Fanwood Environmental Commission » Butterfly Garden

Butterflies Spotted in the Garden

Nikolai Chowdhury — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 22:07:59 +0000

On our latest visit to the Fanwood Nature Center, we spotted some butterflies! This is great news for the garden. It means that we will have many caterpillars to feast on our vegetation. We spotted Monarch and Swallowtail butterflies as well as a few newcomers. Also, in addition to the butterflies, in an earlier visit we noticed many white eggs on the milkweed. We hope to come back and see many caterpillars and even more butterflies. Till then, come out and enjoy the garden.

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Butterfly Garden Update 9/19

nikolaic — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 19:42:35 +0000

Stopped by the nature center butterfly waystation this afternoon. Lots of caterpillars and chrysalises in the garden!!

Hummingbird Moth sighted at the Fanwood Nature Center's Butterfly Garden

Nikolai Chowdhury — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 03:17:23 +0000

While visiting the Butterfly gardens at the Nature Center butterfly garden recently, Commissioner Sandra Redder spotted a hummingbird moth…and captured the elusive creature in action. It seemed to really like the bee balm.

Some information on Hemaris thysbe:

The Hummingbird Moth, unlike most moths, is seen on clear, sunny days. Many people do confuse it with hummingbirds because of its coloration and how it moves.

Hummingbird Moths grow up to two inches long. They have an olive-green body with red bands across their abdomen. Tufts of hairs from the end of the abdomen look a lot like feathers. The wings of this moth are mostly clear, sometimes with some red near the body.

Hummingbird Moths live in fields, gardens and forest edges.

Adult Hummingbird Moths feed on nectar from many different flowers, just like hummingbirds. Some of their favorites include: Japanese Honeysuckle, Red Clover, Highbush Blueberry, thistles, wild roses, and blackberries.

Hummingbird Moths use a long, thin, needle-like mouthpart called a proboscis to eat. The proboscis stays coiled up like a garden hose until it is time to use it. When the moth approaches a flower, it uncoils its proboscis and dips it deep into the flower where the nectar is.

(Picture credit: Sandra Redder; Information sourced from http://www.fcps.edu/islandcreekes/ecology/hummingbird_moth.htm)