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Texas Gardening

What chrysalis is this?

roselee z8b S.W. Texas

8 years ago

What butterfly will eclose from this chrysalis I found on a Mexican olive tree just now?

I don't find anything mentioned about Mexican olive being a host plant, unless I missed it. Fruitcocktail shrimp is growing near by and shrimp plant is said to be a host for the Texas crescent butterfly, but the photos of its chrysalis do not look like this one.

Any ideas? I'm eager to know!

Featured Answer

jolanaweb

8 years ago

Ragna, you are right all other cats are so careful to stay hidden but the gulf frits aren't although they travel long distances they stay in the open most of the time, lol

One day when I arrived home at the old place, when I pulled up to the gate one was just hanging on the gate but the nearest passi was 65' back down the driveway, that was the farthest I had every seen. I couldn't believe it!

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Comments (9)

roselee z8b S.W. Texas
Original Author
8 years ago
Okay -- figured it out! It's one of my 'own' pipevine swallow tail chrysalis. All I got to say is that little guy traveled miles (for a caterpillar) from the vines to the Mex. olive tree.

Funny thing is that with all the pipevine swallow tails cats I don't find many chrysalises. They hide well. I would not have seen this one except I was tying up the tree that blew over in last nights stormy weather.
jolanaweb
8 years ago
Isn't it amazing how far they travel? It is so cool you found it tho, now you can keep an eye on it and hopefully see it emerge
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I'm out on The Island and we, too, had 'cold damage'! Doesn't usually happen so close to the Gulf. About 2 weeks ago, I noticed FOUR cats on my milkweed! I did the happy dance...but mebbe a bit too prematurely, I'm afraid. After the cold snap I could only locate two! I remember reading somewhere where they'll hunker down under the mulch or something. Is this accurate info? When next I checked, there was one on the plant, munching away and a second (the largest of all), about a foot away from the plant, laying semi-curled-up on top of the mulch and seemingly chewing on a long piece of the mulch...HUH????? I carefully placed it and the mulch 'morsel', at the base of the plant. Yesterday, before the rain came, I noticed only one left. I've searched the plant but cannot find the other three...any thoughts on where they might be? Could they have been picked off by birds??? I hope not!
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What kind of chrysalis did I find?
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I believe that Mona is right - Variegated Fritillary. But I suspect that this is a parasitic wasp infected Variegated Fritillary pupa. I see that this was an older post so it's probably long gone! When the abdominal segments are loose, membranes between the segments are dark - it's a bad sign. It normally means that either it's about to emerge (and you should see the butterfly through the shell) or it is full of wasp larva(e) and the butterfly no longer exists. Because it no longer exists, the muscles that hold the abdominal segments are gone and the segments are pulled loose by gravity. So sad when it happens!
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If ants find a chrysalis, they'll form their military like line and eat it. This happened to me years ago, when I had raised a spicebush swallowtail caterpillar successfully on a spicebush in a container. I had made a net covering that kept wasps from eating the caterpillar, but ants came right through the netting and ate the chrysalis - needless to say, I was heartbroken! I also have found that black swallowtail caterpillars tend to disappear if left outside on the host plant. I don't know if it's wasps or birds or both, but something gets them. That's why I always raise them in a cage on my porch. I just wish I had some to raise this year! Sherry
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If you're worried, just isolate it in a separate container. Use a lid that would not let a wasp or fly escape. I wouldn't kill it. The worst that will happen is a little creature will emerge.
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User
8 years ago
How far do you think it is from the vine to the tree? I've often noticed the rue covered with cats, and then the next day they are all gone. Then I find chrysalis 10 to 20 feet away. I guess they want to get to a safe place.
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wantonamara Z8 CenTex
8 years ago
They don;t want to make a chrysalis on a host plant because one of their own will come and eat where they are hanging.
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roselee z8b S.W. Texas
Original Author
8 years ago
Mara, that makes sense.

Jolana and Marti, it had to have traveled 20/25 feet through flower beds, rocks and edging to get there. It certainly is well hidden among those thick leaves. I find Gulf frit chrysalis all the time right out in the open. They are not nearly so careful in hiding themselves.
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wantonamara Z8 CenTex
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
I heard that at a talk given by the head gardener of the nation butterfly Association garden in the Valley . I forget the actual name of the place so I might have gotten it wrong. It sounds like an interesting place to visit during the fall migration. They have a festival with tours of nearby ranches and butterfly gardens on them. He also said that putting structures like old stools or bedsteads gives them a structure that gives a slightly shaded horizontal they can hang off of away from a vertical is a good thing.
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roselee z8b S.W. Texas
Original Author
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Luckily I happened to see it just after it had emerged and snapped these photos ...

This is certainly the year for Pipevine swallowtails. They are still laying eggs on the pipevine plus I've seen several other caterpillars taking their life in their hands, so to speak, and traveling across the yard in search of a distant place to pupate.
jolanaweb
8 years ago
OMG, gorgeous, so bright and new
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