The Richmond birdwing, is a species of birdwing butterfly that is endemic to Australia. It is the second smallest of the birdwing species
Sapho Longwing
Native to:
Central America to Ecuador
Plant Association:
Larvae feed primarily on plants from the Passiflora family.
Interesting Fact:
It is a Müllerian mimic with Heliconius cydno, meaning both species have evolved to look like one another in order to avoid predators that may prey on the opposite butterfly.
Battus polydamas antiquus is an extinct subspecies of the polydamas swallowtail within the family Papilionidae. It is only known by a drawing from 1770 by British entomologist Dru Drury. It was endemic to Antigua.
The Richmond birdwing, is a species of birdwing butterfly that is endemic to Australia. It is the second smallest of the birdwing species
Sapho Longwing
Native to:
Central America to Ecuador
Plant Association:
Larvae feed primarily on plants from the Passiflora family.
Interesting Fact:
It is a Müllerian mimic with Heliconius cydno, meaning both species have evolved to look like one another in order to avoid predators that may prey on the opposite butterfly.
Battus polydamas antiquus is an extinct subspecies of the polydamas swallowtail within the family Papilionidae. It is only known by a drawing from 1770 by British entomologist Dru Drury. It was endemic to Antigua.
I hope you like the butterflies that I've chosen for you this month.
First, I will be sharing with you a small butterfly called the Pearl Crescent Butterfly.
The Pearl Crescent is one of the most common and widespread butterflies in the eastern United States. It is also one of the hardest butterflies to identify with certainty, because of two very similar butterflies, the Northern and Tawny Crescents. The Northern Crescent was only separated from the Pearl Crescent in the last 25 years, and therefore distribution maps where these two overlap are somewhat suspect.
Habitat: Woodland edges, roadsides, and open fields.
Flight: Two broods. The first brood is found from early May through early July, and then a second brood is present in August through mid September.
Abundance: Common throughout southern Wisconsin. Most often noticed along gravel or dirt trails in open areas.
The next butterfly that I will be sharing with you is the Giant Swallowtail.
Wing Span: 4 - 6 1/4 inches (10.2 - 16 cm).
Flight: Two in the north from May-September; all year in Florida and the Deep South.
Habitat: Many locales including rocky and sandy hillsides near streams or gullies in the north; pine flats, towns, and citrus groves in the south.
Range: Throughout eastern North America west to the Rocky Mountains, south through the desert Southwest to South America. A rare stray to Quebec, North Dakota, and Bermuda.
The final butterfly that I will be sharing with you is the Night Butterfly. This is a very rare and strange looking butterfly.
I couldn't find any information about it but I did think it was a very strange looking butterfly.
I hope you enjoyed learning about these "Somewhat Different Butterflies"!
This is for the BL~ Butterfly profile deco ლ Oct.
Ann AKA Trader1244
I chose the Papilio aristodemus, the Schaus' swallowtail or island swallowtail, is a species of American butterfly in the family Papilionidae. It is found in southern Florida with subspecies in the Bahamas, Hispaniola, and Cuba. Historically it occurred in tropical hardwood hammock from South Miami to Lower Matecumbe Key, Florida. It is named in honor of William Schaus.
The Schaus' swallowtail has black-brown wings with yellow markings and a broad rusty patch underneath the hindwing.[4] The male's antennae are black with a yellow knob, while the female's antennae are all black. Their forewings have a dull yellow median band from the apex to about midpoint of the inner margin, with a short side branch to costa about one-third the distance from the apex.
Meet Acherontia atropos, otherwise known as the death's-head hawkmoth. It gets its name from the sinister-looking skull shape on its back. In many cultures, it is thought to be an omen of death. It was famously featured in the Hannibal Lecter film The Silence of the Lambs, and appears on the poster. It was famously featured in the Hannibal Lecter film The Silence of the Lambs, and appears on the poster. Death's-head hawkmoths mostly eat honey by entering the hives of honeybees. To avoid stings, the moths produce a chemical that soothes the bees.
