Anni - with camera - away for a little bit
Common Grass Yellow Butterfly 4 saved butterflies
This is a butterfly story.....we have so many eagle-eyed birds here, as a consequence, we don't have many butterflies. You really have to struggle to live if you are a butterfly, because so many things like to eat you up. Wasps parasitise at the egg stage, birds get you at the egg stage too as well as the larval stage and spiders as I found out. There has been one butterfly around here a few weeks ago laying many eggs on a Breynia species plant. Most of the eggs disappeared very soon but I put fine nets around 4 of the eggs. They developed nicely into the larvae stage and then the pupa stage, finally, a few days ago they started emerging as butterflies, what a thrill, I saved them!! Unfortunately, just as one emerged a tiny spider jumped on it and killed it!....so tiny I didn't even see it until too late. Right in front of my face! Couldn't believe it!... however, the other 3 are now dashing about looking for mates I guess. Partial success at any rate! The pictured one here was the last to emerge and the pupa case is there beside it. Butterfly size is about 20mm x 20mm. The beautiful Orchard Butterflies have even more problems, because the caterpillars like to eat citrus leaves, many owners of citrus trees spray noxious liquid over the trees, so no more Orchard Butterflies!
Common Grass Yellow Butterfly 4 saved butterflies
This is a butterfly story.....we have so many eagle-eyed birds here, as a consequence, we don't have many butterflies. You really have to struggle to live if you are a butterfly, because so many things like to eat you up. Wasps parasitise at the egg stage, birds get you at the egg stage too as well as the larval stage and spiders as I found out. There has been one butterfly around here a few weeks ago laying many eggs on a Breynia species plant. Most of the eggs disappeared very soon but I put fine nets around 4 of the eggs. They developed nicely into the larvae stage and then the pupa stage, finally, a few days ago they started emerging as butterflies, what a thrill, I saved them!! Unfortunately, just as one emerged a tiny spider jumped on it and killed it!....so tiny I didn't even see it until too late. Right in front of my face! Couldn't believe it!... however, the other 3 are now dashing about looking for mates I guess. Partial success at any rate! The pictured one here was the last to emerge and the pupa case is there beside it. Butterfly size is about 20mm x 20mm. The beautiful Orchard Butterflies have even more problems, because the caterpillars like to eat citrus leaves, many owners of citrus trees spray noxious liquid over the trees, so no more Orchard Butterflies!