Up Close and Personal – The Answers!

The other day, we challenged you to identify three Florida native species from small fragments of photos. As promised, here are the answers!

#1 – Giant Swallowtail Butterfly

#2 – Pipevine Swallowtail Caterpillar

#3 – Partridge Pea

Did you enjoy this little test of your skills? Let us know in the comments, and we’ll make this a regular feature here on the blog!

Up Close and Personal

Here’s a little fun for your holiday week… can you indentify these organisms from the partial photos shown here? All are native to Florida and raised here at the MOSI BioWorks Butterfly Garden. Leave your guesses in the comments below and come back later this week for the answers!

#1

#2

#3

Warm Holiday Wishes

Happy Holidays from the butterflies, caterpillars, and staff here at MOSI BioWorks. We hope you’ll plan to drop by and see us in the new year!

(Poinsettia as a nectar plant? You bet! Click here to learn more.)

The Pines of Florida: Non- Natives

In addition to all of our cool native pine trees, there are some non-natives that have been planted in Florida.

Some of these species don’t prove very hearty in Florida and our seasonal rain and dry periods can be very difficult for pines that dwell best in moist soil. Most of these are more ‘Christmas tree’ species that have been brought to the state as many of our pines aren’t the sort you hang ornaments on whilst drinking eggnog.

Additionally, a few species from the south Pacific have been given the name of ‘pine’ but they aren’t actually pines at all.

The Non-Natives

Eastern White Pine ( Pinus strobu) is a North American native tree, but  the natural range of this species only extends south to northern Georgia. This species is both long lived with some trees approaching 500 years of age and also very tall with individual trees reaching heights of 160 to 188 feet in height. The photo at the right is from 1 1902 article on pests of white pine and illustrates an Imperial Moth caterpillar eating a needle of this pine.

Virginia Pine ( Pinus virginiana) has a native range from Long Island south into Alabama and west to Tennessee. This species is one of the most often used choices for Christmas trees.

Japanese Black Pine ( Pinus thumbergiana) is native to Japan and is both pollution and salt tolerant. This species can be artfully pruned or trained into growth habits or even kept potted and pruned as a bonsai tree

The Non-Native Non-Pines

Norfolk Island pine (Araucaria heterophylla) Native to the southern Pacific Norfolk Island which lies to the east of Australia, this tree is often sold as a potted table-top ‘Christmas Tree’. Norfolk Island pines actually aren’t related to pines and instead are more closely related to the odd  evergreen Monkey Puzzle tree (Araucaria araucana) and Bunya-Bunya tree (Araucaria bidwillii)

Australian pine (Casuarina equisetifolia) is a fast growing and salt tolerant tree native to southern Asia south to northern Australia. The Australian Pine was one of the many quick growing species planted in the Florida land boom after WWII that have caused extensive trouble to the native Florida ecosystems. These trees are prone to blowing over in high winds and also do not tolerate fire well at all.  This species is considered a Category 1 invasive species in Florida and sale, trade or planting of this species is prohibited.

Florida Native Pines

For those who celebrate Christmas, one of the most important symbols of the season is the pine tree. Decorating an evergreen tree for Christmas festivities can be traced back as far as the 15th century, when revelers in Livonia danced around a spruce tree in the town square. Nearly six hundred years later, evergreens are still found in millions of homes around the world this time of year.

Florida has seven native species of pine, but most of them aren’t generally considered suitable for use as traditional Christmas trees due to their size and shape. The one exception is the Sand Pine (Pinus claus), which can be coaxed into the traditional pyramid shape if pruned properly as it grows, according to the Florida Christmas Tree Association. Sometimes called Scrub Pine, this tree grows well in sandy soils and has a strong root system that helps to prevent erosion. It’s generally found from Central Florida north.

Another common Florida native pine is the Slash Pine (Pinus elliottii and its South Florida sub-species (Pinus elliottii var. densa). Few would think of using this tall, spindly tree as a holiday decoration, but the quick growth of this tree make it important to the lumber industry. These trees grow to maturity in about 30 years, and younger trees have value as pulpwood. In the past, the trees were an important source of resin and sap. Today, this could be considered Florida’s most important pine, with a huge economic value (the picture to the left shows a Slash Pine plantation) – but also a huge environmental value; the fast growth habit makes it excellent for restoration of natural habitats.

Loblolly Pine (Pinus taeda) is similar in appearance to Slash Pine, and it is the most commercially important species in the southeastern United States. It grows as far north as New Jersey and reseeds so quickly as to be invasive in farming communities. You can tell the two species apart here in Florida by the location – loblolly pines prefer drier soil, while slash pines love moist areas – and by the number of needles, cones, and bark (learn more here).

Longleaf Pine (Pinus palustris) was historically important to the logging industry, but the huge stands of this slow-growing tree that once dominated the state have now been greatly reduced. This pine takes up to 150 years to reach its mature size (compare to Slash Pine at only 30 years) and did not rebound from the heavy logging of the previous century. It forms an important part of the eco-system, thriving on periodic wildfires and providing habitat for wildlife. In fact, the Red-Cockaded Woodpecker (Picoides borealis) is so dependent on Longleaf Pine forests that the decline of the tree has meant the decline of the bird species – it’s now considered threatened.

