Vacation!

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Greetings friends! I am going away on vacation until July 8th and will not be updating this blog until my return. You’ll be able to find me tomorrow (June 26th, 2010) at the Green Cove Springs Public Library at 2:30pm presenting a class on how to create a bird and butterfly oasis at home. From there I am off to the wilds of Pennsylvania where I will photograph the flora and fauna and return with nary a vacation photo that includes humans. In illustration of this I have included a selection of photos from my last visit to Pennsylvania.

Tiger Swallowtail

Tiger Swallowtails (Papilio glaucus) are one of the largest butterflies that can be found in West Central Florida and are certainly one of the most recognizable. Adults are up to 12 centimeters broad and the males of the species are a bright yellow with black tiger stripes. Female Tiger Swallowtails can also be found in a black form that mimics the distasteful Pipevine Swallowtail. Females still retain their tiger striping but the stripes are just a slightly darker pattern on their already dark wings. This black form of the female Tiger Swallowtail helps females of the species to live longer and have a better chance of mating and egg laying.

Tiger Swallowtails will host on wild cherry, willow and sweetbay magnolia. Caterpillars create silken pads on the leaves of their host and curl the leaves around themselves. This leaf rolling behavior keep the larvae well hidden from predators.

A quick trip through the MOSI Backwoods Forest Preserve will take you to an area that is a pond in wet seasons and a low muddy patch of earth during the dry season. Surrounding that pond area are dozens of Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis) which are currently in bloom. Those buttonbush and the globular clusters of white flowers are a great draw for many species of swallowtail butterflies. Next time you visit, take a quick jaunt to Buttonbush Pond and see how many swallowtails you can spot.

Photo credit: Tiger Swallowtails by Jill Staake

Julia Longwing

The Julia Longwing (Dryas iulia) is a member of the Longwing (Heliconiinae) family of butterflies. Heliconians are widespread throughout tropical regions and include the Longwings (or Heliconians) and the Fritillaries.

Males of the species are bright orange above with small dark markings on their upper wings. Female Julias, like the one pictured to the left, have more obvious and extensive black markings. The Julia Longwing can be found throughout South Florida and strays further north along the Florida coastline in the warmer months. Adult Julias exhibit a feeding behavior called “trap-lining” where the butterfly will visit the same flowers along a route each day in the same order.

Females lay eggs singly on the tendrils of passionvines on which the larvae host. The caterpillars are similar in appearance to larvae of the Zebra Longwing (Heliconius charitonius), Gulf Fritillary (Agraulis vanillae) and Variegated Fritillary (Euptoieta claudia) but each species has a unique color pattern that identifies them. If you find caterpillars on your passionvine in the Central regions of Florida then you are likely looking at one of these four species.

• Gulf Fritillary: Orange with black branching spines. Final instars may have black stripes running down the center back and along each side.
• Zebra Longwing: White with black branching spines.
• Variegated Fritillary: Orange with branching spines and white lengthwise stripes that run along the bases of the spines.
• Julia Longwing: Larvae are variable in color but often black to dark brown with blotchy white lengthwise stripes or markings.

Julia Longwings near the northern edge of the range in the Tampa Bay area and tend to be quite rare in West Central Florida.

The Flavor of History: Chickasaw Plum

One of the trees chosen for the Richard T. Bowers Historic Tree Grove at MOSI is not the descendant of one particularly significant tree, but rather a descendant of an important species. A small hedge of Chickasaw Plum (Prunus angustifolia) borders one end of the grove and each spring these small trees put on a show of fragrant white blooms.

Chickasaw plum was among the first fruits domesticated for human use in North America. It was observed in groves deemed ‘ancient’ by the American born naturalist William Bartram (1739-1823). Bartram traveled the North American Southeast as part of a survey party in the late 1770’s. He noted the species of plants and animals he observed, land features that he encountered and also described the clothing and customs of the indigenous peoples he met.

His travels and observations were published as a book entitled Travels through North and South Carolina, Georgia, East and West Florida but now often known as Bartram’s Travels. Published in 1791, the book became wildly popular in the young nation of the United States of America and later in Europe. The volume established William Bartram as a respected and influential naturalist of the North American continent and was used as a definitive guide to the flora of the Southeast.

