Buckeye butterflies and caterpillars have arrived - finally.
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Early September 2014
Now I know it's fall - the Buckeye butterflies are showing up. Common name is Common Buckeye or Junonia coneia. You could call it a fall companion, one that stays around well into our Gulf Coast winter when most the other butterflies have faded away.
Yesterday I spotted the specie's caterpillar munching it's way up the stems (and then back down the next) of False Foxglove (Agalinis sp.)
Last year was when I actually saw and learned about the host plants for this butterfly. Seeing beats reading any time.
Hosting today will be sporadic as I am due at Spring House in a couple hours and meeting Pres. Byrd at noon to sign some legal docs for Spring House Institute. Tonight is FL Native Plant meeting - something about Frosted Salamanders. They are a part of the longleaf pine habitat and now limited to the Florida Panhandle and populations are in decline.
Below the fold are bonus photos of a small spider on my window. Enjoy - and as always, please add your comments and observations from your neck of the woods ....
Taken thru double-pane window:
Black eyes
Red eyes
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