfly rested on Big Muhly.
And Queens went back and forth between the Gregg’s Mistflower…
and the Milkweed.
I have so many kinds of skippers I can’t name them all.
I think this is a Fiery Skipper…
and this a White-Checkered Skipper.
The Gulf Fritillary was a challenge to photograph — it cared not for sitting still.
And Sulphurs — some big, some small. Is this a Southern Dogface Sulphur or a Cloudless Sulphur?
Tiny yellow butterflies fluttered about — they didn’t sit still for long. Hmmm… Little Yellow or Mimosa?
The big butterfly attractors have been the milkweed, zinnias, and Gregg’s Mistflower, but a few days ago I set out a banana for the butterflies. They do love a rotting banana, but the last time I did that, the banana just rotted all by its little lonesome. This time, I walked out to discover a Goatweed Leaf Butterfly enjoying a snack with a Snout Butterfly (and a fly).
So I decided to set out a fresher banana, as well, and — whoa — incoming. Suddenly my new banana became an experiment and a wildlife study. The first visitors were wasps and flies. I’m not even going to attempt to identify any of these, but there’s quite the variety!
The wasps didn’t always get along. The big red hornet-like one was the bully you’d expect him to be — not that the other wasps were friendly and gentle-like, mind you…
While the wasps were distracted with their quarreling, the flies zoomed in for some banana. I like how they naturally spread themselves out.
Do you see the beautiful metallic turquoise insect in the lower left corner? That’s a Cuckoo Wasp — the only one I can identify other than “fly” or “wasp.”
Here’s another pic.
I didn’t mind all the visiting wasps. It kept them distracted from my Queen caterpillars on the milkweed.
And the flies and wasps weren’t the only visitors to the bananas. Snouts began to venture over to the fresher banana, and today I found my first Red Admiral. What a beauty!
See this “pretty” yellow, green, and black bug? Bad bug. Spotted cucumber beetle. You can mourn it if you like — it and four of its friends. At least I found them on the banana and not in my veggie garden. That water in the pic is from today’s rain.
The only butterfly picture I didn’t capture that first picture day was the lone Monarch I saw flying around. Have they started to move on? I’m keeping my eye out for caterpillars — I did see a female Monarch laying eggs on the milkweed several days ago.
Elsewhere in the garden today, I discovered what I think is an assassin bug nymph. My last one was red, though, so I don’t know.
And off in the former pumpkin patch, where a few pumpkins and vines await me doing something about them, I found an icky green guy having a feast.
Enjoy it while you can, buddy.
Oh my! Did they have some kind of convention in your garden? Amazing!
Wow, Meredith, you have a goldmine filled with jewels here!
I must say I too wonder at the sheer profusion of life in your backyard. We’ve grimly wrapped the cold blanket around us here, and everything that jumps slithers and hops has hunkered down into hiding. All I’ve got are hibernating lady bugs and bunnies chomping at dry grass. 🙂
oh my gosh – how did you find so many varieties of butterflies in one little area? Do they just love your flowers, or have we just not been paying attention enough?
OK, I’m just going to say it again, but I thought it again. These photos are just sooooo perfect for being published in a kids’ science textbook or magazine or something. I don’t often check back for comments, but I hope you’re submitting this awesome stuff!
I enjoyed your post, Meredith. I love the banana photos with the variety of insects. You know your butterflies…great photos!
Wow a double feature! Charming spring romance with beautiful ladies all a flutter and then for the second half a total creature feature. I can’t believe the shots you got. Totally amazing!
Meredith,
I just passed on to you the Best Blog Award. The rules are simple. No confessions…just pass the award on to other blogs.
This was my first award. I enjoy your blog, and I passed it on to you. You’re under no obligation.
By the way…I love all your butterflies. I don’t have half that many. I need more butterfly plants next season.
Fabulous! I am learning so much from these butterfly posts. I really, really appreciate them. I haven’t seen any butterflies for a few days, but I haven’t been looking carefully, either. Even so, my sense is that most of them have moved through. Next year, however, it is bananas and flower attractors in my garden!
As an aside, I thought from the title that this was going to be about bananas being a very “political” fruit.
Now I know what to do with rotting bananas!
You remind me of the Girl of the Limberlost. You also give me hope. The more we get away from the suburban lawn culture the more our children growing up actually have a chance of seeing a wealth of butterflies and other insects as children did in generations before mine. I grew up on military bases (think lawns, parade grounds and rocks painted white) so that was never my experience.
Amazing, to have such a richness of flying creatures in your garden. You are lucky. And you take such great photos!!
Hi Meredith.
I have to say, I think we share the same interest in the small creatures found in our backyard habitats. I have been going crazy of late documenting all of the copious amounts of insects that have been rising out of the mist flowers and amaranth in the Patch of late. It was a real pleasure to read you accounts…I love your all-in-one insect identification pictures, Oh, and I WILL be running outside tomorrow with some old banana and my camera set to macro. Now just why have I not done this sooner?
The “Brown Nosers” have been all over this year, and are not shy at all, I agree-very cool. My quest though is to get a macro of one of those large yellow butterflies that never stay still, the affected ones that fly on the wind without any plan of what they are doing or where they are goings, you know the ones? Do they ever even land?
Your shots of the Painted Lady butterflies were absolutely stunning. Well done. Do you grow amaranth? Like the mist flowers it is a total bug magnet. I will be harvesting seeds in a month or so should you want some.
Loved these posts…can you tell?
ESP.
Oh, I do like your spider – though perhaps I am glad that it is in the States and not my side of the Atlantic
I just wanted to wish you and your family a very Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you have a lovely day.
Of course if you don’t celebrate the big turkey bash just consider this a Very Happy Thursday greeting.
And a Happy Thanksgiving/Thursday to you and yours, too, Lesan! It’s beautiful weather here — a fine day for a family gathering. Have a wonderful day!
Wow! I can’t believe the visitors you have been hosting. They are all so colorful and bright. Looks like you are enjoying some lovely weather. Your scenery is much more eyecatching than the drab browns we have in comparison to the fabulous fall colors that just fell to the ground. Oh well, tis the season. Hope your Thanksgiving was nice!