Pickerelweed

The Pickerelweed (Pontederia cordata) in the small pond is blooming like crazy right now and is making a lovely habitat for a multitude of leopard frogs.

Pickerelweed is an aquatic plant often found blooming in Florida ponds, lakes, ditches and waterways. Around this time of year each established plant sends up a single spike of purple-blue blooms that are attractive to butterflies, bees and sometimes even hummingbirds. The flowers rather resemble those of a hyacinth and can also be white in color.

Leaves of pickerelweed are heart shaped and up to about 5 inches across. Mostly growing in shallow waters, this plant can reach heights of about 3 to 4 feet. The wide leaves of the plants provide excellent c0ver for a multitude of fish and other pond dwellers. Leaves of pickerelweed are often eaten by white-tailed deer and the seeds are a great forage for ducks and waterfowl. Almost all parts of this plant are edible, and some even to humans. The young tender leaves when cooked make good greens and the starchy seeds can be roasted or eaten raw.

Pickerelweed gets its genus name from Guilo Pontedera, an 18th century Italian botanist who corresponded with Carolus Linnaeus. Although Pontedera differed with Linnaeus on methods of taxonomy, the father of binomial nomenclature still named this genus Pontederia to honor Pontedera. The species epithet cordata derives from this plant’s cordate, or heart-shaped leaves.

If you have a shallow pond, roadside ditch or persistently wet area of your property, try this aquatic plant to expand your butterfly garden.

Sensitive Plant: Mimosa strigillosa

Sensitive Plant (Mimosa strigillosa) is possibly one of the neatest plants we have growing at MOSI. Found as a groundcover in the Olustee Longleaf Pine Flatwoods Garden in the Historic Tree Grove this pretty-in-pink wildflower is more exciting than meets the eye.

Beyond the pretty blooms and spreading habit, Sensitive Plant is sensitive to touch! When touched, shaken or rapidly heated or cooled this plant displays a thigmonastic response, meaning that an electrical signal is sent through the plant that triggers the leaves on a branch to pull together and close. One of the few plants capable of rapid movement, the leaves of this species close with a speed that is relative to the magnitude of the stimulus. When gently brushed, the leaves of the plant slowly close together. When quickly jabbed the leaves respond with greater speed and close rapidly.

Children and adults delight in sitting down on the brick pathways of the Tree Grove to happily poke at the Mimosa and watch it close up in response. I must admit that I sometimes water it for fun just to watch entire sections of the plant quickly close their leaves in response to the drops of water and it never fails to make me smile.

Sensitive plant is low growing and spreading perennial that bears puffy pink to purple flowers. Each globular flower is actually a collection of many small flowers that all bloom together. With its habits of low growth, creeping expansion, and ready blooms Sensitive Plant makes a great turf alternative and can handle mowing. Heat and drought tolerant, once established this little gem can thrive in the toughest of places from a sandy yard edge to the side of an interstate.

Also known the the common names of Sunshine Mimosa and Powderpuff, this species is one of three native Mimosa species in Florida. The other two species both bear thorns: Sensitive Brier (Mimosa quadrivalvis var. angustata) and Florida sensitive brier (Mimosa quadrivalvis var. floridana). There are some 400 recorded species of Mimosa some with and some without thorns.

Mimosa strigillosa is a member of the Pea family (Fabaceae) and is a host for the Little Sulphur butterfly (Pyrisitia lisa).

Mothing in the Night Garden

Sadly, many people have the notion that all moths are ugly and want nothing more than the gnaw on your clothing in the winter. This is incredibly far from the truth, especially here in central Florida. We have a wide variety of beautiful moth species that are certainly worth seeing. Want to bring these beauties to you yard? Here are a few ways you can lure moths to your own personal night club garden.

