Category Archives: Gulf of Mexico Florida

Gulf Fritillary Butterfly Depositing Eggs

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We were observing several female Gulf Fritillaries depositing eggs amongst (what i think is) the foliage of Corksystem Passionflower (Passiflora suberosa). To my surprised delight, one had been hovering over a Gulf Fritillary caterpillar!

Gulf Fritillaries are also called Passion Butterflies because they rely on species of Passionflower as their caterpillar host, or food, plant. During the summer months, you can purchase Purple Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata) vines at Wolf Hill. Native Purple Passion flower is also called Maypop because the new growth pops up in May, and not necessarily in the same place where you planted the vine. Another popular thought as to the origins of the name is that when the edible fruits are stepped upon, they pop.

In the last clip you can see the large white cells on the underwings of the Gulf Fritillary. The cells are actually iridescent and when the light is captured just right on the iridescent patches, it creates little flashes of light which confuses predatory birds.

 

While we were at a Gulf of Mexico small inter coastal pond for only about half an hour, in that very brief window, we saw Zebra Longwings, a Monarch, Gulf Fritillaries, and a new-to-my-eyes butterfly, a well camouflaged White Peacock. These butterflies are all considered tropical and subtropical species and aside from the Monarch, it would be very unlikely to see the Zebra Longwing, White Peacock, and Gulf Fritillary in the northeast.

White Peacock Butterfly

 

Bats, Birds, Butterflies, and Baby ALLIGATORS!

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Recently we returned from the eastern shores of the Gulf of Mexico to attend the memorial service of my beloved, and the kindest and best, Aunt anyone could wish for. It was a lovely service and we loved seeing our cousins and family we don’t get together with often enough.  When we weren’t with family, Tom and I went off to explore local habitats and we were fortunate to see some spectacular wildlife in the shortest amount of time imaginable, including a great cloud of flying bats, Gulf Fritillary and White Peacock Butterflies, an Anhinga, Double-crested Cormorants, many different species of herons and shorebirds, Brown Pelicans, White Ibis, and our favorite, four baby American Alligators with their mom. A singular Monarch was fluttering around my Aunt’s garden during the outdoor service. Monarch Butterflies are thought to symbolize the spirits of deceased family members, returning to Earth to be remembered by their loved ones and I felt her presence so very much.

The American Alligator babies we saw were new hatchlings and much smaller than Charles, the juvenile Alligator recently rescued from the Charles River. The four were only about 10-12 inches in length and well-disguised in the reeds growing along the banks of the small pond.  Their mom was dozing nearby but also keeping  a watchful eye. I read that she stays with the young ones until they are at a minimum one year old and possibly up to three years old.  Alligator hatchlings feed mostly on a protein rich diet of insects, snails, worms, mosquito larvae, minnows, and tadpoles. Guided by their mom, the juveniles begin to eat larger prey as they grow. The hatchlings have many predators; Racoons, Great Blue Herons, and other Alligators for example, and there was a much larger Alligator lying in the reeds not too far from the mom and her babes.

On the two days that we observed the Alligator family it was warm and sunny and at mid-day They were in the exact same spot both days. I was hoping to see the hatchlings actively foraging but read that Alligators, including the babies, are both nocturnal and diurnal. They bask in the sun during the day to regulate their body temperature and for the most part, feed at night. The first two clips are of a much larger Alligator that was across the pond in the reeds. The mom is in the third and fourth clips.

Mom and hatchling comparison