Subject: Gulf Frit Poseur

From: Eric Jensen <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 10 Jun 1996 20:57:20 -0400

Greetings from the Palm Beaches!
It's cloudy and 83'F/29'C.

Since visiting Butterfly World in Ft Lauderdale with my daughters school
class I've begun my own butterfly garden.  I've planted milkweed, pentas,
verbena, parsley and a passion vine (purple).
  I've even constructed a small screened cage for my Leps.

My Passion vine has attracted many Gulf Frits.  So many that I'm concerned
the numerous caterpillars will kill my young vine.
On my Oleander bush there is an orange-ish caterpillar that at first glance
looks like the gulf frit but instead of black spikes it has black tufts of
hair. *** What is it? Is it hazardous to touch?

My humble garden is obviously well marked in the Gulf Frit AAA handbook, but
the Monarchs have yet to discover my Milkweed.*** Can I expect to see Gulf
Frits and Monarchs throughout the year or is there a specific season?

My Parsley even has Swallowtail caterpillars.
This is great!

Thanks for your time and patience,
Eric Jensen
PS. I've e-mailed Butterfly World directly, but no response.

---

From: [email-masked] (Doug Yanega)
Date: 11 Jun 1996 02:17:11 GMT

> hair. *** What is it? Is it hazardous to touch?

Probably the larva of the Oleander Tiger Moth, Syntomeida epilais. I don't
recall if they urticate, but they well might, and with Oleander, I
wouldn't messa round. ;-)

Doug Yanega     ([email-masked])
Illinois Natural History Survey, 607 E. Peabody Dr. 
Champaign, IL 61820  USA  (217) 244-6817 fax:(217) 333-4949
affiliate, University of Illinois Dept. of Entomology
  http://www.inhs.uiuc.edu:80/~dyanega/my_home.html
"There are some enterprises in which a careful disorderliness is
    the true method" - Herman Melville, Moby Dick

---

From: Anne Kilmer <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 11 Jun 1996 05:51:25 -0400

>   I've even constructed a small screened cage for my Leps.

Why build a cage for folks who come to you freely? Ah well, it takes all
kinds.
> the numerous caterpillars will kill my young vine.

The vine needs a cage, too.
snip
> Frits fly, off and on, year round. So do Monarchs.
Migrants may well go through here, but we have a good population of them
all year.

Eric, you, and other butterfliers, should mark your calendar for June
29-30. Palm Beach County (Florida) bug people are planning a gala
weekend, with bug hunting at many parks and gardens.
NABA butterfly count. We have three circles because so many home
gardeners and parks wished to be included.
Weather is hot, but hotels and restaurants are air conditioned. This
would be a nice weekend to visit South Florida.
Interested people may message me direct (no need to clutter up the leps
list) and I'll give you contact phone numbers and schedules.
Anne Kilmer  [email-masked]
407 585-1935

---

From: Anne Kilmer <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 12 Jun 1996 05:12:51 -0400

> Doug Yanega     ([email-masked])

snip
Hi, Doug and Eric,
Eric, you might like to know that the parents of your caterpillar are
handsome, slow-flying moths shaped like wasps, rather scary-looking in
fact, with red bodies and blue-black wings with whitish spots. Doug has
their name right, of course.
        They're common hereabouts, where people are so foolish as to
plant oleander.
There is nothing you can spray that is nastier than the poisons oleander
can produce. The caterpillar is, therefore, rather careful in its style
of eating. Like the monarch, once it has grown large, it cuts the veins
of the leaf and allows the toxins to dissipate before it eats the leaf.
        These bugs are pretty predator proof. I, too, don't know whether
they urticate, and I don't care enough to find out the hard way. I'm
willing to take their word for it.
Anne Kilmer
1424 Lake Bass Dr.
Lake Worth FL 33461

---

From: sarah walker <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 16 Jun 1996 18:33:17 -0700

Eric Jensen wrote:
> PS. I've e-mailed Butterfly World directly, but no response.Dear Eric

Regarding the "orange-ish caterpillar" on your oleander, these are the larvae of the 
Polka-Dot Wasp Moth.  This is a handsome moth which is a day-flier and you may want to 
let several larvae survive so that you can see how it got its name.  I am not aware of 
any hazard in touching these caterpillars.  But, because these insects feed on oleander 
they are noxious to any would be predator.

Your butterfly garden is off to a good start.  Passion vine will also attract the Zebra 
Longwing Butterfly which recently became the state butterfly/insect. You may want to add 
some Cassia spp. to your collection to attract the sulphur butterflies.

Rick Walker
JRW Entomology Services
Port St. Lucie, FL