Wandering Mestra egg

Images made through a microscope. All subject types.

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dmillard
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Location: Austin, Texas

Wandering Mestra egg

Post by dmillard »

Although these butterflies are common in south Texas, they appear here every few years when their local hostplant, a species of Tragia, flourishes after a good summer rain. This is a quick stack of an egg at about 10X - I hope to collect some more while the weather is still warm.

Image
Mestra amymone

Image

mikeatnip
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Post by mikeatnip »

Nice photos!

carlos.uruguay
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Post by carlos.uruguay »

Very very nice

Charles Krebs
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Post by Charles Krebs »

Amazing ornate structure, excellent image!

Jacek
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Post by Jacek »

Super

dmillard
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Post by dmillard »

Thanks for your comments!

David

zzffnn
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Post by zzffnn »

Very nice!

So how did you find the egg, in that blue flower, which is part of the Tragia plant? Do you think I can find the plant in Houston (I have seen that kind of butterfly in Houston)?

dmillard
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Post by dmillard »

Hello zzffnn,

The adult butterfly in the image is actually nectaring on Gregg's Mistflower, Eupatorium greggii, but the eggs are laid on the underside of the leaves of various Tragia species. These are commonly called Noseburn because of their stinging trichomes, so handle with care! :wink: It's a relatively short, small plant that can sprawl on the ground. If you see a group of the butterflies fluttering around an area, you will probably find the plant. I'll post some pictures on here this weekend, but you could google it in the meantime.

David

Olympusman
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Egg

Post by Olympusman »

Very nice catch.

Mike
Michael Reese Much FRMS EMS Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA

Sumguy01
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Post by Sumguy01 »

:smt041 Very nice.
Thanks for sharing.

zzffnn
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Post by zzffnn »

Thank you very much, David. I found some images.

Cheers,
Fan

dmillard
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Post by dmillard »

Thanks Olympusman and Sumguy01!
zzffnn wrote:Thank you very much, David. I found some images.

Cheers,
Fan
Thanks for letting me know Fan, and good luck locating some eggs!

David

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