Two of the prettiest sights to see here in Florida are the blooming Lantanas (L. camara) and the plentiful Gulf Fritillary butterflies (Agraulis vanillae). Lantana is a favorite nectar source for this butterfly species, according to Butterflies and Moths of North America. The Gulf Fritillary has a unique fast-moving wing action, not really captured in this Auto Awesome video, but you get the idea of the beauty of the plant and the butterfly together. Photos taken with my iPhone and uploaded to Google Photos, which automatically created the video.
This is exactly what my Texas garden looks like in mid to late summer. No wonder there are so many gulf fritillaries on the lantana! And considering that I plan to add some passionfruit vines to my garden this year (hosts of the gulf fritillary caterpillars), I anticipate even higher numbers this year on my lantanta. Thanks for the info!
ReplyDeleteI've noticed that monarchs and swallowtails like the Lantanas, too. Great flowers for a butterfly garden--except in places where Lantanas are invasive. I think they might be considered a bit thugish even here in Florida, but maybe controllable enough not to be considered invasive. I was just reading that it's considered a noxious weed in some other tropical locations around the world. Definitely not a problem as an annual bedding plant in my Midwestern garden. Yay.
DeleteI really love Lantana, although the smell is not good enough. Both of the color and the shape are so lovely. We grow the shrub and trailing version.
ReplyDeleteI didn't even realize it has a scent at all. Is Lantana considered invasive in your country, Endah? I grow it as an annual plant--it can't survive our brutal winters, so it isn't invasive in the north part of North America.
DeleteLove the glowing orange on both the butterfly and the Lantana. Great capture!
ReplyDeleteYes, I so enjoy the deep, rich, bright colors of the Lantanas. I suppose they could be considered a bit gaudy. But in a sunny garden with butterflies flitting all around them -- well, there aren't many prettier scenes around.
DeleteI really like the flowers and butterfly too. Interestingly, the moving picture. Regards.
ReplyDeleteHi Giga: The Gulf Fritillaries have been plentiful during my stay here. But they really seem to like this particular flower. The butterflies and the flowers do seem to compliment each other, don't they?
DeleteBeautiful! I can't wait to see butterflies and lantana blooming here in a few months.
ReplyDeleteI know--me, too, Rose. In my own garden, I mean. It has been fun to see so many butterflies here in Florida. They seem to be increasing with each passing day, which is an encouraging sign of spring even here in the south. :)
DeleteFritillaries are so beautiful! What a great thing to see some butterflies at this time of year. I can't wait until the snow melts and we start getting the bees and butterflies back.
ReplyDeleteThis is definitely a nice benefit of spending some time down here in Florida during late winter. By the time I get back, it will be time to start watching for early butterflies in Wisconsin! Yay.
DeleteThey're a match made in heaven--or the garden, which is pretty much the same thing to me! Fun video.
ReplyDeleteYes, pretty together, aren't they?! I agree garden = heaven. Well, almost. The Auto Awesome videos are easy: Just upload 5-7 photos in approximately the same place/angle to Google Photos, and you'll have a gif video. :)
DeleteFantastic Beth-- Brava! I'm glad you told us how you did it too! It's almost thrilling to watch. I love lantanas too, they are so easy and provide so much.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Susie. Yes, it's actually pretty easy. You just have to have 5-7 photos of the same subject in the same spot. Sometimes you might have to crop a little bit, but it works pretty well. I LOVE Lantanas, too. And so do many butterfly species. :)
DeleteThey are great match, the golds of both just work beautifully. We have the same combination in summer in Texas. Yay! for the Awesome Motion video. It's easy after you get one done.
ReplyDeleteHey Shirley: Yes, you were the friend who first drew my attention to the Auto Awesome videos. Thanks! You've created some really nifty ones. I really enjoyed your holiday lights video. I did one with a squirrel and one with a Cedar Waxwing that turned out OK. This one would have been better with a better camera. But not bad for quick photos with a smartphone.
DeleteThat's cool! I had a Lantana camara (red/orange and yellow) when I was living in Majorca. They definitely are very rich food in the first months of spring.
ReplyDeleteLantanas are so vibrant! I can't be unhappy when I see them. And then when the butterflies show up, I enjoy them even more! As you say--a great nectar source, beginning in the first months of spring. In my Midwestern garden, Lantanas bloom from May through the first hard frost!
DeleteWonderful capture. In November when I visited family in AZ they had loads of lantana and butterflies too.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Donna. Yes, I would guess they would appreciate the warm, dry climate in Arizona, too. I was reading that they're native to Central and South America. There's a Lantana (L. depressa) that's native to Florida, but it's gold only. If I lived down here, that is the one I would plant. But in my Wisconsin garden, L. camara is fine as a potted annual, since it dies in the late fall.
DeleteSo nice that video of the butterfly on the Lantana camara. We only see this in huge butterfly glasshouses in our country.
ReplyDeleteThanks! It's fun to play around with these things sometimes. It sure has been nice to see so many beautiful butterflies here!
Deletethat's pretty neat!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Hollis! It's really pretty easy to do, and the results are fun to see. :)
DeleteExcellent reason to visit Florida this time of year. I enjoy the Fritillary butterflies when they come to my garden. I must remember to order lantana for my planters. Cool video. P. x
ReplyDeleteThanks! I agree, Pam: The first butterfly I saw down here made my heart sing. Ahhhh. After a cold winter, it's such a wonderful sight. I grow Lantanas regularly now, and they attract various species of butterflies. Cheerful, beneficial plants. (Unless, they're invasive in one's region.)
DeleteFun! That is cool. :-) Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteCarla
Thanks, Carla. It's really pretty easy to do. Just a little cropping, and you need 5-7 photos in the same spot. But it's easy after that, and fun to see the results.
DeleteNeat that is made it into a video and yea for flowers and butterflies!!..Michelle
ReplyDeleteYes, yay for flowers and butterflies! Can't get enough of either of them! Cheers!
DeleteGreat video of two of my favorite things! One of these days I am going to make a video and post it on my web site, though I have not the foggiest of how to do that. Yours seemed easy!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Deb. If you have five or more photos of the same subject in the same spot, all you have to do is load them to Google Photos. They make the video for you. And then you just post it to your blog like you would a photo. :)
DeleteHi Beth, taking videos and posting, that i haven't done yet. Fantastic. I realized that lantana has a wide ranges of temperature tolerance, i also saw it in Turkey. They are very much preferred by butterflies here as nectar plants.
ReplyDeleteThis is actually I sort of "stop action" video created by Google. I had a few photos of the butterfly on the same flower in approximately the same place. So, all I did was load them on Google Photos. They created the video for me. I love Lantanas! They are annuals in my northern garden, of course, but the butterflies love them here, too.
DeleteYour picture looks and feels so warm! Love that butterfly. :o)
ReplyDeleteIt was warm (but comfortable) in Florida. Believe it or not, I'm glad to be back to Wisconsin -- even though it has been a bit of an adjustment. :^)
DeleteBeth. I was in a hurry and didn't get Tallamy's piece annotated correctly. I am always appreciative of your comments. Thank you so much. Michelle
ReplyDeleteSure, thanks for posting about the Tallamy article, Michelle. I found it so very encouraging and informative. Thanks, also, for your kinds comments here. :)
DeleteBeautiful! Can't wait to see butterflies and plants in bloom again. We saw the tippy-tops of crocus coming up through the ground this past weekend, so won't be long now. ☺
ReplyDeleteI'm amazed that the first butterflies have been sighted in Wisconsin! I hope they found some warm crevices during this cold, snowy weather! My Snowdrops are blooming and the Crocuses are just about ready!
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