It's the same here in San Antonio. We have more bees than last year, but hardly a butterfly is to be seen, not even at the large garden centers like Antique Rose Emporium that has lots of flowers planted in their display gardens. There has not been one caterpillar on my pipe vine or passion vine and I've never had that happen!

I am curious to know the reason for the butterfly scarcity also. We had a very dry winter, but don't know what that would have to do with it. Any ideas anybody?

I'm in North Alabama, and I thought it was just me - very few butterflies or hummers either. Its kind of scary.

I don't normally see to many Lep's until June-Sept. I have seen an occasional cabbage white and one tiger swallowtail.

I'm raising Sphinx moths and I'm still waiting for them to emerge from their cocoons. It's been 7 months.

I do have hummingbirds. I have them year around.

Edna

I've had a few in OKC, like Black Swallowtails, Question Marks, Hackberry and Tawny Emperors, Silver-spotted skippers, and Red Admirals. But not in large, or even medium, numbers. I do have Cloudless Sulphur eggs on my Wild Senna, and Black Swallowtail eggs on my fennel.

Susan

Im the same as todancewithwolves, I dont see many until maybe late June or July-September. I have seen two Painted Ladys, one eastern tiger swallowtail, and one or two cannage whites.
S.B.

Just some food for thoughtÂ

Minor fluctuations in populations from year to year or even from brood to brood with multiple or biennial brooded species are pretty normal. Massive fluctuations are not and probably caused by sudden environmental changes. Things like a spike in parasitoid or natural predator populations, a spike in disease in either lepidopteran livestock or their food plants, extreme unseasonable weather, fires or other causes of habitat loss, large scale poisoning, etc, etc, etc.

With the weird and often extreme weather patterns NA has experienced this year so far, it probably should be no surprise that the bugs are late or in smaller numbers this year and that they may not improve much as the season progresses. A lot of them probably have not survived, so future broods will be smaller or even nonexistent for a while. Mother Nature will help them bounce back though eventually... she almost always does except where habitat has been lost. It may take years though for some species if they were more susceptible than others.

Larry

It has been a weird year for us in Oklahoma for sure. We had a very cold spring, with a very late frost (in May). Normally, our last frost date is 4/15. This year it was like 5/5 or something like that. Many nights in the 40s for much longer than usual.

Last year was such a bumper year, I kind of anticipated it might be slower than normal this year.

Susan

I am having a terrible butterfly season. I've got dead Monarch butterflies in chrysalises all around my house and yard. I decided it was because the bug spraying truck has come around faithfully every week for more than a month now. All of my Gulf Frit caterpillars died, not that I had many. But that stupid pesticide doesn't seem to kill the wasps and yellow jackets. They're just as much of the problem as the bug spraying truck. I feel defeated.

Here in houston area it slow too I havent seen near the butterflys I had last year not sure what the deal is I have released 60 GF and barely see 4 a day .Wasp are out in full force this year .I have about 11 giant swallowtail babys I have them on rue in a cage hope they live Iv only seen 1 giant swallowtail and she left her eggs hope they all survive .

I have a couple of wasps that hang around the plants, low to the ground, looking for "edibles".

I started cutting the blooms off my fennel last year because it attracts the wasps in droves. They can get to the eggs and baby cats b4 I can. But, my fennel is usually a short-lived perennial in my zone 7. Don't know about cooler zones.

My worst pest is usually the spined soldier bugs who hide in my passion vine and suck the innards of my GFs dry. I find them hanging limp on the vine. I've already found a couple in my Wild Senna, too, this year. You have to be quick to get them because they get away from you very fast.

I didn't find them on my P. ceurulea last year. They seemed to prefer hanging out on the P. 'Lavendar Lady'.

Susan

The butterflies that overwinter here, like pipevine, spicebush, palamedes, tiger, and giant swallowtails, also red-spotted purples, are occurring in normal numbers, also in normal patterns, that is, you'll see a lot of them in early spring, then a dearth, because they're all in caterpillar then chrysalid form, then even more of them in early summer after they emerge, etc.
The butterflies that I depend on to reappear each year from places south of here have been very scarce - I've seen one adult gulf frit, and I found one VF cat yesterday. One mild winter the gulf frits overwintered as caterpillars, but the last few winters have been too cold.
Sherry

I came to this thread specifically looking for other reports of no b-flies in Texas. I'm in Austin and have hardly seen a SINGLE one. Usually they are here by March-April. But of course it doesn't help that developers are absolutely determined to destroy every last inch of open green space, and pave over every last inch of Austin. Well, make that Austin, Texas, and the planet. Can't help but wonder if that is partly the cause... also that temps have gotten almost to 100 already..... it's WAYYYYY to early for this!!! I wonder if they traveled further north to escape the heat?? If so, can't blame 'em! I've hardly seen an hummingbirds either. Just one couple on May 15, and then briefly a few days ago. THAT'S IT. I know things fluctuate sometimes.... but I don't like this at all. What is going on....??????????????

In northern Mississippi have seen very few butterflies compared to prior years. Have several buttefly gardens and rare to see any about. Have host plants for 'cats' so hopefully they'll come.