I'm overrun with all sorts of butterflies this summer. It's my first summer in the new house which has wide open farm fields around it so I thought they might be the cause but if everyone is having a banner year... Buckeyes are one of my favorites so I won't complain about swarm which seem to enjoy my gravel driveway the most.

I have noticed a substantial increase this season, particularly for the yellow swallowtails. The number of black swallowtails, monarchs, and other various butterflies is about the same. The hot weather could have something to do with it too.

I have had a lot of Swallowtail (Tigers and the dark morph) even a couple of Pipevine Swallowtails. Very pretty! I attribute it mostly to the nectar and catapillar host plants doing so well this year. They completely devoured Bronse Fennel, dill and Queen Annes Lace before hiding the cocoons in the Rosemary!

I was really afraid that I would not have so many because my lantana didn't survive last winter, but that has not been the case at all

Francis, if they devoured your fennel, dill, and qu anne's, then they are black swallowtails. The tigers eat leaves of trees- tulip poplar and some others.

I've seen lots of tigers this yr as well. My black swallowtail cats have been going to town, though i haven't seen tons of adults yet. Plenty of red spotted purples and a few red admirals, too. Hoping i'll get pipevines when they notice i planted some for larval food. Not many monarchs around here, though. :(

Monarchs have just arrived at my place. I might see 4-6 at any given time on the butterfly weed (A. currasavica) whereas I usually see hundreds of Buckeyes and Fritillary. I see mostly Tiger Swallowtails (an occasional black morph). I had a few Pipevine Swallowtails earlier in the year but haven't seem many in the past month. Red Spotted Purples are building up now that the pear tree is dropping its fruit. One that I miss is Luna Moth - haven't seen a one.

It's interesting to hear that everyone has had an abundance of swallowtails. I thought that I had too big of a jump in numbers to attribute it to adding a few extra plants this year. I have seen a couple pipevine and quite a few black swallowtails. I have even seen a zebra swallowtail on 3 or 4 different occasions.
When we have had watermelon, I've been sitting the rind (with some fruit left on it) on the deck rail. Quite a few red spotted purples and red admirals have been attracted to them (along with bees of course).
Trianglejohn, you must live in a butterfly heaven if you are seeing hundreds of buckeyes and fritillary. My more than usual means about 10 - 15 at a time. In past years I have only seen 3 or 4 at a time. I saw my second monarch of the year yesterday, I hope I will see more.
Thank you all for replying to my question.

Ginger

Oh, he is, Ginger. He has swarms of bflies!
You know john, now that you mention it i don't think i've seen more than 1 luna this year, either, which is really really unusual since we're surrounded by sweet gum (one of the food sources) and typicallt see about 1 a week mid to late summer. Perhaps they're having a down year. Here's hoping they swing back up next year.

Ginger - my yard is an acre and a half big but there is really only one flower bed which is right up next to the house. It is only about 15 by 30 and I have packed it with all sorts of plants hoping to keep it in constant bloom. One of the plants is the annual butterfly weed Asclepius curassavica (I'm guessing at the spelling) which I thought would be the main butterfly attractor - the zinnias and lantana seem to draw the most but the Monarchs are drawn to the butterfly weed mostly. There have been times in the middle of the day when I think there are over 100 butterflies in that flowerbed. I will try to post photos but my camera is cheap and faulty.

Tammy - I have seen single wings laying on the ground so I know there has to be some Luna's out there but I haven't seen one fly by and the woods are full of sweetgum trees.

Well, unless you're out at night and happen to catch them in the day or 3 they are alive as adults it's an iffy chance to see a luna. If you're seeing wings, that's more than i have this yr. We usually see them at our porch light or our windows at night and the wings always show up at our front light since it's on all night. But i can't recall even seeing wings this season. Perhaps they're running late- i've seen it happen before.

Lot of butterflies here but I think they prefer a banquet of nectar plants so I have abelias, butterfly weed(tropical and perennial)Zinnias, lantana, gerbera daisies,yarrow. Also live in a new neighborhood with some empty lots (with lots of weeds!). Also see them right after a rain or watering the garden; they sip the moisture from the damp ground for water and nutrients. I have raised Monarchs from eggs; if you have lots of milkweed, it's fun to watch and educational if you have kids.

Also noticed more than usual swallowtails this year. And since my house is shaded by tulip poplars, a virtual rain of their larva poop. It 's not so bad - I think of it as finely screened compost and blow it into the garden. More than usual numnber of blue admirals too.

Does anyone know what those white caterpillars turn into? They look like the dark ones we used to call wooly bears, but they are completely off-white. They are eating up my toad lilies, so if they are not going to morph into something pretty.......

nope- nothing pretty. They are a type of moth, i'm almost certain, without double checking and looking it up (i used to have my butterfly/moth guide book from childhood practically memorized, but my kids left it out in the rain and it fused together. :( ). Nearly all the really wooly ones are moths, for some reason. It may have to do with the way they spin cocoons using their hair, vs most b-flies making chrysalises.

I seem to have more also. Forgive my ignorance, but has chrysalis-forming already finished for the season, or are they still hard at it? I meant to put out some dill just for butterflies but I was told it was a cool season plant so I waited--but maybe too late?

They probably are still in need of food sources. I saw cats not long ago. They will eat and make their chrysalises right up to the frost and the ones that don't have time to pupate properly for this year overwinter in pupa form to hatch in spring. When that cut off is from summer to spring hatch, i don't know.