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cynthianovak

Where are the Gulf Frits?

cynthianovak
12 years ago

Happy 4th to y'all

I have huge passion flowers and tons of foliage but haven't seen a single fritilari this year. HAve had some of the giant swallowtails: both the black with blue and the tigers.

Have had some monarchs and cabbage whites and the little guys but I'm sure missing the frits...are they dining in your gardens?

thanks

c

Comments (13)

  • PKponder TX Z7B
    12 years ago

    I haven't seen any this year and we had lots last summer! On the bright side, I should have blooms on the passi this summer!

  • roselee z8b S.W. Texas
    12 years ago

    I can't remember seeing so few butterflies in my San Antonio yard. "Few" implies seeing some, but other than a couple of sightings early spring there are none -- nada.

    I saw one, maybe two, Gulf frits early in the year and something was eating the blue crown passion vine, but the caterpillars never matured as the 'damage' to the vine stopped.

    I have LOTS of pipe vine and fennel and they haven't been touched. I have not seen even one skipper, tiger, cabbage white, painted lady, monarch, viceroy, sulfer, or anything else.

    I even knocked down all the paper wasp nests knowing there just were not enough caterpillars to support them. I usually let a few stay to take care of the webworms in the pecan trees. I imagine that because of the dry weather wasps pretty much cleaned out what caterpillars there were in the uninhabited areas around here.

    On the butterfly forum they are talking about the scarcity of butterflies in other parts of the country too. Some say it is because of too much rain.

    It will probably take a couple of wet years in southwest Texas for the butterfly population to recover from this drought. When there is something for them to eat in the wild they will eventually drift in from the wetter gulf states.

  • carla morey
    12 years ago

    I've had very few butterflies so far this year, and not a single GF as yet. :-(

    Carla in Rowlett, TX

  • linda_tx8
    12 years ago

    They were here a bit in spring, then started disappearing. Last month I saw one for a short while, then it was gone also.

  • pjtexgirl
    12 years ago

    Mine are a no show too. I also had them early on. My passi is untouched. I'm figuring they were flying along when the extreme heat combined with the friction of thier wings against the air caused them to burst into flame and crash. Maybe next year will be a bit less brutal.

  • PKponder TX Z7B
    12 years ago

    I saw one at Seamommy's house yesterday. They are really scarce this year. I'm inclined to agree with Roselee that it is weather related.

    Pam

  • rock_oak_deer
    12 years ago

    I'm seeing them on the gold lantana. Not as many as last year, but it just started blooming. I'll try to get a picture up soon.

  • linda_tx8
    12 years ago

    I just happened find a late-instar GF caterpillar today on my Maypop. Am bringing it in to raise in a container. Most likely it's parasitized (and won't survive to be a butterfly if it is), but just in case it is okay in that way, I'll protect it. Will have to look around for more of these. Evidently, that last GF I saw was a female and left eggs.

  • denisew
    12 years ago

    I'm still waiting for them to show up in my garden. They're usually a mid-summer butterfly. I've had plenty of swallowtails and the smaller butterflies though. I even had some swallowtail cats on my fennel, but I think a bird or wasps got them because one day they were there and the next they were gone.

  • roselee z8b S.W. Texas
    12 years ago

    I saw a Gulf fritillary just now -- Yea!

    Check out this article from the thread linked below:

    http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/12/science/12butterfly.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all

    Here is a link that might be useful: Where are the butterflies ...

  • PKponder TX Z7B
    12 years ago

    I saw a mama fluttering around last night and a small cat! I guess they are just later than I was remembering from last year.

  • PKponder TX Z7B
    12 years ago

    I have three cats that I found, but not 100% sure that this is a GF. Can someone ID, please? I remembered black legs.

  • cynthianovak
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    I've seen a few of the giant tiger swallow tails and some various little guys. Had a couple of the big black swallow tails...I guess a few of the cats made it. There were at least a dozen cats devouring my dill and suddenly they were all gone at once.

    no frits yet

    c