I feel so totally awful! Our last little Cabbage White emerged, today, so I let it go without even thinking. After all, it was bright and sunny out! Unfortunately, a few hours later, it was snowing!!! Usually, I listen to NOAA weather radio when I first get up, but not today. I'm just hoping that little butterfly was able to find some shelter before the snow started flying. They are resourceful... .
It had been in the 60's over the weekend, and nice and sunny. I think I'm in denial that winter is quickly approaching. But, we've been blessed with a beautifully warm autumn, and I guess I got too caught up in it, huh?!
As a norm, these butterflies should overwinter in the pupa stage. Sometimes, if the weather is warmer when they're feeding as caterpillars, they will emerge in the fall. The amount of daylight has something to do with it, too.
We had this happen with a beautiful Eastern Black Swallowtail we reared on our porch in late August several years ago when living in IL. She ended up emerging September 21st, the afternoon before a photographer from a local paper came out to photograph a Monarch we had that was tagged for Monarch Watch. The photos that accompanied the article were in color, so her early--or late!--emergence was not in vain!
A few days later, I saw a pristine male flitting about, so at least she wasn't the only one of her species. Hopefully, she had some company as she flitted from flower to flower, sipping nectar. (Actually they were probably competing rather than courting, although we always did have lots of late blooming varieties in our butterfly gardens!) It was too late in the season for them to seriously start a family, I'm afraid. Even if they had, Black Swallowtail larvae are very sensitive to cold weather. I've rescued them when it's been cold out even before a frost, and have lost them all. It's such a shame. They are such beauties! --LKR
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