Atala Butterflies Lifer for me

 

Bing AI doesn't know what Atala Butterfly looks like, but this is beautiful

I met a butterfly in our back yard that I have never seen before. It was about the size of a Red Admiral, very small. At first, I thought it was solid black, but then saw a red dot on it. No photos can't get it with the cell phone.

Excited because it was the first time in my life to see this tiny butterfly, I googled small black butterfly with red dot on head

and VOILA!

the first link I clicked on is this one https://www.sarasotamanatee.usf.edu/news/2023/usf-sarasota-manatee-atala-butterflies.aspx

The article is from 2023 and I live 6 miles from USF Sarasota-Manatee Campus, and about 2 miles as the butterfly, flies... This beauty in my yard had found its way here, a rare tropical butterfly, lives in the perfect habitat at the university campus. I am so excited. I need to get a plant to draw more of them.

this is another link if you want more info...   https://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/BFLY/Eumaeus_atala.htm  and 

today I have the perfect post for joining Nature Friday with Sunny and Rosy https://llbinourbackyard.blogspot.com/

and also the perfect post for FFF with Yam https://inimaynaelcammeno.blogspot.com/

Kissed by the Red Admiral

Today's date is 2/16/2015. For the past 3 days I have stood in wonder waiting for the kiss of the Red Admiral. Each day at 3 he comes and sits on me and I hold my breath to keep him there. I found this is the 4 year in this month and at 3 pm that they come to sit on me.

The story is the same today as it was for 4 years 4 posts.

I have been kissed by the Red Admirals 4 years in a row.

I will be taking a couple of days off to work on my To Do List.

This Post is from Feb 24th 2012

Every day for the past 5 days, this Red Admiral butterfly comes to the same place. He sits on the lip to the pool, the rod the towel hangs on and the towel itself.

These butterflies are territorial and the male often returns to the same place over and over. We were amazed the first time he swooped down and sat on my arm for about 10 seconds. He lifted off and sat in Bob's hair, back to my arm, this time for about 30 seconds. I googled and this Red Admiral is known to be friendly to visitors in gardens. whooo hoooo what JOY and PHUN

the next day, I stood very still and he came and sat on my arm until I could no longer hold it still. I made a small move and he flew to Bob and sat in his hair, several times as we oohed and ahhed. He comes at 3 and 5 like clockwork. no photos of him sitting on us, but I did get him on the towel.

His little feet feel funny, like he is dancing on my arm. Beyond Way Cool. and Guess What???
there will be MORE, he has two females and we have been watching them DANCE.... Soon we will have Catepillars... did I say whooo whooo?

On Day 3 he actually sat on Bob's Nose......

Pool Paramedics

I found this Zebra Long Wing butterfly floating in the pool the day after Christmas.

Pointing at the butterfly I said "Bob get that out for me" . he said "why, it’s dead."

 "Because I want it"  (can you guess why I wanted it?)

Bob can bend from the waist and scoop it out,  when he touched it it tried to fly, it was so cold, the water is 62 degrees right now. I was screaming IT'S ALIVE...

Bob  sat him gently on the wall in the sun and after about 10 minutes he beat his wings a few times and   lifted up and soared over the pool with me yelling "NO not over the pool", 

then he lifted up, up up to the pine tree and we were both saying flap harder. he made it to the needles and sat for a while and flew away. 

Below is just a few of the hundreds of drowning swimmers we have pulled from the pool.... 

beetle, toad, tiny frog, bee, lizard, ring neck snake, tree frog and dragon fly... all of these lived....

this makes both of us officially "POOL PARAMEDICS... "

Zebra Longwing Butterfly

Sunday around Noonish.. I saw the sun shining on the Papaya Plant Peeking over the fence. Grabbed the long lens on the Rebel, shot the above and thought Phooey. to bright. Turning to go in the house I spied the sun shining on the Palmetto Palm

and THERE HE WAS.. a madly flitting Zebra longwing butterfly. To fast to focus. I put the camera on sport mode and held down the button firing off 67 photos in 30 seconds.

and I did get a few good ones of him, deleted all but these to share. Florida sunshine and butterflies in October. Do you still have butterflies this time of the year in your area?

Butterfly - Passion - Poinciana

Imagine 11 of these pods blooming at one time, it calls me all day

they get food and water from this plant

I know I am  old when I am  taking clothes out of the basket to put in the washer, and I jump 3 feet high and backwards because there is a big roach in the basket... .... it was a BROWN LEAF...

I know I am  old when I  can't tell if the black spots around my head are gnats or floaters in the eye...

they lay there eggs on this passion vine

 GOOD NEWS is Amazon.com is moving 20 miles from us...BAD NEWS is we will have to pay 7 percent sales tax when we order...

can you see the ballerina?

Butterfly Bait

Butterfly Bait better known as Dwarf Poinciana

 Flying Flowers on our Flowers... Gulf Fritillary  click here to read about the Poinciana tree in Florida 

We have clouds of these guys right now, on all the flowers and they are laying eggs on the Passion Flower.

More Gulf Fritillary are On the Way.... can you see the look he gave me?

Leonard, Lizzie and the Longwing

Leonard watched Lizzie while the Zebra Long-wing laid eggs on the passion plant.

I almost called this post "Action On the backyard Fence"

Spring is Sprung.... baby lizards are on the way and lots of butterflies... woo hoo

Swallowtail Etc

Due to poor quality of photos (he would not stop fluttering) I will ask a question to entertain you and of course ME.

How many bed pillows do you have on your bed? How many throw pillows?

Do you have any sleep habits that require extra pillows?  

We have 5 bed pillows and 3 throw pillows... all of which belong to me... Bob only uses ONE.

Madsnapper Pillows.... One memory foam for my head, one to put down the middle of the bed because i am a light sleeper and if touched wake instantly and can not go back to sleep (my fretter a.k.a what iffer kicks in). And one I clutch up against my front and kind of lean on it....

that is a total of 3, the other one is used only if I am reading/watching TV in bed, it props me up used with the other 3. Two of the smallest throw pillows are used for arm rest while reading/watching....

If I give you a quiz will you know how many pillows I use and what for?

Waiting to hear about your pillows and/or sleep habits... careful this blog is rated G

Swallowtail Tale

This past Wednesday, Hubby yelled in the door,

"Bring your Camera!" when I hear those words, I gallop walk fast to the kitchen, grab the Rebel off the table and out the door.
He points up in the top of the tree... 10 feet above my head.

At first it looked like two butterflies, just doing their thing.

But then I realized there was a 3rd butterfly behind, enlarge above photo and you can see the 3rd one

while I squealed and screamed there are THREE of them, Number four arrived.... I sent these pics to my friend who is a published butterfly expert and asked this question?

Holly, these butterflies look like they are killing or eating the big one, are butterflies cannibals?
the answer is NO, this is common for other male butterflies to come and try to lure the female away from the one she chose.. who KNEW?

Found another one

 Our Gulf Fritillary catepillars are hale and hearty and I found another Chrysalis, it has been there for several days. It seems to be hidden from our Lizards.