Three of Florida’s native pine species are found only in the northern part of the state. Shortleaf Pine (Pinus echinata) is found in Florida only in the panhandle region. It prefers moist, fertile soils and sunny spots. Pond Pine (Pinus serotina) also loves the wetlands. However, its botanical name derives from the fact that Pond Pine also thrives on fire. In fact, it takes the heat from a wildfire to force open the cones of this tree. As wildfires and human habitation don’t generally go hand in hand, controlled burns will probably be required to help this species survive going forward. Pond Pine is found from Gainesville north.

Spruce Pine ( Pinus glabra) is also found from the Gainesville area north and west through the panhandle. This species prefer the shade of taller trees nearby and actually grows poorly in full sun. It’s a pine of the wetlands, thriving in poorly drained or very wet soil. Don’t confuse it with the separate evergreen genus of spruce trees (Picea), which includes the popular Christmas tree species Blue Spruce (Picea pungens).

Haul Out the (Florida Native) Holly!

‘Tis the festive season, and holly is popping up all over the place! Traditionally, Christmas holly is portrayed as European Holly (Ilex aquifolium), with its shiny sharp-toothed leaves and bright red berries. Here in Florida, we have our own native hollies – 11 of them, in fact. Three of these, shown below, can be found in the MOSI butterfly garden and tree grove.

Yaupon Holly (Ilex vomitoria):
Yaupon Holly is a common evergreen shrub in Florida, found in many environments. With its stiff leaves and bright red berries, it looks enough like “traditional” Christmas holly to use for decorations, but beware – that botanical name was given to this holly for a reason. The leaves can be used as an emetic, while the twigs and young leaves can be boiled into a tea containing caffeine. If you decide to use this holly for decorating, be sure that young children or pets don’t decide to snack on it!

Dahoon Holly (Ilex cassine):
Dahoon Holly is common in wetlands throughout Florida,although it can be grown in drier environments if well-watered during establishment. The leaves are flat and mid-green, with small white flowers in the spring followed by berries in the fall. The berries are red or orange, and will last for several weeks in water as part of holiday decorations. Dahoon can be grown from seed – when berries are completely ripe, crush them and plant immediately.


American Holly (Ilex opaca):
American Holly is more common in Northern Florida, but we have one here at MOSI in the Historic Tree Grove. The original tree can be found on the site of Mount Vernon, where it was apparently a favorite species of George Washington. This holly is used widely in the US for holiday decorations, as the leaves most closely resemble European Holly. The berries ripen to a dark red, although ours must be so delicious that the local songbirds just can’t wait, since ours never seem to be around long enough to reach that color!


BEWARE THE HOLLY IMPOSTER!
When early colonists settled Florida, they longed for the holiday colors of holly, but quickly found our climate was all wrong for the European Holly they tried to grow here. Apparently they didn’t discover (or weren’t satisfied with) our native hollies either, because they instead imported what we now know to be the incredibly invasive Brazilian Pepper. Over 700,000 acres of Florida are infested with this exotic invasive, choking out native eco-systems that support our native species and costing the state of Florida hundreds of thousands of dollars each year in eradication efforts (with only partial success so far).  Under no circumstances should this plant be cultivated in Florida – if you already have it, you should make every effort to remove it.

Besides, why would you want an exotic invasive that provides little wildlife value, when you can have native hollies that provide berries for our songbirds and host plants for our butterflies? There’s a Florida holly for every environment – add them to your landscape now and to your holiday decorations as well!

Raising Imperial Moths

A couple of months ago, a fellow MOSI staff member brought us a gorgeous moth she’d found in her yard. It turned out to be a female Imperial Moth (Eacles imperialis), and to our great delight, she eventually laid us some fertilized eggs. Within a few weeks, they had hatched, providing us with about 50 tiny Imperial moth larvae to raise. In their first instar, they were small and orange with fascinating branched setae all over their bodies.

Fast-forward about six weeks… after gorging themselves on Longleaf Pine (Pinus palustris) day after day, our tiny little caterpillars were now enormous monsters, 4- 5 inches in length and bigger around than a thumb. Their pine-scented frass filled the bottom of their tanks (they are possibly the most pleasant-smelling caterpillars we’ve raised in awhile!) as they stripped the needles from large branches in no time at all.

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In the wild, Imperial Moth caterpillars climb down from trees and pupate in the leaf litter, so here in the lab we provide a box of leaf litter for them. When the larva are ready to make the transition to cocoon, they stop eating and begin to expel all the extra moisture from their bodies. They shrink down to perhaps a quarter of their size as full-grown caterpillars, growing stiff and nearly motionless. Finally, they shed their skin one last time and become pupae, a bright reddish color at first changing to a darker color as the pupa hardens.

