I don’t know if it’s because I still have Tropical Milkweed in the yard or because there are still plenty of plants blooming. My African Blue Basil is still putting out blooms and I have 7 huge pots of them and I still have Queens and one Monarch hanging around.
I still have plenty of caterpillars in the Butterfly House and I have been releasing one or two each day. Only one this morning.
Normally once released they leave…but not lately.
The only reason this plant hasn’t been eaten down is it must have been treated with some sort of pesticide. I see eggs on it and sometimes a small hole where a caterpillar has hatched and eaten …but that is all.
Hopefully these will develop seed pods and I can plant them and have some started for spring. Most of the ones I had have already been put in the Butterfly House for food.
Here is a Monarch feeding.
and a Queen….
This is a male, you can see two dark spots near his body. He is on the Jatropha bush….another Butterfly favorite. Once in a while I will see a Honeybee collecting pollen from this bush…but not very often. The only place they seem to compete for food is on the Bottlebrush blooms.
The Tropical Milkweed is near a birdbath and about 10’ in front of the Honeybees.
Evidently there is nothing wrong with the nectar in the plants, but I never see the Honeybees on them.
It’s been in the mid 40’s at night but by 10 am it is warm enough to open the doors and windows and Butterflies start coming in.
The Honeybees start sending out scouts and foraging at daylight….even when the temp was only 41*…..but the sun is warm in the tree tops and the Red Maples are starting to bloom.
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