Saturday, December 29

Zebra longwing butterfly - eclosure chrysalis to butterfly

butterfly, Heliconius charitonia
Zebra longwing butterfly, Heliconius charithonia
leaf mimicry butterflies
Zebra longwing butterfly, Heliconius charithonia

leaf mimicry butterflies
I knew these butterflies could be found in my west Austin neighborhood because I had seen one in a deep canyon the first month we moved here.  I didn't think that I would have to wait so long to see another one, after seven years I finally spotted one flitting through the back yard.  I watched "her" like a hawk and sure enough she laid an egg on our passion vine which I was able to raise to adulthood.

zebra longwing, Heliconius charithonia

Chrysalis eclose eclosure emerge

emerge eclose

eclosure

eclose

Zebra longwing butterfly
Zebra longwing butterfly, Heliconius charitonia

Heliconius charitonia
Zebra longwing butterfly, Heliconius charithonia



Friday, December 21

Zebra longwing, Heliconius charithonia

zebra longwing, Heliconius charithonia
Zebra longwing, Heliconius charithonia often also spelled Heliconius charitonia
Heliconius charitonia
I was so excited to see this visitor circling below our back deck, the only Heliconius charithonia to visit in 12 years and I look everyday to see one come by.
Zebra longwing, Heliconius
And even more excited to see that the visitor was a "she" and she deposited a small cluster of golden eggs (center of photograph).

Caterpillar
Only one would survive to adulthood, but was a very health specimen indeed.


zebra longwing, Heliconius charithonia

White Caterpillar

Friday, December 14

Ferocactus Blooms


Ferocactus x californicus
Ferocactus x californicus, a natural hybrid of (Ferocactus peninsulae x Ferocactus rectispinus)


Ferocactus x californicus
My Ferocactus x californicus variety walmarticus, appears to be hardy to about 18F degrees, and starts to scar along the ridges from freeze damage below this temperature.

Ferocactus x californicus

Fire Barrel Cactus
Fire Barrel Cactus (Ferocactus gracilis) - Some varieties are hardy to 15F degrees.

Ferocactus gracilis
Both of these Ferocactus are painfully slow growers putting on only two or three tubercles a year.

Friday, December 7

Pipevine Swallowtail Butterfly, Battus philenor

Butterflies have an internal clock that uses temperature, humidity, daylight and time of year in order to eclose at just the right time to provide them with the greatest chances of a long healthy life
 (Or not).  A Pipevine I raised in a jar chose the coldest, wettest day to venture forth into the world (it was a very rough start).

Battus philenor
Pipevine Swallowtail, Battus philenor

Pipevine Swallowtail

Battus philenor


Friday, November 30

Gulf fritillary butterfly

Agraulis vanillae
Gulf fritillary butterfly, Agraulis vanillae

Gulf fritillary butterfly

Agraulis vanillae

Astrophytum asterias nudum
Sand dollar cactus, Astrophytum asterias nudum - Previously more abundant, this species is today restricted to a single 200-acre site in Texas, where there are around 2,000 individuals, and a few small sites in Tamaulipas.

Sand dollar cactus
Sand dollar cactus, Astrophytum asterias nudum

Friday, November 16

Giant Flowers and the World's Smallest Peeping Tom

Echinocactus horizonthalonius
Echinocactus horizonthalonius aka, devil's head, blue barrel or eagle's claw cactus take your pick.  Easily the largest flower I have seen on a horizonthalonius at 6+ inches across.


Devil's head, blue barrel or eagle's claw cactus
Another Horizonthalonius with a smaller but darker flower.

Eastern Lubber Giant Grasshopper
My son found a giant grasshopper, 4 inches long not including the antenna!  I believe it to be an Eastern Lubber grasshopper, Romalea microptera.
Hello, Can I come in?

Thursday, November 8

Pindo Palm

Butia capitata
Flowers burst forth like fireworks from the Pindo Palm, Butia capitata.
Mammillaria sphaerica
Mammillaria sphaerica



Echinopsis melanopotamica
Echinopsis melanopotamica

Echinopsis melanopotamica
Echinopsis melanopotamica




Thursday, November 1

The Red Day

Arise, arise, Riders of Théoden!
Fell deeds awake: fire and slaughter!
Spear shall be shaken, shield be splintered,
a sword-day, a red day, ere the sun rises!
Ride now, ride now! Ride to Gondor!
I wonder if Tolkien ever saw a day as actually red as this one.
No camera tricks here, this evening the sky turned as red as any on mars.  I have seen a lot of strange skies but nothing that looked more like the end of the world than this day.



Cordia boissieri
Mexican Olive (Cordia boissieri)