A garden for the moon: Try planting a moon garden. This consists of flowers and foliage that are light in color and will best catch and reflect moonlight, especially those flowers that are more fragrant at night. This type of pale blossom and night scented flower is phalenophilous which means ‘moth loving’. Night scented flowers such as jasmine, honeysuckle, lilies and gardenia are few examples of night-scented flowers. Squash blossoms which open at night and begin to close in the morning are also pollinated by moths. About 8% of orchids are moth pollinated so if you are a lover of orchids seek out those that are night-scented.

Dusking: Not all moths are nocturnal. Many species of moth are day-flying like the Hummingbird Sphinx moth and other species of moth have a heightened period of feeding right about dusk and at dawn. By using heavily-scented flowers like buddleia and honeysuckle you can draw these dusk and day feeders to your yard. Hang out in your garden and see what shows up right about dusk.

Light it up: When you turn on your porch light at night you are almost guaranteed to draw moths to the light. Turn on a bright Mercury Vapor light and they will come out of the woodwork! However, your neighbors might not be your biggest fans when you light up the whole neighborhood at night. Other types of bulbs likes Actinic bulbs or Blended Light bulbs are less powerful and will draw fewer moths, but your neighbors will like you more. Hang a plain white sheet in your yard and place your light so it shines directly upon the sheet. Especially try this method on dark-sky nights when the moon is new or just a crescent.

Why are moths attracted to light? One of the best leading theories for the attraction of moths to bright light is that moths use the light of the moon to navigate. As the moon moves slowly through the sky, its position is relatively fixed compared to that of the moth. By keeping the moon at the same angle relative to the body, a moth can navigate in a straight line. When a bright light is introduced, the moth’s vision is overwhelmed and it is unable to find the fixed point of the moon for navigation. Turn off the bright light and the moths will be busily about the business of leaving.

Sugaring and wine-roping: To attract more variety of moths try adding a little something sweet to your garden. A mixture of sweets like sugar, molasses and beer or rum can be cooked up and applied to trees or fences in your yard. The sweet taste attracts moths to feed and the alcohol serves to make them a bit drowsy or drunk so they will stay longer for observation. You can also soak lengths of clean cotton rope in the sugar mixtures and hang them over railings, fences and tree branches. These sweetened locations are a sure draw for moths that feed at night. Check these spots throughout the night and have your camera handy.

Most entomologists have their own particular recipies for sugaring substances but here is one you can try at home. The Bioquip Biological website provides the following recipe for a sugaring treat: “Place approximately ½ a pint of beer in a saucepan together with about 1kg of brown sugar (dark molasses sugar is even best, but unrefined sugar will do) and about 0.5kg of black treacle. Bring the mixture to the boil stirring continuously to dissolve the sugar and treacle into the mixture. Simmer for about five minutes, and then remove from the heat and allow to cool. While the mixture cools a scum will form on the surface; this is sugar crystallising out of the solution, and it should be stirred back into the mixture. When completely cold, the mixture can be transferred to a suitable storage jar. The mixture is applied to fence posts, tree stumps and other convenient surfaces, and should be checked for feeding moths throughout the night.”

Moths that do not feed as adults such as silkmoths, will not be drawn to sugar solutions. For these moths you are better off with a light trap. If you are going to try a night of mothing, try multiple methods at the same time. Set up sugaring stations, a light trap, and incorporate a few moth loving plants into your butterfly garden. The moths of Florida can be a real treat. Go forth and moth!

Small-eyed Sphinx

This remarkably beautiful moth is a Small-eyed Sphinx (Paonias myops). Found  early in the morning, this moth was already at rest and clinging to the inside of the shade structure where we store plants. The Small-eyed Sphinx has been reported throughout the continental United States and in parts of Mexico. A nocturnal flyer, this member of the family Sphingidae is very active just after dusk but flies throughout the night.

The larvae host on black cherry (Prunus serotina), sour cherry (Prunus cerasus), and a variety of other plant species. Larvae are green with diagonal white striping and small red markings, one of which is rather heart-shaped. The larvae will pupate is small spaces below the soil.