I hope you like the pics and gif that I've chosen for you!
I've chosen the Monarch Butterfly to share with you. It is also called "Danaus plexippus). It is in the family "Nymphalidae" and the subfamily "Danainae"
Identification: Upperside of male is bright orange with wide black borders and black veins; hindwing has a patch of scent scales. Upperside of female is orange-brown with wide black borders and blurred black veins. Both sexes have white spots on borders and apex. The Viceroy butterfly (Limenitis archippus) is a Mullerian mimic; it has similar coloration and is also distasteful.
Wing Span: 3 3/8 - 4 7/8 inches (8.6 - 12.4 cm).
Life History: Adults warm up by basking dorsally (with their wings open and toward the sun). Females lay eggs singly under the host leaves; caterpillars eat leaves and flowers. Adults make massive migrations from August-October, flying thousands of miles south to hibernate along the California coast and in central Mexico. A few overwinter along the Gulf coast or south Atlantic coast. Along the way, Monarchs stop to feed on flower nectar and to roost together at night. At the Mexico wintering sites, butterflies roost in trees and form huge aggregations that may have millions of individuals. During the winter the butterflies may take moisture and flower nectar during warm days. Most have mated before they leave for the north in the spring, and females lay eggs along the way. Residents of tropical areas do not migrate but appear to make altitude changes during the dry season.
Flight: In North America during spring and summer there may be 1-3 broods in the north and 4-6 broods in the south. May breed all year in Florida, South Texas, and southeastern California.
Caterpillar Hosts: Milkweeds including common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca), swamp milkweed (A. incarnata), and showy milkweed (A. speciosa); and milkweed vine in the tropics. Most milkweeds contain cardiac glycosides which are stored in the bodies of both the caterpillar and adult. These poisons are distasteful and emetic to birds and other vertebrate predators. After tasting a Monarch, a predator might associate the bright warning colors of the adult or caterpillar with an unpleasant meal, and avoid Monarchs in the future.
Adult Food: Nectar from all milkweeds. Early in the season before milkweeds bloom, Monarchs visit a variety of flowers including dogbane, lilac, red clover, lantana, and thistles. In the fall adults visit composites including goldenrods, blazing stars, ironweed, and tickseed sunflower.
Habitat: Many open habitats including fields, meadows, weedy areas, marshes, and roadsides.
Range: Southern Canada south through all of the United States, Central America, and most of South America. Also present in Australia, Hawaii, and other Pacific Islands.
Conservation: Overwintering sites in California and Mexico should be protected and conserved.
Monarch butterfly life cycle.
Monarch caterpillar
Closeup of the Monarch butterfly's head. I thought this picture was amazing.
BL~ Butterfly profile deco ლ Oct.
XERCES BLUE
The Xerces blue (Glaucopsyche xerces) is an extinct species of butterfly in the gossamer-winged butterfly family, Lycaenidae. The species lived in coastal sand dunes of the Sunset District of San Francisco.
The Xerces blue is believed to be the first American butterfly species to become extinct as a result of loss of habitat caused by urban development. The last Xerces blue was seen in 1941 or 1943 on land that is part of Golden Gate National Recreation Area.
LINK TO EXTINCTION DIARIES SHORT VIDEO ON BLUE XERCES
Specimens in California Academy of Sciences.
The species was first described and documented in 1852. It was characterized by blue wings with white spots. The butterfly's food plants belonged to the genera Lotus and Lupinus. Xerces probably associated with ants in its larval stages as part of a symbiotic relationship. One of the theories regarding the extinction of the species is that with human settlement in the Bay Area, new species of ant were introduced which slowly replaced the existing ant species within the butterfly's super habitat.
Efforts are on to reestablish related butterflies in the Xerces blue's former habitat. The Palos Verdes blue (Glaucopsyche lygdamus palosverdesensis)
which is considered a Los Angeles cousin of the Xerces, is being reared in labs. A new Xerces-like subspecies of the silvery blue (Glaucopsyche lygdamus) has been discovered as well.
