What’s Flying? - July

Tropical Storm Debby brought us lots of rain in June, and the gardens (and weeds!) are thriving. Butterflies are plentiful and active, except during the hottest part of the afternoon. Our firebushes are popular nectar plants (we even have a hummingbird that drops by occasionally), as are the red pentas, jatropha, and salvias. Drop by the gardens this month to see…

5 Most Common:

• Gulf Fritillary
• Zebra Longwing
• Polydamas Swallowtail
• White Peacock
• Blues

Other Common Species:

• Long Tailed Skipper
• Monarch
• Orange Barred Sulphur
• Cloudless Sulphur
• Spicebush Swallowtail
• Fiery Skipper
• Duskywings
• Phaon Crescent
• Tropical Checker Spot
• Barred Yellow
• Giant Swallowtail

Occasional Spottings:

• Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
• Black Swallowtail
• Silver-Spotted Skipper
• Gray Hairstreak
• Pipevine Swallowtail
• Sleepy Orange
• Ruby-Throated Hummingbird

Notes from the Field and Lab:

• We added several new species to the rearing lab this month, including Black Swallowtails and Io moths. We also have Zebra Longwings, Gulf Fritillaries, Monarchs, Giant Swallowtails, and Polydamas Swallowtails.
• TS Debby brought about 10 inches of rain to the MOSI gardens over three days. We had no major damage from the storm, inside or out.
• We have too many monarch caterpillars! Our milkweed supply is just about gone, and we may have to take a break from raising them in the lab until we can get some more. They’re a favorite with guests, especially kids, so we hope to get more milkweed soon.