Wildlife at Rv Nursery

Monarch Caterpillars

It takes about 4 days for the egg to hatch into a baby caterpillar and about two weeks of eating milkweed for the caterpillar to reach full maturity and start the metamorphosis process. These little guys can eat a whole milkweed leaf in under five minutes and eat 200 times their weight in milkweed! The caterpillar will find a place to attach itself using silk and eventually turn into a chrysalis. It is then about ten days of rapid change within the chrysalis where the caterpillar will transform into a monarch butterfly.

Monarch Butterfly

Monarch butterflies feed off flowers and enjoy their two to six week lifespan. There is four generations of monarchs in one year. The last generation of butterflies migrates two to three thousand miles to Mexico where they will overwinter. In February to March the butterflies will fly northward to lay their eggs on the milkweed. Each female monarch can lay 100-300 eggs.

GULF FRITILLARY BUTTERFLY

This orange and black butterfly has silver scales under its wing. Their adult life span is about 14-27 days and the host plant is a passion vine.

Giant Swallowtail Butterfly

Its wings are black with a yellow horizontal line running across its forewing. When the wings are closed you can see patches of red and blue along side the yellow and black. The life span of an adult butterfly is 6-14 days. The most common host plant is a citrus tree.

Honey Bees

Bees transfer pollen between the male and female parts, allowing plants to grow seeds and fruit. Sadly, over the past 15 years, colonies of bees have been disappearing, and the reason remains unknown. Referred to as ‘colony collapse disorder’, billions of honey bees across the world are leaving their hives, never to return. In some regions, up to 90% of bees have disappeared!

Painted Lady Butterfly

In the wild, the females lay about 500 eggs in their short 2-4-week lifespan. To put that in perspective, the best laying chicken breeds can only lay about 5-6 eggs per week. During migration, the Painted Lady species travels a phenomenal 9,000-mile round trip from tropical Africa to the Arctic Circle!

Praying Mantis

Praying mantids have long necks topped by a triangular head. They can turn their heads 180 degrees—an entire half circle. They're well-camouflaged, adapting colors that help them blend with plants. Some also have amazing body shapes that make them look like leaves or branches. Their front legs have rows of sharp spines to help them hold on to their prey, which they usually begin to eat head first!

Grey Hairstreak Butterfly

Has dark gray; hindwing with two short tails and red-capped black spot. Ventral hindwing light gray with relatively smooth black and white postmedian line (often including orange) and red-capped black spot near tails. Its larvae feed on the fruits and flowers of a variety of host plants including several species mallows, members of the pea family, buckwheats, clovers, and many other plants. Adults can live 3-4 weeks.

The Critters!