In the trek between the now deserted Quaker settlement of Wrightsborough and the once lost Great Buffalo Lick Bartram’s party came across long deserted settlements of the indigenous Native Americans. Although most traces of the villages were gone orchards of planted trees remained. Among the species Bartram found were Shellbark Hickory, Honeylocust, Persimmon, Eastern Black Hickory, Red Mulberry, Beauty Berry and Chickasaw Plum. Bartram noted that these stands of fruit bearing trees were still in use by the local Creek peoples who collected and used the fruit in their day to day lives.

About the Chickasaw Plum Bartram wrote “The Chicasaw plumb I think must be excepted, for though certainly a native of America, yet I never saw it wild in the forests, but always in old deserted Indian plantations: I suppose it to have been brought from the S. W. beyond the Missisippi, by the Chicasaws.”

Throughout his travels, William Bartram encountered many stands and orchards of fruit trees planted by peoples long before his arrival. At a time of tumult and war on the North American continent, Bartram and his party explored a part of the continent that was wild and barely settled. As a great fan of history I enjoy Bartram’s account of places once roamed by wild buffalo and filled with a bounty of plants and animals in a time long before fruit was something that you found in the produce section of a grocery market.

Each summer the Chickasaw Plum’s thorny branches give forth small golden plums that ripen to a lovely bright red hue. The tiny fruits are tart and sweet at the same time with a small pit in the center. Although you likely have to fight the birds to find a ripe fruit, the taste of history is well worth the effort. The sweet-tart taste of history is worth the wait and effort.

Maypop: Passiflora incarnata

Passionvine (Passiflora incarnata) is a Florida native vine commonly known as Maypop. Individual vines can grow up to 36 feet in length. Passionvine blooms from Spring through Autumn and individual flowers are 6 to 7 centimeters across and fragrant. Maypop is deciduous and will lose all leaves during cold and may die back to the root in hard freezes.

The vine spreads by seed and root and can become hard to contain in one area. After planting Passionvine you may begin to find it jumping the borders of your flower beds and sometimes springing up many feet away from where it was originally planted. If given an upright climbing surface such as a fence or trellis, Passionvine will readily reach for the sky. The vine grows with incredible speed and can cover a four foot chain link fence in just about three to four weeks of growth. Once established Passionvine is drought tolerant and extremely hearty.

An amazingly useful butterfly plant, Passionvine is host to the Florida state butterfly the Zebra Longwing (Heliconius charitonius) and is also a host to the Gulf Fritillary (Agraulis vanillae), Variegated Fritillary (Euptoieta claudia), and the Julia Longwing (Dryas julia).

Several other species of passionvine are native to Florida including Yellow Passion Vine (Passiflora lutea), Corky Stemmed Passionvine (Passiflora suberosa) and several endangered species including White Flower Passionvine (Passiflora multiflora) Pineland Passionvine (Passiflora pallens) and Goatsfoot (Passiflora sexflora) which are mainly found in extreme Southern parts of the state. Many other species of passiflora exist around the world and some have incredibly showy or fragrant blooms. It should be noted that red flowering species of passionvine often have waxy leaves that cannot be eaten by the butterfly larvae. If purchasing plants for your butterfly garden try to stick with the native species or some hybrid thereof.

This amazing vine is currently blooming away in the Richard T. Bowers Historic Tree Grove.

From the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center: “The plants were given the name Passionflower or Passion vine because the floral parts were once said to represent aspects of the Christian crucifixion story, sometimes referred to as the Passion. The 10 petal-like parts represent Jesus' disciples, excluding Peter and Judas; the 5 stamens the wounds Jesus received; the knob-like stigmas the nails; the fringe the crown of thorns.”

The Littlest Chrysalis

The tiny Phaon Crescent (Phyciodes phaon) larvae have finally begun to go to chrysalis. This afternoon I discovered four caterpillars hanging upside down in preparation for pupation and these two diminutive chrysalis.

The chrysalis show two distinct color variations for the species which help them to better camouflage in the wild. The lighter color chrysalis was tucked in between some dried Frogfruit leaves that were nearly an identical color to the chrysalis. The second chrysalis was positioned low on a stem near to the muddy soil and so well mimicked to color of the mud that I did not see it until I removed the entire stem from the enclosure and laid it on the silver lab table.

