Butterflies and More Butterflies

In South Florida our seasons stay pretty much the same year round, hot and hotter.  So sometimes it is difficult to mark a day and say “Spring has arrived!”  Even though I have butterflies in the yard year round, Sunday was a springtime butterfly bonanza.  I think I can safely say “Spring has arrived!”

Several months back a coworker gifted me a Florida native corky stem passion vine that I have been successfully growing on the deck close to the house.  The corky stem passion vine is the host plant for our Florida state butterfly, the zebra longwing. Two weeks ago I decided to plant the vine on an arbor in the back of the yard.  The very next day it was covered in butterfly eggs.  Yay for my new zebra longwing butterflies that have joined my backyard habitat, but it’s a sad day for the poor corky stem passion vine.  I’m not too sure it will recover, and if it does I think I will have to remove the butterfly eggs for a while.

I found this guy on the arbor this morning. He has just emerged and is gaining his strength for his first flight.

While I was snapping this one’s picture I realized there was another empty chrysalis and this beauty was flying close by.  I was able to capture a picture when he stopped on some fire bush flowers.

Meanwhile back on the arbor I discovered the process had begun once again.  These pictures were all taken about an hour apart.  I was amazed at how quickly he transformed from caterpillar to chrysalis. Looks like we will soon have yet another zebra longwing to ooh and ahh over.

Elsewhere in the backyard my husband spotted this giant swallowtail drinking water off of the wet pool deck.  I was so excited to be able to snap several pictures.  This is the first time I have see one be still for more than a split second.  I think he enjoyed posing!

I recently planted a Florida native wild lime tree in the back yard. It is the host plant for the giant swallowtail and currently has 7 caterpillars on it.  The backyard is definitely going to be busy this summer with plenty of butterfly activity.

This past week I had noticed my blue mist flower plants had seen better days so I decided to remove them from the garden. Luckily before I pulled them I noticed two monarch butterfly chrysalides on the nearly dead stalks. Obviously the plants would have to remain in the garden for a while.  Sunday I decided to check on them and I found not one, not two, but FOUR newly emerged  monarchs in the garden.  Here are a couple of the pictures I took.