In popular culture...
The Xerces blue butterfly was shown and referenced in The 4400 episode "Ghost in the Machine" when it was brought back from extinction. This was due to a superhuman ability given by the fictional drug "Promicin". In The 4400, Xerces blues where thriving at the beginning of the utopian community Promise City. The Sacramento band Deftones released a song called "Xerces" on their 2006 album Saturday Night Wrist. Also there is a Xerces blue in a Silent Hill's memento called Pinned Beauty.
I HOPE YOU ENJOYED this info & pics!
Blessings, cc
Reflect on this
The symbol of the Midlands Meander – the rare and endangered Karkloof Blue Butterfly (Orachrysops ariadne) is known in only three locations in KwaZulu Natal. Dependent on moist mist-belt grassland, this butterfly has a unique relationship with the sugar ant which carries the larva from the nest to the food source:
Papilio troilus, the spicebush swallowtail or green-clouded butterfly, is a common black swallowtail butterfly found in North America. Their flight period is early May to mid-October. The caterpillar is easily found in shelters of folded sassafras leaves.
I chose this butterfly because where I grew up they were plentiful. I remember sitting just watching them on a lazy Fall afternoon.
I have often wondered if they were named "spicebush" because the sassafras they favor has such a fragrant "spicy" smell when crushed.
BL~A Somewhat Different Butterfly Deco Swap #1
I did something somewhat different today! I held a butterfly for quite some time too! I took some beautiful pictures of the spicebush swallowtail and monarchs & a red admiral & some little yellow ones on my pear tree! It was magical ;-)
I also am still in awe of the GLASSWING Butterflies!
It is amazing that you can see thru their clear wings!!!
I ALSO think these Butterflies are kind of neat because they look like a board you play checkers on! ;-)
Checkerboard Skippers
Hope you enjoy these beautiful & unusual butterflies
THANK YOU & Blessings, cc
Page 5 of MichelleGG2's Comments
Back to MichelleGG2's profile
BL ~ A Somewhat Different Butterfly Swap #2
Please enjoy these butterflies!
The Richmond birdwing, is a species of birdwing butterfly that is endemic to Australia. It is the second smallest of the birdwing species
Sapho Longwing Native to: Central America to Ecuador
Plant Association: Larvae feed primarily on plants from the Passiflora family.
Interesting Fact: It is a Müllerian mimic with Heliconius cydno, meaning both species have evolved to look like one another in order to avoid predators that may prey on the opposite butterfly.
BL ~ A Somewhat Different Butterfly Swap #2
Please enjoy these butterflies!
The Richmond birdwing, is a species of birdwing butterfly that is endemic to Australia. It is the second smallest of the birdwing species
Sapho Longwing Native to: Central America to Ecuador
Plant Association: Larvae feed primarily on plants from the Passiflora family.
Interesting Fact: It is a Müllerian mimic with Heliconius cydno, meaning both species have evolved to look like one another in order to avoid predators that may prey on the opposite butterfly.
BL ~ A Somewhat Different Butterfly Swap #2
I hope you like the butterflies that I've chosen for you this month.
First, I will be sharing with you a small butterfly called the Pearl Crescent Butterfly.
The Pearl Crescent is one of the most common and widespread butterflies in the eastern United States. It is also one of the hardest butterflies to identify with certainty, because of two very similar butterflies, the Northern and Tawny Crescents. The Northern Crescent was only separated from the Pearl Crescent in the last 25 years, and therefore distribution maps where these two overlap are somewhat suspect.
Habitat: Woodland edges, roadsides, and open fields.
Flight: Two broods. The first brood is found from early May through early July, and then a second brood is present in August through mid September.
Abundance: Common throughout southern Wisconsin. Most often noticed along gravel or dirt trails in open areas.
The next butterfly that I will be sharing with you is the Giant Swallowtail.
Wing Span: 4 - 6 1/4 inches (10.2 - 16 cm).
Flight: Two in the north from May-September; all year in Florida and the Deep South.
