Kissing Bugs

WARNING:

 

Kissing Bugs

I don't know if anyone has heard the news about kissing bugs spreading a danger of aids or a disease like it. 
Here's the article I read:

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/chagas-tropical-disease-really-aids-145745645.html

I read the article and looked up what these bugs look like.

We have these bugs in Texas during the summer!

I will be taking some precaution of this until summer is over.

Zenas

My Zenas




Zenas

I planted these zenas a couple of weeks ago.  Looks like they are doing good.  Soon they will be food for the butterflies in my backyard.

Gulf Fritillary Butterfly

Gulf Fritillary Butterfly



Gulf Fritillary butterfly feeding on zena

The Gulf Fritillary Butterfly is around Texas at this time of year. 

It's host plant is passionflower.  The caterpillars look like a orange-red-brown color with black thorns around the body. 

They are really not thorns!  They are actually pretty soft.  These black thorn looking things get larger as the caterpillar gets larger.

The Butterfly is very beautiful with white spots and a mixture of brown and reddish color around them.  I love watching these butterflies spread their wings because there is a totally different color on the inside from the outside!  A nice brown texture with black lining within.

Take a look!!

 

Gulf Fritillary butterfly feeding on lantana

 

Oh, yeah.  I forgott the 3 tiny little white dots on the upper part of the wing... How could I forgett that.  (Joking)

Gulf Fritillary

Gulf Fritillary Caterpillar

I have some passionflower in my backyard.  Recently, I spotted a gulf fritillary caterpillar feeding on it.



Gulf Fritillary caterpillar on host plant

I have yet to see the butterfly, but I am waiting!  ....

Today's Butterfly

Today's Butterfly

Snout Nose Butterfly

Today there was a snout nose butterfly resting on a passionflower vine in my backyard.



Snout Nose butterfly



Snout Nose butterfly

It flew away and I found it later on some sandbur.



Snout Nose butterfly

Pipevine Swallowtail Butterfly

Pipevine Swallowtail Butterfly



Pipevine Swallowtail butterfly

The butterfly you see here is a pipevine swallowtail.  It's scientific name is Battus Philenor.

I love watching these butterflies fly around the trees in my backyard.  I see their shadows on the grass when I walk around.  They are always hovering above somewhere.  It is truly delightful to observe!

I planted some zenas in my backyard for the butterflies to feed on.  They are barely large enough, but they grow fast.  They will be there in this summer for them to feed on.

The inside wings are a beautiful bright blue color.  The outside wings are black with orange spots.

I love how they just glide through the air.  I will see if I can get a video of this sooner or later.




Pipevine Swallowtail butterfly caterpillar on host plant

The caterpillars are the funniest looking things.  Whenever I see the large ones, they are always in a hurry.  They crawl so fast!  They are a dark red brown color with some tiny orange spots along the sides, and one orange spot on the head sometimes.

The caterpillars feed on some pipevine in my backyard.  Their eggs are an orange color.

Today's Butterfly

Today's Butterfly

The butterfly I spotted in my backyard today was a Pipevine Swallowtail butterfly.  These two below were on my ash tree.



Pipevine Swallowtail Butterflies

Later I found the caterpillars feeding on some pipevine in my backyard.  I have a picture of them below.



Pipevine Swallowtail caterpillar



Pipevine Swallowtail caterpillars