Adult male moths have an abdomen that arcs upward at the end. The abdomen of the female is notably straighter. Small-eyed Sphinx females are larger than males and can reach a wingspan of nearly 3 inches in width. Adult moths of this species do not feed. The species common name comes from the black ringed blue eyespots on the underwings of the adult moth. Although I attempted to get a photo the moth wasn’t terribly compliant.

The species was first described by James Edward Smith, an English botanist who founded the Linnean Society. Smith published the earliest book on American insects entitled The Natural History of the Rarer Lepidopterous Insects of Georgia in 1797. The book included the notes and drawings of American entomologist

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John Abbot who created thousands of drawings of insects and birds in his lifetime.

Special thanks to Rick Gillmore for assistance with the identification of this specimen.

Life Cycles

I put together a brief slide show that illustrates the various stages of life in some of the butterfly and moth species that we commonly raise here. Egg, larva, pupa and adult are shown although some species may be missing a life stage if I didn't have a photo on file yet. I'll be working to plug the holes in this slideshow over the summer.



Photos by Kristen Gilpin, Melanie Long and Jill Staake

The Moth and Me #11

Three articles from this blog are currently highlighted in The Moth and Me #11, a monthly carnival or collection of blog posts about the world of moths. This month's carnival is compiled and hosted by Ted MacRae, a Missouri entomologist and author of the blog Beetles in the Bush.

Please drop by and check out the fascinating night-time world of the moth and moth lovers.

It’s a rainy day

Although I can’t go outside and play and the volunteers have been rained out of weeding tasks, the gardens seem to be quite thankful for the rain.

Q: But what does a butterfly do on a rainy day?

A: Not much of anything

When skies begin to darken before a rainstorm, just like when the sun sets at evening, butterflies seek shelter. This may be clinging to the underside of a leaf like the Julia Longwing in the photo. Other butterflies can be found deep within a stand of grasses or perhaps tucked under a man made overhang on a building. Rain is a big deal to a butterfly.

If you are a butterfly, rain isn't a great deal of fun: The average monarch butterfly weighs in at around 500 milligrams. The average raindrop weighs a bit more than 1/7th of that, around 70 milligrams. Scientific American suggested that the impact of a raindrop on a butterfly would be similar to a human being hit with a water balloon with twice the mass of a bowling ball. Ouch.

As soon as the rain has quit and the sun returns, butterflies leap from their hiding places to continue patrolling, courting, egg laying and nectar sipping. What a life.

Q: What does a butterfly keeper do on a rainy day?

A: Clean the lab, write blogs, be thankful for rain in the dry season.

Phaon Crescent

The Phaon Crescent (Phyciodes phaon) butterfly is a common sight in Florida yards and roadsides. The adult butterflies can be found wherever this is a large patch of Frogfruit (Phyla nodiflora) to be found. The diminutive flowers on the Frogfruit provide nectar for the tiny adult  butterflies and the foliage is a host for their larvae.

Phaon Crescents are closely related to the slightly larger Pearl Crescent (Phyciodes tharos) butterfly but the Phaon Crescent is only found across the southern portions of North America and along the Eastern seaboard.

Phaon crescents lay their eggs in clusters on the undersides of a leaf and their young may all hatch at one time into a fantastic wriggling mess of caterpillars. Young caterpillars are gregarious and will feed together for the first part of their lives. This is the first time we have tried our hand at rearing these tiny darlings so I’ll be sure to post updates as we go.

The Genus Phyciodes is commonly known as Crescents and lists 18 species found in North and South America. Most species are highly spotted, variable in pattern and some are sexually dimorphic which means that males and females may have different markings or colors. The name Phyciodes may derive from the Greek word “phykos” which means painted or covered with cosmetics.

As for the species epithet, in Greek mythology Phaon was an old and ugly boatman who ferried Aphrodite a far distance and would accept no payment from the goddess. In exchange for his services, Aphrodite presented Phaon with an ointment that gave him back his youth and made him beautiful.

