Beautiful Butterflies and insects associated with Sarracenia
Aug 18, 2023 15:49:49 GMT -5
jgreen1025, khutru, and 2 more like this
Post by meizzwang on Aug 18, 2023 15:49:49 GMT -5
I was never into butterflies or did I ever pay much attention to insects until my daughter was born and opened my eyes to them! Naturally, all of the places she gets hauled off to (mostly where I botanize) are loaded with incredible species of insects, so while I'm checking out the amazing flowers, she's got her eyes peeled on the colorful little critters!
If you see a bunch of butterflies swarming your plants, is this something to be worried about? The quick answer is it depends. The adult butterflies and moths in general aren't harmful to the plants, but if they lay eggs on your plants, it can cause some pretty serious damage, especially on newly developed traps. Not all moths and butterflies that swarm Sarracenia will lay eggs on the plants.
Last year, we had monarchs buzzing all over the pitcher plant collection, but they were super difficult to photograph and rarely ever landed. I saw a few land on the traps but the second I approached them, they would fly away! It's hard to say if they're feeding on the nectar or not, but they're definitely attracted to the leucophyllas, especially in the fall. Here's a shot of a wild monarch that landed in a nearby tree: in my area, they aren't found anywhere else besides near the Sarracenia collection!
Here are some really beautiful native butterfly species, if any of you guys can ID them, go for it! These are all species native to Sonoma County, California:
this is probably the same species:
This species is commonly found on Sarracenia, but I couldn't get a shot of it on a pitcher:
Ellie is holding a little tiny blue butterfly, which sometimes is found in the collection:
Some pics of wild insects in situ!
and here's a super beautiful species in situ, Baldwin Co, AL. It landed on my homie Damon's hand, it was probably attracted to the salt:
But it also likes Sarracenia nectar!
Some years, Love bugs are probably the #1 food source for Sarracenia in the deep south during the fall. This S. alata is loaded with them!
Green Lynx spider commonly found on all wild Sarracenia sites I've seen. They're sort of stealing insects from the traps, but that's okay, they don't eat as much as the traps do!
only mildly spooky!
Preying mantis taking advantage of the free lunch:
Walking stick I guess? This is in situ, Liberty Co, FL:
I'm going to try to get some pictures of the hummingbird moths, last evening I saw dozens of them flying around the collection. They're incredible as they buzz the traps and consume the nectar with their long tongues much like a hummingbird consumes nectar from a flower! If you have any butterfly/moth/insect pics related to Sarracenia, feel free to share them here!
If you see a bunch of butterflies swarming your plants, is this something to be worried about? The quick answer is it depends. The adult butterflies and moths in general aren't harmful to the plants, but if they lay eggs on your plants, it can cause some pretty serious damage, especially on newly developed traps. Not all moths and butterflies that swarm Sarracenia will lay eggs on the plants.
Last year, we had monarchs buzzing all over the pitcher plant collection, but they were super difficult to photograph and rarely ever landed. I saw a few land on the traps but the second I approached them, they would fly away! It's hard to say if they're feeding on the nectar or not, but they're definitely attracted to the leucophyllas, especially in the fall. Here's a shot of a wild monarch that landed in a nearby tree: in my area, they aren't found anywhere else besides near the Sarracenia collection!
Here are some really beautiful native butterfly species, if any of you guys can ID them, go for it! These are all species native to Sonoma County, California:
this is probably the same species:
This species is commonly found on Sarracenia, but I couldn't get a shot of it on a pitcher:
Ellie is holding a little tiny blue butterfly, which sometimes is found in the collection:
Some pics of wild insects in situ!
and here's a super beautiful species in situ, Baldwin Co, AL. It landed on my homie Damon's hand, it was probably attracted to the salt:
But it also likes Sarracenia nectar!
Some years, Love bugs are probably the #1 food source for Sarracenia in the deep south during the fall. This S. alata is loaded with them!
Green Lynx spider commonly found on all wild Sarracenia sites I've seen. They're sort of stealing insects from the traps, but that's okay, they don't eat as much as the traps do!
only mildly spooky!
Preying mantis taking advantage of the free lunch:
Walking stick I guess? This is in situ, Liberty Co, FL:
I'm going to try to get some pictures of the hummingbird moths, last evening I saw dozens of them flying around the collection. They're incredible as they buzz the traps and consume the nectar with their long tongues much like a hummingbird consumes nectar from a flower! If you have any butterfly/moth/insect pics related to Sarracenia, feel free to share them here!