Swallowtail Deskinning, Monarch Assassinated, Spider v. Grasshopper

Lots of insect intrigue and gore pics to follow. You ready? I promise some nice garden pics too, though.

This is the first year I've tried raising black swallowtails inside, and lo and behold, it's a lot like doing monarchs. See?

















Unfortunately, the above swallowtail came out yesterday and couldn't inflate one wing. We put him in the garden anyway--freezer euthanization isn't my thing yet. (Yes, I know it should be.) It could've been a virus, or maybe it's because he never could attach his derriere to the stick so just hung there for two weeks.

Did have a swallowtail and monarch do their thing at the same exact time:


















Though I think we have far fewer fall monarch cats outside this year, my wife insists it's because they're dispersed on almost 20 various milkweeds. Last year one cat pupated on the siding, and this year there's one on my storage chest. I best be careful opening it these next two weeks:













Ok. Here we go. Some sort of assassin bug--I do believe--got a monarch cat. Notice the green blood trailing down the leaf under the body like some bad horror flick on Scifi, oops, I mean SyFy.













But below is something joyous. With so many grasshoppers (hundreds, millions) every time I walk through the garden I stir them up. A few inevitably jump into spider webs. Here you can see this spider pouring silk out and pasting it on to the victim. Huzzah!













I have two 'Chocolate' eupatoriums, and one has almost lost all of its buds due to grasshoppers eating them. These are the last plants to bloom in the fall, and I am pissed off (better than on, right?). I'm worried about how many grasshopper eggs might be in the garden.

Speaking of eupatorium, here's one called 'Wayside' I am in love with. The blooms are either an irredescent blue / purple--much like blue lobelia--or they are a dusted grey / purple. Only thing bluer in my garden is the 'Nekan' sage.













Angelica gigas never sets seed for me--no idea why--so I have to buy 1 year old plants every year. Worth it, though:






























That was a gratuitous cat image. He likes to fold laundry with me and play with the socks.













I enjoy this combo and this angle. The globe thistle seedheads pick up the grey of the switchgrass and little bluestem, while the 'Baby Joe' eupatorium does the same with the grasses. By the way, Baby Joe is nearly 6 feet tall--I assume the wet clay is to blame for its girth.


















Say it with me--the favorite view. We should just call it TFV from now on since I use this shot so often. Doesn't the sedum way off bring the eye in by reflecting the color of the bridge, mulch, and steppers? Humor me.

9 Ways of Looking at a Tiger Swallowtail

Images of a female tiger swallowtail, and assorted caterpillars eating skin. I see something different in each, so if you want, expand each image and see what you see (or don't--go eat a donut, it's just as good if not better).
















Today's swallowtail preferred hanging upside down, so pictures were harder to take--but in this one you get a good feel for the racing-stripe body.














Here is the full coloration and a cool strip of darker yellow on the right wing that looks as if someone put scotch tape on it.














I don't know what is on the proboscis, but I'm assuming pollen or nectar.














The irridescence of blue on the wing seems echoed in the one visible eye. I like this subtle framing of color.














I enjoy this one because of the nearby green fly perfectly squeezed into a butterfly bush bloom.














The backlit yellow wing--stunning, like a cathedral. And surely there is more sense of divine communion in this one organic life than all the immitative houses of worship put together.



















Fangs?


















This guy just molted and is hungry. Waste not want not. Maybe I'm jealous.














Did you ever have a glow worm doll as a child, that if squeezed, lit up? Please, don't squeeze my caterpillar (that is not a euphamism).

Monarch Dive Bombing a Swallowtail

Enjoy the pictures. I took dozens to get these few. Three monarchs didn't like this one swallowtail competing at the various liatris. (Which is why I'll be planting much more this fall--liatris I mean, not butterflies.)





















This monarch cat had nothing to do with the above, but you know in about two weeks it will. Tasty milkweed flowers. I've noticed monarchs are placing eggs between flower buds, not just on leaves.













Unrelated, I just think the black chokeberry shrub's berries look nice--not black yet, but soon.