Photo credit: Adult Phaon Crescent photographed by Melanie Long

Carolina Satyr

  I found this Carolina Satyr (Hermeuptychia sosybius) flying low through the grasses at a campsite in Volusia County about two weeks ago. This species is often found flying in the forest understory and with such cryptic coloring the butterfly tends to disappear from view as soon as it lands among leaf litter. These butterflies are often spotted on forest margins among patches of grasses and adults can be found feeding on sap or rotting fruit.

Larvae host on several species of grass including Carpet grass (Axonopus compressus), centipede grass (Eremochloa ophiuroides); probably St. Augustine grass (Stenotaphrum secundatum) and Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis).

Loggerhead Shrike

One of our favorite avian visitors of the year has been a pair of Loggerhead Shrikes (Lanius ludovicianus) that showed up in the middle of winter and decided to stay. This beautiful pair of mockingbird-sized birds have gorgeous black masks and wing edges. Seemingly unconcerned with the presence of humans, this pair is often seen diving into beds right after we finish weeding an area so they can search the freshly turned earth for tasty insect snacks.

Apparently these birds found a happy home in the Richard T. Bowers Historic Tree Grove and have taken up residence. The pair constructed a nest high in the boughs of the Dr. John Gorrie Red Cedar and are busily working on making more Shrikes for the garden.  The female will lay between four and eight eggs on average and if she rears the young successfully we can expect to have Shrikes in the garden for many seasons to come.

Known commonly as “Butcher Birds” this species captures live food from large insects to lizards and even other birds. Lacking the talons of larger birds of prey, this small species  impales their prey on thorns or barbed wire to kill their prey before they begin to dine.

Red Admiral

The Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta) is a brush-footed butterfly in the family

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Nymphalidae. Adults of the species are fast, erratic flyers that prefer sap flows on trees and rotting fruit to flower nectar.

Found throughout most of the continental United States, the Red Admiral larvae live on species in the nettle family including stinging nettle, false nettle (Boehmeria cylindrica) and pellitory. Young larvae live in the shelter of folded leaves of their host plants and older larvae will use silken threads to build nests from several leaves for protection.

The chrysalis of the Red Admiral has a beautiful gold undertone that shimmers in the light. Having a slightly reflective surface allows the chrysalis to mirror back the colors of its surroundings, helping to better camouflage the developing butterfly from predators. Several butterfly species in Florida have reflective gold or silver spots on their chrysalis like the Zebra Longwing, Julia, Gulf Fritillary, Queen and Monarch butterflies but none so amazing as the Common Crow (Eupola core) butterfly.

Photo Credit: Adult Red Admiral photo by Melanie Long

Common Buckeye

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The Common Buckeye (Junonia coenia) is a real visual treat if you can manage to get close enough to take a long look.

This fast-flying brown butterfly has beautiful patches of burnt orange and gorgeous eyespots that help to protect them from predators. A flash of these eyespots is often enough to be recognized by a predators as "the big scary eyeball of something big enough to attack me!" which sends most birds or lizards off in search of something that doesn't stare back.

Females lay their small pearly green eggs on the leaves of figworts and plantains, common yard weeds that help to keep this butterfly a common sight in the Tampa Bay area and the MOSI gardens. We are currently feeding the Buckeye larvae on Plantain (Plantago lanceolata) which we have in abundance.

The larvae have branching spines but are not dangerous to humans. The spines do make them a less fun snack for predators as much like the poking points of thistle leaves these larvae are tough to swallow.

Polyphemus Moth update

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The Polyphemus Moth (Antheraea polyphemus) larvae are almost all grown and they do make a spectacular caterpillar. Rather accordion-like in shape these caterpillars seem to be formed from angles and have a very odd appearance. The larvae are in their 4th and 5th instars and will soon be spinning their silken cocoons. Their bright green coloration may seem extraordinary and bright, but when these larvae are wandering about on the leaves of their host plant willow, they are nearly invisible.