Butterflies, moths & caterpillars Archives

Visit the butterfly house at Luna’s

A friend and I had a fun outing last week to the butterfly house at Luna’s Coffee, Wine and Butterfly Farm at 109 Springdale Drive, Nicholasville, KY 40356.

A bed of brightly colored zinnias leads to the butterfly house which is just outside the café.

When we walked in, the many monarchs immediately caught our attention – especially the two that were mating. I was impressed to learn that the owner, Web Barney, has already released 50 monarchs this year!

Blazing Stars and Tiger Swallowtail

The tall, purple spikes of Blazing Stars (Liatris) are now the brightest spot in the backyard and we’ve been enjoying them immensely.

We aren’t the only ones who like these flowers. Various bees and other small insects are frequent visitors, as well as a hummingbird.

We’ve also been watching several Tiger Swallowtail butterflies as they float gracefully from one spike to another. Continue reading “Blazing Stars and Tiger Swallowtail”

Butterfly and Native Plant Resources and Images

I appreciate everyone who is giving monarchs and other butterflies a helping hand, and I want to support them however I can. One way to do that is by sharing resources I’ve created and photos I’ve taken.

For example, I managed to photograph a monarch laying eggs in our backyard in 2006, and the amazing transformations that occurred from egg to caterpillar to chrysalis and finally to a new adult.

I’ve recently added a web page with butterfly and native plant resources for educators and anyone interested in butterflies. It includes:

Monarch life cycle
How to create a Monarch Way Station
25 Kentucky native plants – for beginners who want to attract butterflies

In addition to the PDFs, photos on my website may be downloaded for educational purposes. If you need higher resolution images for printing, please contact me.

“Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.”
Van Gogh

Polyphemus Moth caterpillars – week 2

The Polyphemus caterpillars have been ‘eating machines’! In two weeks they’ve doubled in size.

Polyphemus Moth Caterpillar at two weeks

Do I dare call them ‘cute’? How about all the red ‘knobs and spikes’? Click the image below for a closer look at their fringed feet (or classy ‘shoes’)! Continue reading “Polyphemus Moth caterpillars – week 2”

Hurray for Moths and National Moth Week!

I haven’t blogged for a while, but I’ve been having fun discovering and learning about moths. I added a moth chart (still in process) to my website with some of the moths I’ve seen, many of them in our backyard.

This week, July 23-31, is National Moth Week, and seems like a fitting time to share my latest moth adventure.

I raised my first Polyphemus moth in 2010, and I recently raised three more. I placed one of the females in a mating cage, hoping she would have a visitor. Indeed she did, and this is a photo of them mating.

Continue reading “Hurray for Moths and National Moth Week!”