Many swallowtails like the Polydamas, Eastern Black, Pipevine have chrysalis color variations that are either green or brown. The shades of green and brown will also vary working to mimic to colors of the chrysalis surroundings. White Peacock butterflies have a green or black form for their chrysalis.

I counted another 27 Phaon Crescent caterpillars that I moved from one enclosure to another with fresh food and I’ll be keeping an eye out for more color variations along the way.

Phaon Crescents

The tiny Phaon Crescent (Phyciodes phaon) larvae are finally getting large enough so we can see some detail. On May 14th these caterpillars were hatching out of their eggs so it has certainly taken them a while to reach a decent size. I searched through the rearing container today and found a number of caterpillars this size, but so far I have found no chrysalis. The larvae are munching away on the diminutive Frogfruit (Phyla nodiflora). More soon!

Difficult Identification

“I found this neat butterfly, what is it?” As you might imagine I hear that question a lot and most of the time I can give a straightforward answer based on a photograph or basic description. Other times, it isn’t so easy. Many species of butterflies are pretty easy to identify. Even species that mimic each other usually have some telling marks or coloration to help separate them out from a mimicry complex.

But then, there are the Skippers. Many species of skippers are incredibly difficult to identify because their identifying marks are variable based on sex, season or location and also because some species so closely resemble each other that those variations are very minor. Especially difficult is the genus Erynnis, commonly known as the Duskywings.

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A few days ago I spotted a lovely little Duskywing skipper in the forest and collected her to get some photographs and see if I could make an identification. That hasn’t been the easiest. Instead of being able to figure the identification out right off I have instead had to narrow down based on what I know and can observe.

First, I can narrow down the suspects based on location. There are 17 species of Duskywing found in North America, 8 of which have been reported in Florida and 4 of those have been reported in Hillsborough County. New records are being added all the time, but for now we will just narrow down to the 4 reported species found in the county. Now I can further narrow the list to 2 species based on observations of patterns and spots. Both remaining species are incredibly similar in appearance, are found in the late spring and have been reported in Hillsborough County.

I’m pretty sure that this lovely little butterfly is a female Horace’s Duskywing (Erynnis horatius) but it could also be the closely related Juvenal’s Duskywing (Erynnis juvenalis). I may never know what species this butterfly is for sure, but it has been a fun bit of investigation.

Question Mark?

The unique Question Mark (Polygonia interrogationis) butterfly is certainly one of the more interestingly shaped Florida butterflies. The tattered and odd shaped wing edges help the profile of this butterfly appear very similar to a dead leaf. The undersides of the Question Mark’s wings are a mottle of grey and brown that helps this species blend into leaf litter and tree bark, seemingly disappearing each time it stops and folds its wings. This coloring is especially helpful when butterflies of this species stop to drink the sap from wounded trees and plants. Question Mark adults can also be found feeding on rotting fruit, carrion and dung and only visit flowers when these food sources are not available.

The common name of this butterfly derives from the curious white marking on the underside of the hind wing that is shaped a great deal much like a “?”. Other members of the Polygonia genus have markings that look like a comma and generally have common names that include the word ‘Comma’ in the name.

Question Mark’s lay their eggs on a selection of elms including American elm (Ulmus americanus), red elm (Ulmus rubra) and winged elm (Ulmus alata). They can also be found feeding on hackberry (Celtis), Japanese hop (Humulus japonicus), nettles (Urtica) and false nettle (Boehmeria cylindrica).

Photo credit: Patty Wilson

Scorpion’s Tail

The unfortunately named Scorpion’s Tail (Heliotropium angiospermum) really has nothing to do with scorpions or stinging. The common name of this native Florida wildflower derives from the arching shape of the flower stalks that bear a twisting row of diminutive 1/8th inch white flowers. Scorpion’s Tail is a small shrub with dark green foliage. After blooming, seedpods form that each contain two small nuts. The species epithet angiospermum means enclosed seeds.

As a shrub Scorpion’s Tail can reach about three feet in height and is fairly drought tolerant. Planted in partial to mostly shade, this species can thrive in poor soil conditions and can reseed and spread quite rapidly. To keep Scorpion’s Tail contained, be sure to deadhead the flower stalks before they go to seed.

These tiny white blossoms are wonderfully attractive so small butterflies like blues, hairstreaks and skippers. Another common name for this plant is Butterfly Heliotrope.