Eastern Tiger Swallowtail

Insect art to promote insect growth and development.

 

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus)

Two females are shown laying eggs on the leaves of Wild Black Cherry (Rosaceae prunus serotina), a preferred host plants. The branches are depicted as they appear in late spring (full blossom) and in late summer with ripe fruit.The Eastern tiger swallowtail reaches a wingspan of 4.8 to 5 inches. The female appears in two forms, a yellow form and a dark form, the latter being protective as it imitates the Pipevine Swallowtail which has a bitter taste.The eggs are laid on the top of the leaf and are among the very largest butterfly eggs (shown near each female.) The first instar of caterpillar resembles bird droppings. The final instar is a lovely green with lighter sides and large markings resembling eyes. It can measure up to 5.5 centimeters. The chrysalis usually hangs upright on a twig from a thread near the juncture of the thorax and abdomen.

Artist: Marsha Ra
marsha@marshara.com
Website: http://www.marshara.com

Mother Monarch makes a great gift for teachers

Teachers will love it!

 Purchase the book $19.95 + $4.95 USPS     

The school year is coming to close. Just a few more weeks and the days will be warm and it will be Schools Out for the summer. Yippee! Do you have a special teacher that you would like to give a gift to? This wonderful book is a fantastic way to say, " Thanks Teacher! I appreciate you!" 

Here is what people are saying about Mother Monarch:

"Your new book is WONDERFUL!  Every illustration is beautiful!  I am thrilled to have it in my possession!" Little Silver, New Jersey

"Our mouths were wide with wonder at the remarkable tale of these beautiful creatures. I learned so much and was left in awe of them."  Raleigh, North Carolina

Hummingbird Clearwing Moth

Hummingbird Clearwing Moth (Hemeris thysbe)

Insect art to promote insect growth and development.

The Hummingbird Clearwing moth is a small dayflying moth. Often mistaken for a hummingbird, the
moth can be seen hovering over flowers, never landing on them, using its long proboscis to extract
nectar. Butterfly bushes, red bee balm and Casa Blanca lilies are their favorites in my garden. Eggs are
laid singly on the host plants of the Honeysuckle family, and it is not unusual to find several caterpillars
feeding on the same plant. The anal horn on the back of the caterpillar is red and very long when the
caterpillar is young, but turns blue just prior to pupation, depicted. Clearwings pupate in a weak
cocoon spun among fallen leaves. The “clear” wing appears as scales wear off soon after the moth
emerges. Scale of drawing is as follows: Clearwing moth is shown in actual size and five times
magnification. Caterpillars and pupas are shown in two times magnification.

Artist: April Flaherty
E-mail: April_Flaherty@yahoo.com
Website: http://www.aprillouisedesign.com

Zebra Longwing Butterfly

Zebra Longwing (Heliconius charitonius)
Insect art to promote insect growth and development.

The Zebra Longwing is common to Central and South America but also resides in southern Florida. It begins mating right after it emerges from its chrysalis. The female lays five to fifteen eggs on the leaves of passion flower vines. The caterpillar (depicted twice the size) has a white body with long black spines and a yellow/green head. It can go from egg to butterfly in a little over three weeks and continues this life cycle year round.The Passion flower depicted here is Passiflora incarnata,a species common to the southern USA.The Passion flower is named for the Passion of Christ on the cross. In the 15th century, Spanish Christian missionaries discovered it and adopted its unique structures as symbols of the Crucifixion.The 72 radial filaments (depicted 10 times actual size) represent the Crown of Thorns; the ten petals, the ten apostles; the top three stigmata, the three nails; and the lower five anthers, the five wounds.

Little Yellow

Little Yellow (Eurema lisa)

Insect art to promote insect growth and development.

The Little Yellow likes warm weather and can usually be seen on the eastern side of northern South America, the West Indies up to the Carolinas. In the last few decades, however, they have become more frequent visitors further north to the Great Lakes Regions and New England. The Little Yellow cannot
survive cold winters. Fresh immigrants arrive in the Northeast and Midwest every year, furnishing one to two more broods before the autumn chill kills them. Vast numbers of Little Yellows emigrate to the Caribbean and Atlantic. Little Yellows are small with a wingspan ranging between three to four centimeters. The mating pair in the foreground of this illustration are a bit more than twice their natural size. The female lays minute eggs usually on a legume such as Wild Senna or the Partridge Pea (Chamaecrista fasciculata), illustrated here. Clovers (Trifolium) and Hog Peanuts (Amphicarpse) can also serve a host plants for Little Yellows.

Artist: Cindy Gilbane

If you would like to see more of Cindy's art go to:  http://www.artbygilbane.com

or e-mail her at: clgilbane@gmail.com

Great Spangled Fritillary

Great Spangled Fritillary  (Speyeria cybele)

Insect art to promote insect growth and development.
 

The Great Spangled Fritillary, named for the silvery “spangles” on the undersurface, is found throughout most of the eastern United States, central California, New Mexico, and central Arkansas. The caterpillars (larvae) of all Greater Fritillaries feed on a single host plant, violets (Viola spp.), pictured. However, adult butterflies nectar from many species of flowers including purple coneflower. (Echinacea purpurea) A member of the brush-footed (Nymphalidae) family, it has a wingspan of 2 to 4 inches. The lack of a black spot near the base of the forewing, as well as a wide, pale submarginal band on the hindwing, distinguishes it from Aphrodite and Atlantis. The Great Spangled exhibits a distinctive lifestyle. After mating, females seem to enter a rare state of summer dormancy (estivation). In early fall, eggs are laid in leaf litter near violets, but often not upon them. Emerging caterpillars do not feed, but go into hibernation until spring.

Artist: Nikki Giannini
Contact Nikki at: nikkigiannini@mac.com

Queen butterfly

Queen Butterfly - Monarch Butterfly MIMIC

 

The Queen belongs to the family of the Danaidae. The Danaidae are known as "Milkweed Butterflies" since they not only feed on milkweed, but also lay their eggs on it. The Queen butterfly nectars on a wide variety of plants, one of which is the Lantana camara portrayed in this image. It survives on the energy it gets from the sugar that the nectar contains, as well as on the nutrition it stored in its body as a caterpillar. The Queen butterfly is a fierce migrator and can travel distances from Southern Florida to Massachussetts. Most butterflies live for one to two weeks but the Queen can survive an entire winter season. As with other North American Danaus species, it is involved in mimicry with the Viceroy (Limenitis archippus) and Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) where the three co-occur. The diet of Milkweed makes all three unpalatable to predators.
  

Artist: Gusta Van Dobbenburgh

E-mail address:gusta@botanical.nl

Website: www.botanical.nl
Gusta has been planning to paint more butterflies and is continuously expanding on her botanical cards. Also, her first calendar is coming out this spring! All to be seen on her updated website soon!