Habitat: Many locales including rocky and sandy hillsides near streams or gullies in the north; pine flats, towns, and citrus groves in the south.
Range: Throughout eastern North America west to the Rocky Mountains, south through the desert Southwest to South America. A rare stray to Quebec, North Dakota, and Bermuda.
The final butterfly that I will be sharing with you is the Night Butterfly. This is a very rare and strange looking butterfly.
I couldn't find any information about it but I did think it was a very strange looking butterfly.
I hope you enjoyed learning about these "Somewhat Different Butterflies"!
Blessings,
Yvonne
This is for the BL~ Butterfly profile deco ლ Oct.
Ann AKA Trader1244
I chose the Papilio aristodemus, the Schaus' swallowtail or island swallowtail, is a species of American butterfly in the family Papilionidae. It is found in southern Florida with subspecies in the Bahamas, Hispaniola, and Cuba. Historically it occurred in tropical hardwood hammock from South Miami to Lower Matecumbe Key, Florida. It is named in honor of William Schaus.
The Schaus' swallowtail has black-brown wings with yellow markings and a broad rusty patch underneath the hindwing.[4] The male's antennae are black with a yellow knob, while the female's antennae are all black. Their forewings have a dull yellow median band from the apex to about midpoint of the inner margin, with a short side branch to costa about one-third the distance from the apex.
Death's Head Hawkmoth
Meet Acherontia atropos, otherwise known as the death's-head hawkmoth. It gets its name from the sinister-looking skull shape on its back. In many cultures, it is thought to be an omen of death. It was famously featured in the Hannibal Lecter film The Silence of the Lambs, and appears on the poster. It was famously featured in the Hannibal Lecter film The Silence of the Lambs, and appears on the poster. Death's-head hawkmoths mostly eat honey by entering the hives of honeybees. To avoid stings, the moths produce a chemical that soothes the bees.
BL~ Butterfly profile deco ლ Oct.
I hope you like the pics and gif that I've chosen for you!
I've chosen the Monarch Butterfly to share with you. It is also called "Danaus plexippus). It is in the family "Nymphalidae" and the subfamily "Danainae"
Identification: Upperside of male is bright orange with wide black borders and black veins; hindwing has a patch of scent scales. Upperside of female is orange-brown with wide black borders and blurred black veins. Both sexes have white spots on borders and apex. The Viceroy butterfly (Limenitis archippus) is a Mullerian mimic; it has similar coloration and is also distasteful.
Wing Span: 3 3/8 - 4 7/8 inches (8.6 - 12.4 cm).
Life History: Adults warm up by basking dorsally (with their wings open and toward the sun). Females lay eggs singly under the host leaves; caterpillars eat leaves and flowers. Adults make massive migrations from August-October, flying thousands of miles south to hibernate along the California coast and in central Mexico. A few overwinter along the Gulf coast or south Atlantic coast. Along the way, Monarchs stop to feed on flower nectar and to roost together at night. At the Mexico wintering sites, butterflies roost in trees and form huge aggregations that may have millions of individuals. During the winter the butterflies may take moisture and flower nectar during warm days. Most have mated before they leave for the north in the spring, and females lay eggs along the way. Residents of tropical areas do not migrate but appear to make altitude changes during the dry season.
Flight: In North America during spring and summer there may be 1-3 broods in the north and 4-6 broods in the south. May breed all year in Florida, South Texas, and southeastern California.
Caterpillar Hosts: Milkweeds including common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca), swamp milkweed (A. incarnata), and showy milkweed (A. speciosa); and milkweed vine in the tropics. Most milkweeds contain cardiac glycosides which are stored in the bodies of both the caterpillar and adult. These poisons are distasteful and emetic to birds and other vertebrate predators. After tasting a Monarch, a predator might associate the bright warning colors of the adult or caterpillar with an unpleasant meal, and avoid Monarchs in the future.
