I watched a Giant Swallowtail laying eggs today!
weed30 St. Louis
5 years ago
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weed30 St. Louis
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoRelated Discussions
Giant Swallowtail laying eggs
Comments (2)Congrats! I found my first GST eggs of the season on my orange tree this morning! Sherry...See MorePalamedes Swallowtail and Giant Swallowtail Eggs
Comments (2)Another palamedes swallowtail has emerged this morning, also a little bit smallish, but a female. For a palamedes, she has a LOT of blue on the lower edge of her hindwings - There's a late instar palamedes cat in the same cage that this one came from that I'm quite sure is NOT going to be on the small side. I've named him/her STILL Eating, because that's what I say every time I look in the cage. I thought it was going to pupate a long time ago, but no big bowel expulsion has happened yet - it seems like it's eaten nearly a whole redbay! It finally left a piece of leaf intact this morning, so maybe it'll finally happen today! Sherry...See MoreGiant Swallowtail eggs....
Comments (20)I live less than 6 miles from the beach. I look at the pictures online of prickly ash and the hoptree all the time. Then I look around for them. We had a tree with thorns that my husband cut down. It keeps growing back, but I do not recall any berries. I cut some new growth and put it with the citrus leaves. Will the cats know not to eat it if it is not prickly ash? Because it has definitely been nibbled on. That would be terrible if they ate it and died. Anyway I cut some newer old growth today. I did go to Walmart but their citrus trees were pitiful. I am going to Lowes tomorrow. Last week they had them with new growth. I also may be taking a quick trip to Texas with a connecting flight through Houston. Someone said they have Rue there. My brain is plotting a way to get some and put it in my bag. lol...See MoreWe need some Monarch or Giant Swallowtail eggs/cats, anyone?
Comments (18)Hi KSOhio; I am in the Dayton, Ohio area. KC and I have had lots of conversations about butterflies. I also conduct a multitude of surveys down here. The literature states that swamp milkweed (A. incarnata) is the preference over three other native Asclepias species (Oviposition preference and larval performance of North American monarch butterflies on four Asclepias species Deborah T. Ladner & Sonia Altizer). In Florida A. curassavica is preferred over A. incarnata. (Malcolm SB & Brower LP (1986) Selective oviposition by monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus L.) in a mixed stand of Asclepias curassavica L. and A. incarnata). We find in practice that monarchs prefer A. incarnata to A. curassavica. It's just that currasavica is quick growing and can be managed easier at times because it is an annual. As to its preventing OE. Nope, we have fed it exclusively to Monarchs and gotten lots of OE. It might help the insect if a very low number of spores were consumed but I would not rely on it to prevent OE. Purchasing or importing Monarchs is a really bad idea. There are lots of reputable butterfly farms but some aren't. I volunteer at Cox Arboretum's butterfly house. We often get caterpillars from folks who have to go on vacation and "donate" their monarch caterpillar to us. The last batch was heavily infected with OE. Even so, your purchasing and raising Monarchs is not likely to help the population across the country or even in NW Ohio. The major issues for our monarchs in Ohio are as follows, 1) the condition and weather of the Mexican hibernation areas 2) the condition and weather of the first stopping over point along the gulf coast (the drought last year in Texas caused some of the lowest numbers yet) 3) the availability of nectar plants on migration (round-up ready crops have done a number on all butterflies as well as the suburbanization of farm lands). Be patient, get seed from local sources if possible and start plants this early spring and you will have all you need. In terms of the Giant Swallowtail. I would be interested in the citation for the white sapote. I have not found an article listing preferences for the GS. However, here is something to think about. You mentioned the hummingbird prefering local plants. This is very true of butterflies, with perhaps the exception of the Monarch (which makes sense since it migrates great distances). Sonia Altizer's study cites this; "Eastern tiger swallowtail butterflies (Papilio glaucus) sampled along a latitudinal gradient showed greater oviposition preference and larval performance on tree species that were relatively more abundant at their collection sites (Bossart & Scriber, 1995)." On this board we have noted that a butterfly growing in Miss Sherry's backyard may prefer something different to mine. So, I would definately think that GS's here would prefer local plants. Can you tell me why you think the GS is "dwindling"? If anything we have seen an increase. The GS is not a hardy overwintering butterfly. It can take cold temps but not well. So, with the change in our weather patterns, we are actually seeing more of them (see The Role of Environmental Factors In the Northeastern Range Expansion of Papilio cresephontes. Susan D. Finkbeiner, 2011). So, if you plant the right plants, I suspect you will attract them. Good luck, Elisabeth...See Moreweed30 St. Louis
5 years agoweed30 St. Louis
5 years agoaristolochia7
5 years ago
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