Category Archives: Butterflies

This and that

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I’m trying to remember when I birded last. A month ago, I think. My two-week migration vacation this year was spent mostly in the back garden, which is developing nicely.

Birds

There’ve been youngsters in the yard for several weeks—Common Grackles, American Robins, one Northern Cardinal, European Starlings, House Sparrows, House Finches, Mourning Doves…

I witnessed an instance of the plight of the first born. An American Robin was gathering mud in the wet area by the pond (I’ve put in a pond! One of the vacation projects), a sign that she was preparing to start on her second brood. She flew, and one of the young landed in the mud. When mom returned and began gathering more mud, it opened its bill, begging for a morsel. Mom ignored it and flew off with another billfull to her new nest. It was sad … and funny—You’re on your own now, kid.

Chuck was at a rehearsal on Wednesday evening, and I spent an hour in the yard wandering around weeding and then just standing and enjoying being outside. A Common Nighthawk was calling overhead, and I heard a call slightly farther away, so there were at least two. The one above the yard was persistently vocal and loud. Always a nice yard bird.

Butterflies and other insects

There have been few butterflies in the yard—some Cabbage Whites and Summer Azures, and something that looked like a lady tearing across the yard without stopping. It’s been a wet spring and early summer, though, so I’m optimistic. I saw my first Common Buckeye of the year in Forest Park on Thursday, June 11.

The yard

We finally had the concrete walk that was so out of place taken out in March or April—the area it ran through is now planted with native perennials: penstemon, liatris, delphinium, aster.

What’s blooming

Mostly the native plants, but some non-natives I’m fond of, as well.

Flowers, wild and not
  • Alcea sp.
  • Aquilegia sp.
  • Asclepias syriaca
  • Asclepias purpurascens
  • Asclepias tuberosa
  • Blephilia ciliata
  • Echinacea paradoxa
  • Echinacea purpurea
  • Echinacea simulata
  • Erysimum capitatum
  • Glandularia canadensis
  • Monarda fistulosa
  • Monarda sp. (red ornamental variety)
  • Oenothera speciosa (pink)
  • Penstemon digitalis
  • Pontederia cordata
  • Talinum calycinum
  • Tradescantia sp.
  • Zizia aurea (one last hold out)
  • feral petunia
Shrubs
  • Hibiscus syriacus
Grasses
  • Elymus (virginicus?)

After the Spigelia marilandica and all three Baptizia bracteata came up this year I realized that just because a plant is eaten down to the ground by squirrels and rabbits doesn’t mean that it has perished. So when one of the new ones was broken off at the base shortly after I put it in, I put rocks around that delphinium and am pleased to see it beginning to recover. I expect it to be back next year.

A rainy day in late July

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As Chuck said in reply to my complaint that I had so much to do I didn’t know where to start, “Then it doesn’t matter where you start.” I’m not completely persuaded he’s right about that, but I guess that starting here after an eight-month hiatus is as good as anyplace.

I haven’t done much birding for quite a while, but have seen creatures of interest from the kitchen window and have had a couple of additions to the yard bird list. The most recent was a Yellow-billed Cuckoo that flew over the yard and landed in the Silver Maple next door, as it happens, on a branch that overhangs our yard.

Yesterday evening we were treated to two Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, a male and a female, visiting the feeder and various garden blooms. They tolerated each other well, even to the extent of perching at the same time one the tomato cage nearest the feeder. It’s not too late for another brood…

The yard flora have gotten ridiculously out of hand—some of the Sweet Coneflower clumps are five-plus feet across, and the New England Aster, Swamp Milkweed, Common Milkwed, Wild Senna, and Sweet Coneflower are taller than I am.

There have been very few butterflies in the yard this year. Very few in Forest Park, too. I did manage to get a few photos of a spectacular dark Tiger Swallowtail female and of a battered Great Spangled Fritillary (a yard first)—you can visit my gallery at NABA St. Louis for a look.

Autumnal equinox, 2007

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Birds

The equinox hasn’t brought much avian diversity to my yard. There was the Common Yellowthroat yesterday morning, and early last evening a Gray Catbird was in the front yard. (The front yard doesn’t get much of my attention—I no doubt miss a lot there).

This morning a robin and a House Finch stood out amongst the House Sparrows and pigeons. The grackles left weeks ago to join winter flocks. I haven’t seen a goldfinch in days, and the mockingbird has been absent. Even starlings have become rather rare.

Butterflies

Today’s butterflies include Red Admiral, Monarch, Cabbage White, Eastern Tailed-Blue, Gray Hairstreak, and a new one for the backyard: Dainty Sulphur.

Dainty Sulphur

Spiders

I’ve found that the garden spider belongs to the genus Argiope and that it’s a female (the males of the genus are slender and smaller). The web’s zipper is called the “stabilimentum”, which, as the name suggests, lends the web stability. I also found some fantastic footage of an argiope spinning her web at Dawn’s Dream.

The yard argiope’s web is looking very ragged. There are few strands left and the zipper is nearly gone. I hope to be up before first light tomorrow to see if I can catch her repairing her web.

Signs of fall: the backyard

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Despite the heat, fall is clearly here.

  • Early this morning a young male Common Yellowthroat visited the backyard.
  • The heath and New England asters are blooming.
  • Butterfly numbers are up.

At 11:30 this morning I was getting ready to install an application on the server and was glancing every few seconds out the window to see what was in the yard when I saw a yellow butterfly small enough to be a Little Yellow. I grabbed the binoculars and ran down the stairs and outside. The yellow butterfly was gone, but there was enough activity to warrant quick sunscreen application and donning of wide-brimmed hat and long-sleeved shirt.

During the 45 minutes I was in the yard I saw around 6 Eastern Tailed Blues, 2 Gray Hairstreaks, 2 Common Buckeyes, and 2 Monarchs. The most heavily blooming aster was the one near the garden spider’s web. Of course it was the one attracting the hairstreaks and blues, and they were living very dangerously (if you look closely, you can see the web in the background on the left side of the photo).

Eastern Tailed Blue Living Dangerously

Too dangerously for one, it turned out. The victim is not necessarily the individual in the photo above. I thought the unfortunate in the web might have been a hairstreak instead.

Garden Spider with Prey

The spider is very fast. I had turned away for only a moment; when I turned back it was already wrapping its prey.

I first saw the spider in the yard on August 25. A dead Monarch was lying in the switchgrass near where I was weeding. When I looked closely I saw silk on it but still didn’t see the web right away. Fortunately, I saw the spider and its web before I inadvertently destroyed them both. I was thrilled that it had found my yard and am pleased it’s been able to sustain itself here. Web of life and all that.