What’s Flying? - April

Things are definitely picking up now that spring is officially here! The next few months will be our busiest time in the gardens, as we plant a new crop of nectar and host plants to welcome the dozens of species that call Central Florida home. Species we can expect to see in flight in April include just about everything:

• Gulf Fritillary
• Long Tailed Skipper
• Fiery Skipper
• Duskywing
• Cloudless Sulphur
• Blues
• Phaon Crescent
• Monarch
• Viceroy
• White Peacock
• Orange Barred Sulphur
• Sleepy Orange
• Tropical Checker Spot
• Barred Yellow
• Zebra Longwing
• Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
• Black Swallowtail
• Giant Swallowtail
• Polydamas Swallowtail
• Pipevine Swallowtail
• Spicebush Swallowtail
• Red Admiral
• Buckeye
• Whites

Notes From the Field and Lab:

• Zebra Longwings have become numerous in the BioWorks Garden and Backwoods over the last few months, after several years with a very minimal population. It’s nice to see such good numbers of Florida’s State Butterfly represented onsite.
• Things are really picking up in the rearing lab too: We finally have our first Red Admiral caterpillars in the lab, feeding on Florida Pellitory. We also have a Viceroy caterpillar, found in the Backwoods on willow. We have several dozen Polydamas Swallowtail larvae, and we’re waiting eagerly for our first Pipevine Swallowtail eggs to hatch. We’ve also added Giant Swallowtail caterpillars feeding on Wild Lime and Hercules Club, and Great Southern Whites on collard greens. Spring is a diverse time in the garden and rearing lab!