Tag Archive | Butterflies
Welcome Monarchs!
It is December here in Florida and time to set up the Christmas tree and decorate it. As I hang ornaments of cardinals, geese, chickadees and other birds on the tree’s branches, I catch a glimpse of an orange butterfly outside our living room window. Peering out the window for a closer look, I was […]
The Monarch Mimic? Or is it the Other Way Around?
At one time this butterfly was thought to mimic the poisonous monarch butterfly to protect itself from being eaten. Monarch caterpillars eating milkweed absorbed substances called glycosides that are not only distasteful, but harmful to the heart of predators eating them. The non-poisonous viceroy butterfly gained protection from predators by mimicking the monarch. But in […]
The Broken Butterfly
Flying dragons, leaping lizards, parasitic wasps and giant spiders are just a few of the marauders of these beautiful creatures. How well they escape the grasps of these hunters determines if they live or die. Being a strong, agile flier is an asset to the Tiger Swallowtail. The ability to change directions in a split […]
My December Butterfly
Sleeping late in the morning is a benefit of retirement. There is no need to get up early to go to work or see the kids off to school. You get up when you get up. Anne and I climbed out of bed a little past 9:00 a.m., conducted our morning routines, had breakfast and […]
naturechirp 