Butterflies: Part I - Monarch and Gulf Fritillary

I work in a large garden center in Cape Coral, Florida. With the large abundance of plants and a very respectful staff, there has been opportunity for a successful butterfly population. The first to arrive this past June were monarch butterflies.

Two Monarchs Mating on Milkweed

© Snyder 2014

Butterflies have four life stages: egg, larva (caterpillar), pupa (chrysalis) and adult. All butterflies have a host plant where they lay their eggs. This monarch lays her eggs on milkweed. You can see the small white egg at the tip of her abdomen, curved toward the plant.

© Snyder 2014

The host plant is essential to nourishing the young larva or caterpillar. Once they have finished feeding, about two weeks, the monarch larva attaches to a different plant or object for the next stage, pupa.

© Snyder 2014

The larva turns into a pupa where it begins its metamorphosis. In this amazing stage the mushy caterpillar encases itself with a hard pupa or cocoon for about 10 days. The initial pupa is green and darkens as the metamorphosis takes place inside it.

© Snyder 2014

Monarchs are known for their migration from Mexico and Southern California to Canada and back, where it takes four generations of the monarch butterfly to make the full trip.

© Snyder 2014

The butterfly emerges from the pupa for the final stage, adult. These two monarchs emerged from two cocoons next to each other.

Here in Florida, the abundance of host plants and food sources create a habitat for the monarch to thrive year round.

Gulf Fritillary

The next butterflies to take residence in the garden center were the beautiful gulf fritillary. This butterfly’s habitat ranges from Argentina, Central America, Mexico, Southern U.S and the Caribbean. Its common name derives from its migration over the Gulf of Mexico.

Two Mating Gulf Fritillary Butterflies  

One host plant for the gulf fritillary larva is the purple passionflower vine.

The gulf fritillary lays their small yellow eggs on the vine.

The larva eats away at the passion vine. The bright orange color and black spikes warn predators of its toxicity.

Like the monarch, the gulf fritillary hangs upside down and sheds its skin revealing a pinkish body that hardens into a leaf-like form.

Gulf fritillaries inhabit meadows, gardens and open fields. Some of their favorite nectar sources include: drummond phlox, lantana, tall verbena and pentas.

Some of the butterfly nectar plants we carry in the garden center, at this time of year, include:

Butterfly Bush

Purple Coneflower

Pentas

Lantana

Porterweed

Next time we’ll explore two other residence, the cloudless sulphur and giant swallowtail butterflies.

Park of Palms: Part III

Last time we continued the adventure looking at some common palms and some uncommon ones in Park of Palms: Part II. This park is located in downtown Fort Myers, Florida, also known as the City of Palms. There are some 37 palms in the park, and this time around we encounter some even more interesting palms. Unfortunately, this park is only about a quarter of a city block, the city blocks here are small, and the proximity of these palms pose challenges for good photography. Also, some of the palms are young and haven’t reached there full heights.

Old Man Palm

This palm is a native to Cuba and is scientifically known as Cocothrinax crinita. It has a thick hairy trunk. This is a rare palm and can only be found in collector’s gardens. It’s a very slow growing palm about 5 inches in 10 years growing to about 10 to 20 feet tall.

Teddy Bear Palm

Scientifically known as Dypsis leptocheilos, also known as the redneck palm or red fuzzy palm due to its reddish-colored crown shaft. This palm comes from Madagascar and the trunk has a lot of similarities to bamboo. It has a single trunk ringed by scars from fallen fronds and grows 20 to 30 feet tall.

Dwarf Sugar Palm

Scientific name is Arenga engleri and is native to the Southern Japanese Islands. It grows up to 20 feet tall with a small six-inch trunk. The fronds are pinnate and triangular growing up to eight feet long.

Puerto Rican Hat Palm

Also known scientifically as Sabal causiarum. It is one of the more popular palms due to its cold hardiness tolerance up to USDA zone 8B. They’re distinctive with their self-cleaning fat trunks, growing 20 to 40 feet tall.

Savannah Palm

This fan palm, also known as Sabal mauritiiformis, is a slender, solitary trunk that grows from 50 to 65 feet tall. It grows in Southern Mexico, Central America and Northern South America.

Solitaire Palm

Scientifically known as Ptychosperma elegans, also known as Alexander palm, is an elegant palm with a slender solitary trunk. They grow 20 to 25 feet tall and do best in USDA zones 10A to 10B. They are popular in landscapes when combined as two or three.

Sugar Palm

Scientifically known as Arenga pinnata, this palm grows up to 58 feet tall with very erect pinnae, up to 40 feet long. The trunk is covered in black fibers and spines. This palm grows throughout South China, India and Southeast Asia form sea level up to 4,500 feet above sea level.

Palla Palm

Scientifically known as Attalea butyracea, with other common names of conta or shapaja. This palm does well in rain forest climates and is found in the northern and western parts of South America, Central America and Southern Mexico. This palm grows up to 82 feet tall with very vertical growing pinnae.

Jelly Palm

Scientifically known as Butia capitata or pindo palm. Its feathery pinnae arch away from a thick trunk and grow back toward the ground. Unfortunately this one is too small to get the full effect. It grows 12 to 15 feet high, sometimes up to 20 feet.

Arikury Palm

Scientifically known as Syagrus schizophylla. The arikury palm grows to about 10 feet tall with pinnae four to six feet long. This palm is unusual, as it doesn’t have a crown. The fronds grow up from the base to form the trunk.

Cliff Date Palm

Scientificall known as Phoenix rupicola, this graceful palm grows to 20 feet tall. It has long arching pinnae, about 10 feet long that give it a very graceful look. The fronds fall off clean, unlike other date palms, leaving a trunk ringed with scars.