There's been a cabbage white butterfly coming by almost everyday this summer. I'm guessing it's the same one and he/she flies around the arbor vitae trees along the driveway and then crosses over and checks out the flowerbed by the back door and then heads around the other side of the building to the back parking lot. It's usually early afternoon when he/she makes an appearance and I wonder if they have a route through the neighborhood?
I've seen other butterflies this summer; both yellow and black tiger swallowtails and a yellow cabbage, plus a brown & purple-ish one on the flowers the neighbor set out in spring. That one was too small and too far away from the window for me to identify, but it was an uncommon type. In fact, I believe I've seen more butterflies this year than most other years, which is surprising, as conditions were quite dry in the middle of summer, very little rain in July and it's been hotter than usual this season, a number of days in the 90'sF/30C. Usually Cleveland only has 2 or 3 days a year with such high temperatures, but this summer it probably added up to a couple weeks.
Since I'm still learning about butterflies, I don't know if the cabbage ones migrate like Monarchs or pass away. Whichever it is, I'll miss the cheerful presence of fluttering white bobbing along the foliage as autumn takes a firmer hold.
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I attribute the increase in numbers to the milder winter - so more of the pupae survived to become butterflies. According to google they only live for 3 weeks! The female has 2 black spots and the male has one!!
Keep forgetting how to follow here.
And someone asked me if xanga has subscription capabilities. Do you know?
I've seen a lot of small butterflies around my fire bush. I don't even try to catch them any more and I swear they know what a camera is. lol
@BLB: I don't think xanga needs subscriptions any longer since they moved to WordPress, which is free. But then, I bought a lifetime subscription to xanga some years before they shut down, so it's possible that has some effect. As you can see, I don't really know much. lol
@murisopsis I knew the genders were differentiated by their spots, but I wasn't sure about the numbers. You're probably right about more pupae making it through the winter. But it's sad that they only live for 3 weeks. Then it can't be the same one I've been seeing throughout the summer, but multiple ones! Thanks for all of the info!
Yes I had/have the life time also and don't ever expect any kind of assistance from them. lol
@BLB: Me neither, I think they checked out years ago!
butterflies seem to be in short supply around here this year ~
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