Adult Food: Nectar from all milkweeds. Early in the season before milkweeds bloom, Monarchs visit a variety of flowers including dogbane, lilac, red clover, lantana, and thistles. In the fall adults visit composites including goldenrods, blazing stars, ironweed, and tickseed sunflower.
Habitat: Many open habitats including fields, meadows, weedy areas, marshes, and roadsides.
Range: Southern Canada south through all of the United States, Central America, and most of South America. Also present in Australia, Hawaii, and other Pacific Islands.
Conservation: Overwintering sites in California and Mexico should be protected and conserved.
Monarch butterfly life cycle.
Monarch caterpillar
Closeup of the Monarch butterfly's head. I thought this picture was amazing.
Enjoy!
Blessings,
Yvonne
BL~ Butterfly profile deco ლ Oct.
XERCES BLUE
The Xerces blue (Glaucopsyche xerces) is an extinct species of butterfly in the gossamer-winged butterfly family, Lycaenidae. The species lived in coastal sand dunes of the Sunset District of San Francisco.
The Xerces blue is believed to be the first American butterfly species to become extinct as a result of loss of habitat caused by urban development. The last Xerces blue was seen in 1941 or 1943 on land that is part of Golden Gate National Recreation Area. LINK TO EXTINCTION DIARIES SHORT VIDEO ON BLUE XERCES
Specimens in California Academy of Sciences.
The species was first described and documented in 1852. It was characterized by blue wings with white spots. The butterfly's food plants belonged to the genera Lotus and Lupinus. Xerces probably associated with ants in its larval stages as part of a symbiotic relationship. One of the theories regarding the extinction of the species is that with human settlement in the Bay Area, new species of ant were introduced which slowly replaced the existing ant species within the butterfly's super habitat.
Efforts are on to reestablish related butterflies in the Xerces blue's former habitat. The Palos Verdes blue (Glaucopsyche lygdamus palosverdesensis)
which is considered a Los Angeles cousin of the Xerces, is being reared in labs. A new Xerces-like subspecies of the silvery blue (Glaucopsyche lygdamus) has been discovered as well.
In popular culture...
The Xerces blue butterfly was shown and referenced in The 4400 episode "Ghost in the Machine" when it was brought back from extinction. This was due to a superhuman ability given by the fictional drug "Promicin". In The 4400, Xerces blues where thriving at the beginning of the utopian community Promise City. The Sacramento band Deftones released a song called "Xerces" on their 2006 album Saturday Night Wrist. Also there is a Xerces blue in a Silent Hill's memento called Pinned Beauty.
I HOPE YOU ENJOYED this info & pics!
Blessings, cc
Reflect on this
The symbol of the Midlands Meander – the rare and endangered Karkloof Blue Butterfly (Orachrysops ariadne) is known in only three locations in KwaZulu Natal. Dependent on moist mist-belt grassland, this butterfly has a unique relationship with the sugar ant which carries the larva from the nest to the food source:
BL~ Butterfly profile deco ლ Oct.
Papilio troilus, the spicebush swallowtail or green-clouded butterfly, is a common black swallowtail butterfly found in North America. Their flight period is early May to mid-October. The caterpillar is easily found in shelters of folded sassafras leaves.
I chose this butterfly because where I grew up they were plentiful. I remember sitting just watching them on a lazy Fall afternoon.
I have often wondered if they were named "spicebush" because the sassafras they favor has such a fragrant "spicy" smell when crushed.
Enjoy Fall and Fall's butterflies.
BL~A Somewhat Different Butterfly Deco Swap #1
I did something somewhat different today! I held a butterfly for quite some time too! I took some beautiful pictures of the spicebush swallowtail and monarchs & a red admiral & some little yellow ones on my pear tree! It was magical ;-)
I also am still in awe of the GLASSWING Butterflies!
It is amazing that you can see thru their clear wings!!!
I ALSO think these Butterflies are kind of neat because they look like a board you play checkers on! ;-)
Checkerboard Skippers
Hope you enjoy these beautiful & unusual butterflies
THANK YOU & Blessings, cc