I was out in the garden a while ago looking for some tasty milkweed for my larvae and found several butterflies and bees feeding on the purple coneflowers.
I always have to look up the differences between Red Admiral butterflies and Painted Lady butterflies. They look quite similar when the wings are closed.
This one's a Red Admiral.
Red Admiral with closed wings.
Painted Lady with closed wings. I now see that the Painted Lady has a row of 'eyes' on the hind wing near the edge. The Red Admiral has the lighter coloured edge to the hind wing.
I never did get a good shot of a Painted Lady with its wings open but here's one from the Internet.
They're very photogenic - as are most things in nature, I guess. I like the striped antennae and the furry body. Here you can see the black 'tongue' sipping from the flower.
I found this on the underside of a milkweed leaf. I captured it in a jar only to realize it was dead. I have no idea what it was - probably some type of beetle.
I'm not sure what this insect is either. I'm hoping it's a good one - one that pollenates.
There are all kinds of bees on the plants. This little one was very busy. Its legs are thickly covered with pollen.
In monarch news, I have 14 pupae. The next one should eclose next week. There are 2 in 'j' formation. I also have about a dozen larvae in various stages of development and a few eggs.
I'm getting to the point where I have to drive around and take milkweed from 'naturalized' areas (neglected lots, construction sites, unmowed area of parks) to bring home for my larvae. However, the green water reservoirs are doing a great job at keeping many of the stems and leaves fresh.
No comments:
Post a Comment