This month, our Butterfly of the Month is the Cloudless Sulphur. This beautiful butterfly is typically a lemony-yellow (some females may appear to be almost white) with an underside that may be marked with tiny reddish-brown flecks. (See Photos #1 male and #2 female.) The female is ovipositing in image #2, which basically means, laying an egg. With a wingspan of 2 1/4 - 3 1/8 inches, this butterfly flies year-round in Florida and prefers open areas such as farms, gardens, and roadsides. There are at least three generations in Florida, with some butterflies migrating north in summer months. As fall approaches, southern migrations are notable, with millions making the trip, flying as fast as 12 miles per day.

Cloudless sulphurs lay single, slender, white spindle-shaped eggs that turn to yellow and then orange on host plants in the pea family. (Hosts in our area include Partridge pea (Chamaecrista fasciculata), Sensitive pea (Chamaecrista nictitans), Privet cassia (Senna ligustrina), and Bahama Cassia (Senna mexicana var. chapmanii).) Caterpillars that chiefly feed on flowers will appear yellow with blackish blue bands and dark spines; those that eat mostly leaves will be green with a yellow stripe and blue patches with less conspicuous spines.

(Interestingly, research indicates that certain host plants have extrafloral nectaries, which are glands that produce nectar outside the flower. The nectar produced by the glands attract ants, which helps protect the plant from caterpillar herbivory. (See more here.))

Cloudless sulphurs are especially common in our area and are regularly seen at Little Red Wagon Native Nursery, USF’s Tampa campus, Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Picnic Island and many other locations in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties. Have you seen any recently? Why not let us know? Tag us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter and tell us where and when you saw them.

Bahama senna (Senna mexicana var. chapmanii) is a short-lived evergreen shrub that is native to the pine rocklands and hammock edges of extreme south Florida. With stalked clusters of buttery-yellow, five-petaled flowers, this legume is a statement piece that will typically grow to 4 feet or more with a spread that can be much wider than its height. The plant thrives in nutrient-poor limestone soils and full sun. It is moderately drought-tolerant and is suited to gardens in USDA Zones 10-11. South Tampa and much of Pinellas county is zone 10A.

Like other sennas, Bahama cassia is the food source for Cloudless sulphur, Sleepy orange, and Orange-barred sulphur caterpillars. The plant is also a great nectar source for numerous species of bees and butterflies. Butterflies that seek out Bahama senna include Sleepy orange, Little yellow, Cloudless sulphur, Orange-barred sulphur, and Statira sulphur.

This plant pairs well with other legumes, including Partridge pea (Chamaecrista fasciculata), Sensitive pea (Chamaecrista nictitans) and Sunshine mimosa (Mimosa strigillosa).

Please note: This native is listed as a threatened species in Florida due to its limited range. Additionally, the similar-looking non-native butterfly senna (Senna pendula), which is sold at various big-box stores as a plant appropriate for butterfly gardens, has been identified by the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council as a Category I invasive species that is altering our native plant communities. Please #NurtureNative and plant the original!

Spring is here! It's time to get outside and enjoy the great weather. These folding guides from Earth Sky & Water will help you identify the beautiful nature around us. Laminated reference guides are indestructible, waterproof, and provide instant access to what you want to know. Written and illustrated by local experts, these guides are perfect for the backpack, backyard, or the glove compartment. “Butterflies”, “Common Wildflowers”, and “Backyard Birds” are just a few of the titles available. Stop in our gift shop to see the full selection and be sure to join us on one of our Butterfly Walks this month.

Live Monarch ornaments for Mother’s day. Pre-order a live monarch butterfly ornament jeweled gift for the wonderful Mom’s in your life.  Each crystal ornament has a live monarch chrysalis attached (anticipated emergence/hatching date will also be provided). All of these monarchs are raised with the utmost care by a premier Butterfly Breeder to ensure they are healthy. (Ornament stand included).  Each monarch comes in a gold gift box with instructions included. Hang the monarch ornament and wait. The chrysalis color will change from green to clear showing the monarch’s colors of orange and black the night before it will emerge or early the morning of emergence. Let the monarch dry for 4-6 hours and release outside during the warmest part of the day in a sunny location. We are accepting pre-orders now.  Pick up of the ornaments will be Thursday May 5th through Saturday May 7th.  Ornament bead color will vary. $25 each.  

Carolina jasmine (Gelsemium sempervirens) is a twining, evergreen vine that grows up to 20 feet and can be trained to climb arbors, trellises, fences and other upright structures. Native to hardwood forests and upland mixed forests from Virginia and Florida west to Arkansas and eastern Texas and south to Guatemala, this vine is especially known for its beautifully fragrant canary-yellow trumpet-shaped flowers that typically appear in our area in late January or early February. For us, the appearance of its blooms acts as one of nature’s signals that winter is drawing to a close.

With value to wildlife that ranges from cover to sustenance, Carolina jasmine provides high value to wildlife. Its nectar attracts hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies. Warblers, cardinals, thrashers and other birds eat its fruit.

Carolina jasmine thrives in full sun and is deer resistant. The plant prefers well-drained, acidic soil pH that is regularly moist but it can tolerate neutral and alkaline soil pH and occasional flooding and occasionally dry soil conditions.

Please note: All parts of this plant contain toxic strychnine-related alkaloids and the plant is highly poisonous to humans. It is also extremely flammable. Consequently, please keep the plant away from children and plant it outside the defensible space of your home.

Before you know it, summer will be here.  Register your child for our Summer Nature Camp program.  Sessions begin May 31 and will run until August 9.  Space is limited so register early!

Join Tampa Bay Butterfly Foundation and NABA Tampa Bay on a butterfly walk to continue our monthly monitoring of butterfly species at Violet Cury Preserve in Lutz on Saturday, March 12 from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at 1802 Sinclair Hills Road.  This will be free for NABA members; only $5 for non-NABA members.  Please bring payment morning of event.

Join Tampa Bay Butterfly Foundation and NABA Tampa Bay on a butterfly walk to continue our monthly monitoring of butterfly species at Picnic Island in South Tampa on Saturday, March 19.  We will start out at around the southern-most part of the park at 9:30 a.m. and work our way to the entrance by 11:30 a.m. Only $5 for non-NABA members.  Please join us and bring payment morning of event.