Friday, November 5, 2010

Fuzzy Wuzzy & Buckeye Extraordinaire


I just learned about the First Friday Creature Feature 
at Garden Adventures.  Check it out!


Here's a fuzzy little creature I found in my garden today quite content on the Salvia coccinea 'Coral Nymph'


 



Can you help me identify this caterpillar?   

One of the websites said it is a wooly bear, but I thought they had the orange/brown stripe around the center, 
not just the bottom.

* * *
And here's another beautiful creature 
that visited my garden today.


 Common Buckeye Butterfly (Junonia coenia)

I don't think it's "common" at all.  
I think it's quite extraordinary!

Stay tuned for more creature features in the coming months.


Until then...

I hope your garden welcomes all kinds of creatures!

Toni :-)


13 comments:

  1. The buckeye had to be a nice surprise, nice photos.

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  2. @gardenwalk: Yes, the Buckeye was a nice surprise. It was quite accommodating on the open-wing shots, too :-)

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  3. Hello Toni, Your before and after picture is astounding, what a beautiful garden you have! And thank you so much for visiting my ongoing saga. Whenever you are in Wisconsin, I hope you visit us! We are only 13 miles west of Green Bay.

    I don't know what Fuzzy Wuzzy's real name is, but he certainly is fuzzy. The buckeye is so pretty, too. I look forward to future creature features.

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  4. Wow - what beautiful visitors you have! I don't know the name of the Fuzzy either, but you've got some great photos of both him and the butterfly.

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  5. @Karen: I emailed my sister and told her on my next visit to WI we need a ROAD TRIP to Greenbay area :-) Thanks for your comment on my Before & After. I'd like to create a "Page" for more Before & After pictures, but I cannot figure out how to do it. I need a Blogging for Dummies book!!

    @Kate: Thanks for stopping by. I'm still searching for the identify of the fuzzy little guy. I'll keep everyone posted when I find out :-)

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  6. Page? When you click on New Post, go to Edit Pages.

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  7. http://www.beautifulwildlifegarden.com/woolly-bears.html to my ignorant eyes they look the same. And both look the same as the ones we have here in South Africa!

    PS Let me know when you have sorted a new Page ;>)

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  8. @Elephant's Eye: I finally figured out the "Page" thing. I am in the process of making a "page" called Turf Transformations with Before & After pictures. Might take a while to get it completed, though. I looked at the woolly bear website, but see how that one has an orange band completely around the midsection? The one in my garden is only orange on the underside. The top side is completely black...no orange band that comes around to the top. He's still in the exact same place as I found him. Maybe he's fixing to turn into a moth :-)

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  9. I had tons of buckeyes this summer. They laid their eggs in the verbena bonariensis and the perennial snapdragons (Antirhum). I was so excited when I saw the caterpillars I jumped up and down like a manic!!! I think buckeye butterflies are beautiful, too!

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  10. @TS: I'm not sure I've ever even noticed a Buckeye in my garden before. I think I'm paying even closer attention since I started blogging because EVERYTHING is a potential photo and blog post! I will have to google the caterpillars and see what they look like. It's the simple things in life that excite us, right :-) Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

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  11. Thanks so much for linking to my blog and participating in the Creature Feature meme! Sorry I can't help you with the caterpillar identification. I'm sure someone out there will recognize it!

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  12. Toni I can't help you with the fuzzy wuzzy but here is a place that can
    www.bugguide.net
    just send the picture and WA LA! Someone comes to the rescue!

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  13. I think it's a salt marsh caterpillar: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estigmene_acrea

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