Posts Tagged: gulf fritillary
The Unseen World of Gulf Fritillaries
Let's celebrate the Gulf Fritillary (Agraulis vanillae). If you have a passionflower vine (Passiflora) in your yard, you've probably seen these spectacular orangish-reddish butterflies with...
Gulf Fritillaries mating in the passionflower vine. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A newly laid Gulf Frit egg (on right) and an older Gulf Frit egg on the left. The egg is about the size of the period at the end of this sentence. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A hungry caterpillar getting its fill of passionflower vine, Passiflora. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A newly eclosed Gulf Fritillary hangs onto its chrysalis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A Gulf Fritillary, Agraulis vanillae, sips nectar from Lantana. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Gotta Love Those 'Cats
You gotta love those 'cats. Gulf Fritillary caterpillars (Agraulis vanillae) are always hungry. They're as hungry as teenagers returning home from a marathon swimming meet or from a double-overtime...
Mirror image--Two Gulf Fritillary caterpillars crawl along a Passiflora stem, looking for food. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Always hungry, the Gulf Fritillary caterpillar is not one to turn down food. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Here we go! Wonder how much food is over there? (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
When you're out of leaves, no worries. Next, eat the flower buds. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
If Gulf Fritillary caterpillars keep eating and manage to evade predators and diseases, they'll turn into spectacular orangish-reddish butterflies with silver-spangled underwings. This one is landing on a Passiflora blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
It's a Predatory World Out There
It's a predatory world out there. Newly emerged Gulf Fritillaries (Agraulis vanillae) are fluttering around the yard--nectaring on lantana, finding mates, mating, and trying to avoid predators. The...
Gulf Fritillary, Agraulis vanillae, laying an egg (see tiny yellow dot protruding from the abdomen.) (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Signs of a predator encounter: wings ripped and torn--probably by a bird. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
An adult Gulf Fritillary--wingspan still intact--basking in the sunshine. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Butterfly Ballet: No Boundaries, No Borders
If you're nurturing a passionflower vine (Passiflora), you've probably seen "The Butterfly Ballet."' The Gulf Fritillaries (Agraulis vanillae), orangish-reddish butterflies with...
Gulf Fritillaries in a "Butterfly Ballet." (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A trio of Gulf Fritillaries. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Gulf Fritillary casts a shadow over a tendril. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Strange Weather We're Having
Strange weather we're having here in Central California. After soaring into the 90s, the temperatures pushed again into the 80s today (Oct.21). The Gulf Fritillaries (Agraulis...
A Gulf Fritillary (Agraulis vanillae) lands on a passioinflower blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Close-up of a passionflower vine blossom. Passiflora is the host plant of the Gulf Fritillary. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Like a flamenco dancer, the Gulf Fritillary is showy. Here it is on a Mexican sunflower (Tithonia). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)