Butterflies this Week

 Long-tailed Skipper (Urbanus Proteus) resting on some Cassia leaves.

 Giant Swallowtails! I was so excited to capture these; two in one photo!

Black Swallowtail

A few days ago as I was cleaning up a patch of the garden this beautiful swallowtail swooped right in and around me, landing on and off of what remains of my parsley. Luckily I had my camera hanging around my neck so I tried to grab a few shots.

 Once uploaded onto my computer I could see that it was a she and she was a black swallowtail. I was thrilled because I had never seen a black swallowtail, at least not that I know of. I should have because we've had lots of dill and carrot plants.

 I went back out and tried to find the eggs but didn't see any. I wondered if they had already been eaten by one of the many predators in the garden. But two days ago I spotted several tiny caterpillars.

 These little ones were in their first or second instar, indicated by the white around their middle section.

Yesterday I could only find two left but they had grown some and must have moved into their third instar. This is a photo taken this morning. I hope there's enough parsley for them and even more important I hope they stay safe out there in the jungle. I'm hoping for more black swallowtails!

The Monarch

When I learned about the decline of monarch butterflies and their becoming endangered we bought a few more milkweed plants for the yard. Some time after seeing lots of caterpillars on the milkweed I finally spotted a butterfly who had just emerged.....

Here's an interesting read about the monarchs ..... http://www.davidsuzuki.org/blogs/science-matters/2013/10/help-solve-an-orange-and-black-mystery/

South Florida Swallowtail

Our wildflower garden has been attracting lots of butterflies and we finally got a good photo of what we think is a swallowtail. He is much larger than any of the other butterflies who visit; such fun to watch!