Here Come the Pollinators

Finding butterflies and other pollinators is slim pickings in January and February in SW FL with recurring cold fronts and strong winds. But as March approached this year (2022) we have had a stretch of quite warm weather with mild nights. As a result I am seeing many butterflies, moths, bees and wasps coming to our flowers. Now there are relatively few native flowers in bloom in winter so I have planted a number of mostly non-invasive exotics to attract insects. One example is a “rain garden” down near Lemon Bay where there are a number of native seaside goldenrods mixed with tropical milkweeds, mistflowers and Spanish needles. There are also mock bishop weeds and pellitory growing in a part of the adjacent yard which receives some fresh water flows during infrequent rains.

I have been impressed by the large numbers of native southern carpenter bees (Xylocopa micans, a male with green eyes shown here on goldenrod). They are solitary and capable of buzz pollination and nest in cavities in wood. They resemble bumblebees which perhaps serves to protect them from predators.

A very different bee is the much smaller bright green Mexican orchid bee (Euglossa) which has appeared in our area within the past few years. They have a very long tongue and the males collect fragrances which are stored in an enlarged hind leg cavity. These chemicals are apparently used to attract females to mate.

An unusual feather legged scolid scarab hunter/digger wasp (Dielis plumipes) is quite common especially on goldenrods (but shown here on a Spanish needles flower head). They search for buried beetle larvae, sting them and lay an egg which develops and eats the paralyzed grubs.

Monarch butterflies are our most common butterfly this time of year. They do not migrate to Mexico but remain in Florida. They are fond of native flowers such as seaside goldenrod but can only feed their caterpillars on milkweeds. Native milkweeds are very scarce so the only real hope of maintaining their populations is by homeowners planting tropical milkweeds (good also for nectar) or giant milkweeds. A closely related milkweed eating species is the queen which is shown here nectaring on the weedy Spanish needles. Queens are rare on Manasota Key and the related more tropical soldier butterfly is extremely rare; this soldier appeared one day recently and found some mistflowers it liked. This is only the second soldier I have been able to document in Charlotte County in 26 years.

Another butterfly we rarely see on Manasota Key is the zebra swallowtail which lays eggs only on pawpaws. This striking individual was attracted to a brilliant display of Mexican flame vine- an invasive exotic that is a fabulous attractor of butterflies. Note the mostly black and white coloration with striking red marks both inside and outside the wings; the swallowtail structures are believed to provide a mimicry of the head leading predators to strike at the rear of the butterfly away from the most delicate body parts.

Our backyard has many red mangroves growing along Lemon Bay and this attracts mangrove skippers that are rarely seen inland. They are a large type of skipper with metallic blue markings. This individual was feeding on the flame vine but I see them also on Panama rose and especially native snowberries which are summer bloomers.

We regularly see orange barred sulphur butterflies attracted to native cassia flowers and coral honeysuckles. This female is drinking nectar from a honeysuckle which has a long corolla tube which prevents feeding by species which do not have a long enough tongue.

This tiny Cassius blue butterfly was resting on a leaf but is attracted to many small flowers in lawns which are not treated with herbicides. The caterpillars feed on legumes.

The oleander is an exotic shrub which is often planted for its flowers. Several moths are “pests” of these poisonous plants. This is one of the lesser seen species, the spotted oleander caterpillar moth. Both it and the more common polka dot moth are wasp mimics that fly in daytime and depend on their shape and coloration to confuse predators. It is definitely worth having an oleander around so that you can see some of these beautiful moths.

So get off the couch and go outside and start watching for insect pollinators and learn some of their names- it is fun, educational and just might get your brain functioning at a higher level. Planning and planting a native garden along with some non-invasive exotic flowers (such as zinnias) that attract pollinators will provide a lot of enjoyment and just might improve the prospects for our native pollinators.

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