greeteachday

I love your avatar! As you can see, I have a special affinity to Eastern Tiger Swallowtails. I'd love to have one land on my nose like that Thanks for sharing that adorable pic with us all!

Hugs

hope3

I love it to moose, hope3

teke

i think its pretty too.

CatsPajamas

Moosie,

You're the bestest. Are there butterflies on Moose Island?

Cat

mooselips

Thank you for admiring my avatar.
(Wonder whose dog that is?)

I LOVE butterflies!

Yes Cats, they are butterflies on the island.

Monarchs, swallowtails, yellow things, and white things!
(now, aren't I knowledgeable?)


In fact, I like moths too.
I've always wanted to put a sheet up, in front of a light source at night, and see what moths I get to see! I may do that this Summer.

I love bats too, oh, and otters too, and...moose.....and..Anything that has eyes....

CatsPajamas

even potatoes?



sometimes I crack myself up.

mooselips

Yep, even potatoes....

marle

Cat and Moose, You two just gave me a great chuckle. Witty people, I love them Marle

marteen

Witty? - you say? Is THAT what you call it??

Ann

Yes she does and she still doesn't believe me that I had a bat in the guest cottage the first year I visited Moose Island.

I like your avatar too, Moose.

mooselips

Well, I still haven't found his, or her dead cold body....
Maybe I should clean a little better?

dollydo

I have tried and tried to get butterflies in my yard...spent 50.00 on plants that were guaranteed to attract them, mushed up old fruit, bought nector....

Nothing, Nada!

What's the secret?

mooselips

Butterfly bushes.
I have one, here in Ohio, and butterflies just flock to it. It has white blossoms too, not very colorful.

Never tried one of those butterfly boxes, I wonder if those work?

dollydo

Oh yeah, I bought a box of butterflies, set me back 100.00, let them go, my garden was all prepared for the big event, they flew to someone elses yard.

I hate rejection!

frankie_b

Yep, butterfly bushes and yarrow...they love to come to my garden.

Elana

I love butterflies and used to raise them. I had them in my room as a teenager.. Most teens raise Caine.. I was raising butterflies and running a dog and horse training business.. go figure.

I would feed the butterflies a mix of honey and water on my hand. I wiould put my hand up and they would all land on it and drink!

I raised Monarchs a few years and let them free. All my butterlifes were set free. Monarchs will live two years and they migrate for the winter. One spring day I saw a monarch and I put my hand up to shade my eyes and he landed on it and stuck his tongue out... and I will always presume he was one I had set free the autumn before.

I don't raise them anymore.. but about 3 years ago my now XABF and I were riding our bikes at Minnewaska park. There were Eastern tiger Swallowtails drinking water at a mud puddle... maybe 10 of them. I asked BF if he wanted to see one up close and he looked at me incredulously as I proceeded to pick one up so he could see the top and bottom of the wings and the striped body.

He asked how I did that. I looked at him sweetly and told him anyone could.....

One of the few times I amazed him.
OT:
Today the male bluebird was back at the nest box off the deck. he came right up to me and I told him "Welcome back! I cleaned house for you. (the bird house)" He noded at me and went to the house. Pure circumstance I am sure. My XABF liked the blue birds too and was amazed they would come right to me. He loved to photograph them.

His choice to leave and continue down Addict Alley was truly his loss.

I love all these wild things.

mooselips

Oh, now there's a bird I also love!
I put up 2 bluebird boxes in my back 40, and set them apart per directions, and eight, and all that good stuff....and proceeded to ALMOST have one couple move in, a few years back, but they didn't stay. Now I believe it's a home for sparrows or a red squirrel...I'm not here in the Summer to keep it up....so...

Last year, at the camp, we had CEDAR WAXWINGS! 2 nests of them!
Do you know that Cedar waxwings sound exactly like a cricket?

The world of nature...I LOVE IT!

Dollydo, the boxes you put up in your backyard are for the butterflies to "nest" there. They have their cocoons inside the butterfly box.
I'm sure you can buy one at any bird store.

Elana

Waxqwings are lovely as is this photo. Did you take it? It is very good.

dollydo

Oh, that kind of box...ok, I'll try it...

I wish you guys would stop bragging...He, He, a joke, just a joke!

Elana

To have butterflies you need the flowers (obviously) but you also need the host plants for the caterpillars. Monarchs require milkweed (for instance) and are more prevalent in the fall. Eatern Tiger Swallowtails are a late May and into June occurance. Mourning Cloaks are usually around early spring (it is wehn the Cryslais or Cocoon hatches that determines the arrival of the adult).

when I was in Montana last fall the numbers of Cabbage and Sulphur butterflies was like nothing I had ever seen before. I was in Glacier the end of August and the air was white with butterflies..