Butterfly Bouquet

Lest you think I have lost my mind and taken up floral arranging on a "botany" blog, hear me out! I have decided to do some home experimentation to find out if Black Swallowtail caterpillars prefer native or non-native plants.

The best way to provide them with a complete selection of host possibilities is to put them in a bouquet. Who says a "nature-nut" can't be a classy gal?

So, if you sit down with a lovely arrangement at my table...

... you might want to know your dinning companions.

This fellow seems to prefer the Queen-Anne's-lace, Daucus carota. Hard to believe such a lovely, delicate flower is considered a noxious weed! The non-native plant arrived in the states with the European settlers and some say it is the genetic ancestor to the carrots they planted. One has to wonder when Black Swallowtail larva decided "lace" can be ... delicious!
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I'll try to monitor and photograph each of the butterflies-to-be on this bouquet and maybe we can learn something about their food preferences.





Normally, I keep these bouquets in a glass case with a large stick for caterpillars in their crawling stage. The six caterpillars can pretty much consume a bouquet in a couple of days. Fresh- predator free- flora is constantly provided for their enjoyment.
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Many caterpillar "crops" can turn into a nightmare of larva wandering off, or losses to predators, or other failings. Generally, I prefer to leave the guys in the garden where they belong, but my today curiosity is out of hand.
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I certainly hope that same curiosity doesn't kill the cats!

"I"- Candy

When a routine heron-head-count stop produced a couple of unusual southern visitors, it created quite a stir for Wayne Co. Fortunately several friends stopped by to see the birds and reassure me that I wasn't dreaming! These typically southern birds are occasional visitors north, with very few sightings of singles or small groups in Ohio each year. Some photos were taken to document the deal, but typically with these immature plegadis ibis, there just aren't enough field marks to sort them out.
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But really, who cares?!
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They were great looking birds and I enjoyed finding them and sharing them with friends. Here is a little eye-candy for my blogger friends. Hope you enjoy them too! (Photos provided by Dane Adams- thanks Dane!)



Ibis sp. photo by Dane Adams

Ibis sp. photo by Dane Adams

I-bliss!

Yesterday was our regular GMAS bird walk at Byers Woods and afterwards I did a bit of solo birding for shorebirds. Funk Wildlife Area and the peat pit on Wilderness Rd seemed like good places to start, but it was the place that I finished that proved most interesting!




While heading North on Funk RD (yes, that is really its name!) I spotted 10-12 Great Egrets and multiple Great Blue Herons feeding at a receding water hole in a fallow field. I figured I would set up my scope and take a peek...

Ibis sp. and two great Egrets photo by Kurt Wray

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It was a funny moment when I realized there were two ibis fraternizing with this long legged crew. Not a sight you expect to see in Ohio!! So, thanks to Greg Miller, we got the word out on the Ohio List-serv and folks started rolling in to witness these unusual visitors.

Ibis photo by Kurt Wray

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Kurt Wray sent along a few photos, and we appreciate a closer look at this pair. It is difficult if not impossible to tell if they are juvenile Glossy or White-faced Ibis, but based on past history, Glossy would be the more likely of the two.

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If you are interested in the break down between the two species of dark ibis click here for a recent article on the Colorado Field Ornithologist's Blog.

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Whatever they were- I was happy to see them. But seriously, I could have fun just watching the egrets and herons. If it is nature- it is all good!

Fashionista

Nature. Just when you think you have it all figured out, she tosses a curve ball.
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All moths fly at night, except when they don't. Katydids are green, except when they are pink (or blue)! And those female tiger swallowtails- are either black or striped, except when you find a rare in-between.




A female Tiger Swallowtail in an unusual "intermediate" color form. In all my years of butterflying, this one was a stand-out to me! Much darker than a normal striped female, she looked black when she closed her wings. This is a combination of the two female color variations.




She just couldn't decide what to wear! The darkness of her coloration was more obvious at a distance, making her a fashionista of the tigresses.
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Nature- something new every day!

The Black Tiger

Many of my birding friends show an interest in butterflies during the slow, hot months of summer. And since so many birders are proficient at sorting out look-a-like shorebirds and confusing fall warblers, certainly they can learn the few anomalies in butterflies.
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Only a few species of butterflies show significant dimorphism: the male and female look markedly different. One species, the Tiger Swallowtail, has two different female forms. These are both female Tiger swallowtails pictured in the photo below.




The commonly recognized "tiger" form of the female on the left is only slightly different than the male tiger swallowtail. She sports a bit more blue at the base of her hindwing.
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However, the black-form female tiger swallowtails can be a real poser. Maybe we need to talk about those confusing "black" butterflies? This black-form female still has a blue band at the hindwing, and if you see her against the light- you can actually see these faintest of stripes!! That is a sure bet you are looking at a dark-phase female tiger.





Suprise! Now we have added a male to the mix - a male Spicebush Swallowtail. He has just joined the ladies for a drink (of nectar). He is also a dark butterfly similar in size to the tigers, yet there are no see-through wing stripes. We can easily assess this a male, as his hindwing color is green. A female Spicebush would have a blue coloration.




Tigers can routinely be found nectaring on brightly colored flowers, such as Purple Coneflower and Ironweed. But this photo from Adams county was the first time I have seen them nectaring on the incredibly fragrant Virgin Bower, Clematis virginiana. I have one in my landscape but I rarely see it utilized by butterflies. I plan to take a much closer look to see if mine is actually a hybrid, that may not be producing a sweet smell or nectar like Ohio's native plant.

Blue Jay Barrens posted a wonderful article on Virgin Bower and I encourage you to tap on the link and visit his sight for for more information about this wonderful native plant.