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BUTTERFLIES & PLANTS I
Below is a portion of our butterfly and hummingbird garden, followed by some butterflies that were photographed in the yard. Whenever possible, host or nectar plants are included.
Karen starting a section of our butterfly garden: 13 Dec 2003. Killing and removing all that Bermuda grass was the first step.
Same spot as above after visits to Cochise Stone for the gravel (the rocks are from the property), and plant sales at Desert Survivors, the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum, Tohono Chul Park, and some plant trading with friends: 15 September 2005
Same spot as above with snow: 22 January 2007. Nothing seemed to suffer unduly.
Another part of the garden: 20 August 2006
Lepidopterist/author Robert Pyle (L) visited our garden during his butterfly big year (1 Oct 2008) (Photo by Karen LeMay)
Broad-banded Swallowtail has occurred in Arizona about 12 times. This male of the subspecies bajaensis was nectaring on verbena where its bouncy flight and refusal to pose made for difficult photography (9 July 2009)
Now the rarest butterfly that's visited the yard, this Polydamas Swallowtail was the second Arizona record. It nectars here on Butterfly Milkweed Asclepias tuberosa (6 August 2007)
Pipevine Swallowtails are common local breeders whose caterpillars feed on the Pipevine growing in the yard . This one is nectaring on Zinnia (23 August 2005)
A Pipevine Swallowtail caterpillar (23 March 2009)
A very early Two-tailed Swallowtail feeds on Penstemon eatoni (16 February 2006)
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| A Two-tailed Swallowtail caterpillar on Arizona Ash. This instar resembles a wet bird dropping (17 August 2008) | The same caterpillar two days later. This later instar has false eye spots that resemble snake eyes (19 August 2008) |
A Giant Swallowtail nectars on Buddleia davidii, the classic butterfly plant (Karen LeMay photo) (26 June 2006)
A worn male Black Swallowtail flits between Lantana blossoms (24 July 2006)
A Black Swallowtail caterpillar (11 September 2009)
This Barred Yellow nectaring on Lantana was species #100 for the yard and the only one we've seen here (28 October 2007).
Boisduval's Yellow is a sparse visitor from Mexico (rarely breeding). Here, one nectars on Tithonia (9 October 2007)
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Orange-barred Sulphur, a low density Mexican influx species, nectars at Zauschneria, sometimes called Hummingbird trumpets (L) and Scarlet spires Salvia (R) (8 Oct 2006)
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Cloudless Sulphur nectaring on Aster (24 September 2005) (L); Southern Dogface nectaring on Cosmos (5 November 2005) (R)
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A Cloudless Sulphur caterpillar feeding on Senna (2 Sep 2005) (L); this Southern Dogface caterpillar is feeding on Dalea bicolor (9 June 2005) (R)
A Cloudless Sulphur's beautiful chrysalis (10 September 2006)
A Pearly Marble rests on Blue Dicks (Dichelostemma capitatum) (24 Mar 2005)
A Large Orange Sulphur nectars on Lantana (6 August 2006)
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A locally uncommon and late White Angled-Sulphur feeds at a butterfly feeder (19 Dec 2003) (L); another nectars on honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) (25 August 2007) (R).
A Sleepy Orange nectaring on Salvia serpyllifolia (3 Nov 2005).
The dorsal wing surface of a Tailed Orange caught by a crab spider on Salvia reptens (13 September 2006)
Tailed Oranges nectaring on Blanketflower (Galliardia) (30 October 2006)
Dry or winter form (L) and wet or summer form (R) of Tailed Oranges nectaring together on Tithonia (28 September 2008)
This Checkered White is resting on Jerusalem Sage (12 March 2005)
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Mexican Yellow nectaring on Salvia serpyllifolia (7 Nov 2005) (L); Cabbage White, a decidedly uncommon visitor to the yard, nectaring on Catmint (8 Nov 2005) (R)
One of at least 30 Lyside Sulphurs that suddenly appeared and were nectaring on this Russian Sage (6 August 2006)
Dainty Sulphur, a species present much of the year, nectars on Pink Chintz Thyme, an ornamental ground cover (5 October 2006)
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Orange Sulphur on Salvia leucantha (2 November 2006) (L); and a dorsal shot of another (1 October 2006) (R)
A Common Mestra, the only one we've seen in the yard, suns on verbena (19 Nov 2005)
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A melanic Mexican Fritillary basking on gravel (18 Nov 2005) (L): Variegated Fritillary basking on flagstone (19 Nov 2005) (Karen LeMay photo) (R)
Gulf Fritillary on Passionflower Vine (19 September 2005)
Gulf Fritillary caterpillar on Passionflower Vine (its host plant) (16 September 2004)
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A Painted Lady feeding on banana goop (15 Dec 2004) (L), and another nectaring on Buddleia (25 July 2005) (R)
A West Coast Lady, a sparse visitor here, nectars on Cosmos (31 October 2006)
American Ladies were numerous on Coneflower (Echinacea) during early morning when this shot was taken (2 July 2007)
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A Tropical Buckeye nectars on Vitex (28 September 2008)
Bordered Patches appear with the monsoons, often in great numbers. This one is nectaring on nectaring on Buddleia (24 July 2006)
This Arizona Sister basks on a grassy area just after probing the mud at the edge of our pond (11 May 2007). See http://www.utahlepsociety.org/adelphabredowi.html for tips on separating Arizona Sister from the very similar California Sister.
A male Queen nectaring on Cosmos (2 Sep 2005)
This Queen caterpillar has assumed the classic J posture and is ready to form its chrysalis (see below) (20 July 2008)
Just a few minutes later, the last larval skin has been shed (see it bunched up on the left) and the jewel-like chrysalis is formed.
This female Monarch nectars on Buddleia (25 July 2006)
A tattered Red Admiral nectars on Buddleia (7 August 2007). Both Red Admirals and Mourning Cloaks are attracted to our overripe figs.
A surprise away from its usual riparian haunts, this Viceroy basks on a leaf of our fig tree (3 September 2007)
Another unexpected guest: this Empress Leilia, more common at lower elevations with Hackberry trees or shrubs, suns on rocks adjacent to the pond (26 September 2008)
Jump to Butterflies & Plants II
Jump to Butterflies and Plants III
Jump to Some Yard Moths
Two advanced texts that are useful locally (above)