Now that they’ve all gone to cocoon, it will likely be many months before we see them again. Even in Florida, Imperial Moths raise only one brood a year. As members of the silkmoth family, adult moths have no mouth parts and do not eat. When they emerge from cocoon next summer, they will have just a few days to mate and then lay eggs (the females, at least). We will keep the cocoons safely in the lab until then, so when they do emerge, with any luck we’ll be able to gather more eggs and raise another set of these amazing creatures.

For information on the adult Imperial Moths, including pictures, click here to read a previous post.

Blue Mistflower

Last year, this neat native wildflower started popping up in the Butterfly Garden, even though we’d never planted it. (Who do we thank? The birds? The wind? Who can say?) Although it looks like a small ageratum, it’s actually part of a different genus in the same family (Asteraceae). The botanical name is Conoclinium coelestinum; the genus name refers to the cone-shaped nodding flower heads while the species name means “sky blue”. The colors of the blooms can actually vary from white to lavender, and seem different on different days and in different lights.



Blue Mistflower is native to the eastern part of the United States, from zones 5 – 9. Once established, it spreads by underground rhizomes to quickly colonize large areas, leading some to consider it an invasive pest plant. A cold winter will kill it to the ground, but it comes back in the spring, blooming throughout the year.



Butterflies and bees are known to love this plant, visiting it in droves. It’s a nice addition to a native butterfly garden as a nectar plant, provided the garden isn’t overly formal. You can buy seeds for Blue Mistflower from the Florida Wildflower Growers Cooperative. Be aware that they require some cold to germinate properly, so for best results sow outside in the fall to take advantage of winter’s cooler, wetter weather. Another option is to store the seeds in the refrigerator for a few months before planting.

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Regardless of how the Blue Mistflower came to us, we’re glad to have it in the butterfly garden. This plant has been said to have medicinal properties in treating colds and coughs, so at some time in the future, we may try to establish some in the medicinal garden under the Clara Barton Redbud tree. In the meantime, find this wildflower on the MOSI grounds around the Wild Lime tree behind the Butterfly Flight Encounter enclosure.

From the News Desk

Butterflies and moths making headlines around the world

Colors from the Eocene Epoch:  A 47 million year old moth fossil from Germany is so delicately preserved that the wing structures can be carefully observed to determine what colors shone on its wings.

• Story at Wired Science.
• Extended story at Science Daily.

 Monarch Migration: It’s Fall and Monarch butterflies are winging their way south to Mexico. This migration is truly fascinating.

• Video from New York Times.
• Population decline story at New York Times.

Nabokov was right!: Russian author and self-taught expert on butterflies Vladimir Nabokov proposed a theory in 1945 that Polyommatus blue butterflies migrated from Asia to the new world in a series of waves. As a self-taught expert he wasn’t taken very seriously by scientists of his day and his theory was dismissed. His theories were recently proved correct!

• Story at New York Times.
• Slide show from New York Times.

Color on the Wing: The colored scales on the wings of butterflies have their color because of the structure of each scale rather than from pigments.

• Story at New York Times.
• Story at MSNBC.
• Story at Wired Science.
• Slide show at National Geographic.

New Species: New butterfly species have been found in China, Ireland and even in the vast collection of the London Natural History Museum.

• Zebra-like ringlet (Splendeuptychia mercedes) discovered in museum collection. Story at Wildlife Extra News.
• Xiushan's Large Blue (Phengaris xiushani ) found in China. Story at Science Daily.
• Magdalena valley ringlet (Splendeuptychia ackeryi) is a species from Columbia found in the vast collection on the Natural History Museum in London. The butterfly even has a moustache. Story at Science Daily.
• Cryptic Wood White (Leptidea juvernica) is a new species found hiding in plain sight among another species in Ireland. Story at Guardian UK.

What’s Flying? - December

The holiday season is here, and so are the welcome cold fronts of winter in Florida. Cooler days and nights mean fewer species of butterflies are around, but those that are still here are present in great numbers. Here’s what you might see in our garden during December.

Gulf Fritillary

Cloudless Sulphur

Orange Barred Sulphur

Sleepy Orange

Polydamas Swallowtail

Monarch

Duskywing

Tropical Checker Spot

Long Tailed Skipper

Blues

Fiery Skipper

White Peacock

Gray Hairstreak

Zebra Longwing

Barred Yellow

Painted Lady / American Lady

Notes From the Field:

• After last month’s surprise early Buckeye spotting, this month our unexpected early spottings were of Painted Ladies. These butterflies are ostensibly found year-round in Florida, but we tend to think of them as spring and early summer butterflies. Still, we’ve spotted several over the last couple of weeks, nectaring on lantana in the front garden.
• Zebra Longwings are never as abundant in this part of the state as in others, but they can be found fairly reliably this time of year around one particular firebush in the Backwoods here at MOSI. For some reason, this bush is a big draw for our local population.
• Our enormous Imperial Moth caterpillars are beginning to enter cocoons for the winter. Look for a detailed post on them in the weeks ahead.