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Butterfly Garden

American Ladies Everywhere!

16 years ago

Before the hurricane, trees created such deep shade that weeds only grew in limited areas - post Katrina, there's a field of weeds in an open area on the east side of my property plus more weeds than before grow by my road/driveway and on various other parts of the property. Cudweed, the host plant for American ladies, is one of the most numerous of my new weeds. American ladies showed up later in the season this year than they usually do, but now that they're here, they're REALLY here! I've brought in about 25 cats just from the area that I thought my dogs would be most likely to trample - I've left those in safer places to fend for themselves. About every third cudweed sprout has a nest on it - if I had to guess, I'd say there are about 75 AL cats on my property!

When I went to my garden this evening, I thought that'd be one place where I wouldn't find any AL cats, since there is so little cudweed there - I was wrong -

{{gwi:478075}}
I've always thought AL cats were one of the prettiest cats!

Eventually the trees I've planted and the ones that have come up on their own that I've tagged as keepers will create enough shade that the weeds won't be such a problem - in the meantime, I'll just enjoy American ladies!

MissSherry

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Comments (7)

linda_centralokzn6
16 years ago
Congrats! Congrats, Miss Sherry! Love the APL's. Haven't seen any yet. Keep the pics coming.
sandwhy
16 years ago
Wow - never seen one of those guys before - or the adult, I don't think! Very cool!!!
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This girl wanted badly to get out, I didn't know, and I think that's what attracted the PL's in the first place that day. That's the day I saw a PL trying to fly with a Monarch two times, I think they were influenced by the Monarch 'in distress' in the enclosure. The top of the enclosure is the same aluminum screening as the sides and is see-through like the sides. I let her out after taking photos. I put this enclosure together quickly after my first pupae was killed by a wasp in mid-pupation. I DON'T recommend putting the metal stakes on the inside of the screening as I did. I'll put the stakes on the outside of the mesh next year. The caterpillars like to hang from the metal stakes for some reason, and I had to keep shade over the rails all during the hot summer or they would have fried from the heat of the hot metal.
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Black swallowtails just LOVE fennel and dill, John, but they'll eat rue, even lay eggs on it, when they can't find anything better. And giant swallowtails seem to like it nearly as well as Ptelea trifoliata/hops tree/wafer ash. I've found black and giant swallowtail eggs on rue at the same time, so it's certainly one of the better host plants. My plants in the shade have done so well, I've taken cuttings to plant out in other shady places. Since I can't work outside on this rainy day, I'm cooking (there's a pecan pie in the oven and I'll be putting a roast in the oven after I take out the pie) but I have to do SOMETHING lep related, so I made a picture of one of the American lady caterpillars. I always thought they were among the prettiest cats - Sherry
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As I posted on another thread, I've seen far fewer butterflies of any sort this season. My garden beds were designed originally to sustain pollinators so I'm committed not only to gardening organically but to offer pollinators the plants & conditions they require in order to thrive. I live in southern New England; Monsanto is just north of where I live. As they say, follow the money.
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Yup! They are so beautiful when they first hatch, and are fun to raise.
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susanlynne48
16 years ago
MissSherry - do ALs not form a nest like the PLs?

Susan
mimidi
16 years ago
No doubt it Miss Sherri you are in "Catapiller Heaven".
MissSherry
Original Author
16 years ago
They do make nests, Susan, but when they get to the last instars, they spend a lot of time outside the nest eating entire leaves before they pupate. This one is in the 4th or 5th instar and now in one of my cages eating leaves.
MissSherry
mcronin
16 years ago
MissSherry,

We're all so happy for you and your APL's. Just think how many of those beautiful butterflies will be gracing your area! ENJOY AND POST SOME PICTURES.

mike
MissSherry
Original Author
16 years ago
I will, Mike!
The first of the ALs I'm raising in a cage has successfully pupated - what cute chrysalids they make! It doesn't take them long to emerge from the chrysalis, so I should be seeing the adult butterflies soon.
My first RSP has wandered off as if to pupate, so I should be getting a chrysalid (with a knob) soon - I've still got a lot of smaller cats in the cage, and I keep finding more early instar RSP cats and eggs. The last three GST cats have gotten big, probably 4th and/or 5th instar, so they should all be chrysalids soon, too, also my one palamedes swallowtail cat has curled up a leaf and stayed there a while, the way they do when they change from brown to green - it won't be long before it's pupating. I found another palamedes cat on a pitiful looking little redbay, so I'll bring that one in tomorrow to raise myself on some good redbay leaves.
I love to have a lot of chrysalids, because then I can have the pleasure of releasing butterflies just about every day!
MissSherry

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?what to do with this little guy?

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