Zebra longwing butterfly - eclosure chrysalis to butterfly

Zebra longwing butterfly, Heliconius charithonia

Zebra longwing butterfly, Heliconius charithonia

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 butterfly, Heliconius charitonia

Zebra longwing butterfly, Heliconius charithonia

Zebra longwing, Heliconius charithonia

Zebra longwing, Heliconius charithonia often also spelled 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.

And even more excited to see that the visitor was a "she" and she deposited a small cluster of golden eggs (center of photograph).

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

Ferocactus Blooms

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

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.

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

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

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).

Pipevine Swallowtail, Battus philenor

Gulf fritillary butterfly

Gulf fritillary butterfly, Agraulis vanillae

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, Astrophytum asterias nudum

Echinocereus sanpedroensis

Echinocereus sanpedroensis

Rudbeckia maxima, Giant Coneflower

Giant Flowers and the World's Smallest Peeping Tom

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.

Another Horizonthalonius with a smaller but darker flower.

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?

Pindo Palm

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

Mammillaria sphaerica

Echinopsis melanopotamica

Echinopsis melanopotamica

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.

Mexican Olive

 (Cordia boissieri)