Wormsloe Butterfly Gardens

Wormsloe Butterfly Gardens
Brief Report October 10, 2013 report by Ania Majewska
Monarch and Queen butterflies continue to breed at the gardens. Because the native
Swamp milkweed plants begun dormancy, most of the breeding activity is occurring on the
exotic Tropical milkweed plants. I observed very high densities of larvae on some Tropical
milkweed plants (5 to 14 late stage larvae per plant).
Interestingly, for the first time this year I collected
Monarch larvae and pupae (7 total) infected with a parasitoid
called tachinid fly (Lespesia archippivora). Generally,
tachinid flies lay their eggs on host monarch larvae. Once
parasitic tachinid eggs hatch, they burrow into host monarch
larvae. Tachinid larvae develops inside the monarch
catterpillar while feeding off the host. When monarch larvae
pupate, monarchs die from effects of parasitism, at which
point, full-grown tachinid larvae string down from dead
monarch larvae (see photo on right) and pupate on the ground.
As we continue to survey butterfly species diversity we add
5 new species to Lepidoptera list:
Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus)
Zebra Longtail (Heliconius charitonius)
White Peacock (Anartia jatrophae)
Sachem (Atalopedes campestris)
Ocola Skipper (Panoquina ocola)
Monarch (Danaus plexippus)
Queen (Danaus gilippus)
Gulf Fritillary (Agraulis vanillae)
Palamedes Swallowtail (Papilio palamedes)
Black Swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes)
Spicebush Swallowtail (Papilio troilus
Cloudless Sulphur (Phoebis sennae)
Tiny Yellow (Pyrisitia lisa)
Long-tailed skipper (Urbanus proteus)
Hackberry Emperor (Asterocampa celtis)
Buckeye (Junonia coenia)
Tersa Sphinx (Xylophanes tersa)
Monarch larva died due to parasitism
by tachinid fly larva (in red circle).
I also begun identifying Hymenoptera
(starting with bumble bees and wasps):
Bombus fraternus
Bombus impatiens
Campsomeris quadrimaculata
Monarch pupa can also be host to
tachinid fly larva. Note the long string
the larva used to descend to the ground.