Pat’s Wildways: butterflies on my mind

A few weeks ago, I was chasing a single small, innocuous brown butterfly along a path in Fort Clinch State Park. I didn’t know the species, I was curious, as always, and the best way I know to identify things is to snap a photo, then Google it. In case you don’t already know, the Google Lens app, which you can download for free on your phone, is a new way to do this. Just highlight the part of a photo you want identified and more often than not, it tells you what it is. It isn’t always correct, but it’s a good place to start.

This little brown butterfly flitted around, as butterflies do, and I was unable to catch a still photo as it flitted away down the path. But then another similar butterfly appeared. In moments, they were clasping one another, totally ignoring my looming presence. They had other things on their mind in their short time as mature adults. Mating trumps all. And my photos told me these were two amorous little wood satyr butterflies, a new one on me.

Around this time, my friend Susan Gallion posted a photo of a stunning giant swallowtail butterfly resting with spread wings near the top of a tree. Susan always keeps parsley plants in pots on her back patio — hopefully this butterfly or a similar one will find these host plants again this year to lay eggs that will turn into caterpillars, then swallowtail adults, and the circle continues.

In my own backyard the butterflies have made their spring appearance too. Monarch butterflies suck up the nectar from my “dancing butterfly” flowers (aka white gaura) and can be so occupied in this process that I am able to photograph them from top to bottom. Nearby other monarchs have apparently visited my milkweed plants — that got loaded with their caterpillars. These “very hungry caterpillars” completely denuded the milkweed plants, then moved on elsewhere to form their chrysalises to later transform into the much-admired adults. It’s really not a problem for these milkweed plants. Within a few weeks they have sprouted leaves again, and, no doubt will get a chance to nurture another brood of caterpillars too.

Now that my butterfly garden is in full bloom, with zinnias, lantana, pentas, and various sages, monarchs, gulf fritillaries, sulfur butterflies and more are flitting here and there. These nectar plants also attract bumble bees, which I am happy to see as well. Like Susan, I am sure to keep a few potted parsley plants around in case a lucky swallowtail butterfly finds them. And the host milkweed plants are getting all ready for another batch of monarch caterpillars too.

Lately I’ve been noticing another type of caterpillar in Fort Clinch State Park — tent caterpillars. These caterpillars are larval stages of a small, hairy brown moth that only lives a few days as an adult. The tent structure is amazing, like much of nature. These caterpillars are colonial and together make the tent out of silk, then they use it for protection and temperature control. One study proved that these tents act like greenhouses, warming up the interior to as much as 70 degrees above ambient temperatures, thus speeding up the metabolism and growth of the critters gathered inside. And larger tents with more caterpillars get warmer than smaller tents with fewer inhabitants. Other studies show that the caterpillars move to different parts of the tent to get warmer or cooler as the day progresses.

When not in their communal tent, the caterpillars go on a foraging quest, eating up the leaves of the host bush or tree, sometimes denuding it entirely. For most trees, this is not a real problem, as, like with my milkweeds, in early spring, the leaves of the tree grow back quickly. Smaller bushes, however, may be devastated. I know people who judiciously remove tent caterpillar nests from their trees by breaking the tents apart, or even burning them, but for the most part, the best mantra is “let them be.”

This is the time of year to enjoy the start of our butterfly season. And if you are observant, you will see a lot of them. Enjoy!

Pat Foster-Turley, Ph.D., is a zoologist on Amelia Island. She welcomes your nature questions and observations. patandbucko@yahoo.com