Question Mark Eggs. QMs stack the eggs. Red Admirals lay them separately. RA eggs are green and are very difficult to see. Congrats on the Question Mark eggs.

Thank you

Congratulations on your question mark eggs!

I used to get them on my hops vines, but the vines slowly got overtaken by turk's cap in the same bed. So I pulled up the turk's cap (there's more for the hummingbirds, sulphurs and palamedes swallowtails to use in other parts of the garden) and reworked the bed earlier this spring, then planted some more hops vines, hoping to get more question marks. So far, no takers, but maybe later!

I don't know if you're planning on raising these yourself, but, if you are, they're very easy to raise, and hops leaves stay fresh in water a long time.

Sherry

Thanks Miss Sherry,

I would like to raise these. I brought in at least 12 eggs. I have never seen another specie of butterfly stack their eggs. However, I hope these question mark butterflies visit your garden . P.s. what is a turk ' s cap vine? Is it a host plant?

Turk's cap is a shrub that makes flowers that hummingbirds, sulphurs, gulf frits and palamedes swallowtails like to nectar on. It's in the hibiscus family, and the flowers look like little hibiscus flowers that haven't opened -

{{gwi:457787}}

Gulf fritillaries try to access the nectar from the bottom of the flower, very weird! I've never found a caterpillar on it, although, theoretically, common skippers could use it, since they use mallows.

Some books say that red admirals will lay eggs on hops vines, but I've never found one on mine. They only use false nettles here.

Sherry

Wow those are such a beautiful nectar plant. Do you know if they sell these at Lowes?

I can't recall ever seeing them at Lowe's or any other nursery of that type. I have seen them offered at various native plant mail-order nurseries, like Almost Eden.

But beware! If you don't want a plant that eventually spreads, don't plant turk's cap! I just pull it up wherever it comes up that I don't want it. It's so popular with hummers and certain butterflies, it's worth it to me.

Also, there is a type of turk's cap that has large flowers that hang downward, This type isn't as cold hardy as the smaller flowering type, with the upward facing flowers. I had the big flowering type years ago, and it didn't come back in spring. The small flowering type dies back on top after the first freeze, even if it's a light one, but it always comes back strong in spring.

Almost Eden sells several varieties of turk's cap, including the cold tender, big flowering type and some white and pink flowering ones. They're out of their regular M. drummondii, the species, but they have two cultivars. One is called 'big spreader' or something like that, and I figure nobody needs one that spreads more than usual. The one in the link is called 'Big Mamma' but it's still the small flowering type.

Sherry

Here is a link that might be useful: Turk's Cap at Almost Eden

Thank you so much Miss Sherry, I appreciate it!