Join Nature Notes from Mondays at 11:00 pm EST to Friday at 11:00 pm EST. More information can be found at the top of the blog on a separate page, but it really is easy. What are you or have you seen and enjoyed in nature? It can be from your own backyard, the local park, out on a hike or anywhere. What plants and animals catch your interest? Do you garden? Have you read a good book on nature? Write a blog post with a photo, a story, a poem, anything goes because I love to see what Mother Nature is up to in your area. Please submit one blog post per week and link back to Nature Notes in some way.
Nature Lovers all over the world participated in Nature Notes last week and here are thumbnails and links to their blog posts.
1.
Eileen – Birding Curacao – USA
6.
Laura Hegfield-Happy Birthday Handsome-USA
11.
islandrambles-Excellent Blog Award -Canada
2.
Maboe – Christmas Rose – Norway
7.
Carver-Birds Enjoying a Warm Weekend – USA
12.
Schmidleysscribbling-Lo a Rose Ere Blooming-USA
3.
Leora- Bird Party – Cardinals, Finches, Bluejays & Titmice-USA
8.
Freda- Day One -Meet Missy -USA
13.
HoodPhoto-Remains of Dodge Park Lodge – OR-USA
4.
A Quiet Corner-The Twins Are Back- USA
9.
Kusum, Valley of Goblins!- USA
14.
Ileana-Scurta plimbare in seara de Craciun -Romania
5.
Donna@Gardens Eye View-Hope at Christmas -USA
10.
Jesh StG -Break From Busyness – USA
15.
Gypsy Lala-Photographed Butterflies-Philippines
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On the cusp of the New Year, I thought back to my favorite nature experience of 2013 and the spicebush swallowtail butterfly came to my mind immediately. Sitting on the porch recovering from my recent mastectomy for breast cancer, I was able to witness this butterfly emerge from its pupa after spending the entire fall and winter in our garage. Now that is a bit of Mother Nature’s magic for sure…..
I bought a spicebush in the hopes of hosting a spicebush swallowtail in 2011 and my wish came true.
Lindera benzoin (Northern spicebush)
I was able to watch a female spicebush swallowtail butterfly nectar on my flowers and lay eggs on the spicebush-
July 17, 2012
I didn’t know what to do as it is a small bush and I didn’t know if it would be able to support any caterpillars as they eat a lot. Someone from Monarch Watch named Mona helped me to set up a rearing tank. By the time I was comfortable enough to try this I couldn’t find another egg. I found only empty shells where something had eaten them and this is common. But on the underside of one leaf, I found a tiny little caterpillar that looked like bird poo. July 26, 2012
Early instar Spicebush Swallowtail-July 26, 2012
I took a plastic container and put small holes in it to hold the spicebush twigs and filled the bottom with water. These caterpillars only feed at night so I didn’t get to see much. The water got changed daily and every other day I added a fresh twig with leaves.
rearing tank
spicebush caterpillar on leaf-July 28, 2012
The spicebush caterpillar tucked into a leaf “nest” that it notched on both side so that the silk would start to pull it in gradually making a leaf roll for it to hide in during the day, July 31, 2012
spicebush caterpillar nest-July 31, 2012
August 2012
spicebush caterpillar
spicebush butterfly caterpillar August 6, 2012
I think this is a 4th instar and it looks like bird poo or with its eye spots, like a snake to scare off predators. I took this late at night.
spicebush butterfly caterpillar August 6, 2012
I think this is a 5th instar and the last before it looks for a place to become a pupa.
spicebush caterpillar 5th instar August 11, 2012
spicebush caterpillar 5th instar August 12, 2012
spicebush caterpillar 5th instar August 14 2012
spicebush caterpillar August 16, 2012
Just before the caterpillar becomes a pupa, it turns yellowish or orangish, stops eating and looks for a place to pupate…
spicebush caterpillar in its curled leaf nest August 18, 2012
spicebush caterpillar in its curled leaf nest August 18, 2012
The caterpillar found a place to pupate and attaches itself with silk and makes a silk band under its body.
spicebush caterpillar August 19, 2012
spicebush caterpillar August 19, 2012
Here is the final chrysalis. It looks like a leaf on purpose to help conceal it. This caterpillar may not emerge as a butterfly until next spring as the spicebush does over winter as a pupa. In that case, I will have to expose it to our winter weather.
October 2012
We put the little spicebush caterpillar in the garage protected from anything that might want to eat it in a screened tank.
May 2013
On a Wednesday in May… warm spring day my husband put the tank and caterpillar on the front porch even though I expected nothing. On Friday I looked and it looked kind of dark like it was rotting.
Saturday I was sitting on the porch with my coffee and I looked at the tank… Oh my gosh…. it had just eclosed and was pumping its wings up with fluid from its abdomen. You can see it knitting its proboscis together as it comes split.
newly eclosed spicebush swallowtail butterfly
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Here it is drying out its wings
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I put it in the house away from the wind and released it later in the day. I think it was a female and she was beautiful. I kept it for several hours to make sure the wings were dry and let it go..
Here is this week’s Mr Linky. Click and write in the name of your blog and the web address to your Nature Notes post.