One of just a few butterflies I’ve seen so far this year, this was in early May at the edge of one of the ponds at Magnolia Plantation and Gardens.
May 6, 2021
Monarch Butterfly
Tag Archives: Butterfly
American Painted Lady on Butterfly Bush
This brilliant purple butterfly bush was attracting a half dozen American Painted Ladies.
Depending on the reference they are called or just American Lady.
In typical butterfly fashion they were flitting all around the bush.
I didn’t get a very good capture of the upper side of the wings, but here’s a glimpse that shows how different the colors and patterns are.
May 28, 2021
Skipper on Purple Wildflowers
These pretty lilac colored flowers caught my eye at the edge of a pond; a Skipper was attracted to them, too.
The Skipper gave up the seed head for an adjacent cluster of flowers.
Where he seemed to be quite satisfied.
Black Swallowtail Butterfly on Thistle, Year 2
About a mile or so from where I saw the Black Swallowtail Butterflies for my post from March of 2020 I saw a similar scene April 12.
This year’s thistle flowers were a bit past their prime.
And the butterfly was showing some signs of wear, or a battle.
The wing tears did not impair his mobility, as he nimbly circled around the plant checking each of the spidery blooms.
Black Swallowtail Butterfly on Pink
Long-tailed Skipper Butterfly
Long-tailed Skipper Butterfly was one of at least five butterfly species I saw on November 13Â at Donnelley Wildlife Management Area.
All in, these smaller butterflies took full advantage of the tubular Morning Glory blossoms.
There was some competition, including a number of bees as the morning warmed up.
Also seen November 13, 2020
Cloudless Sulphur Butterfly
Cloudless Sulphur Butterfly was one of at least five butterfly species I saw on November 13Â at Donnelley Wildlife Management Area.
There were actually dozens of them along the road, zipping in and out of the Morning Glories.
Zoom in on this last image and you’ll see some sort of a multi-segmented insect between the two Morning Glory blooms that I did not see at the time.
Also seen November 13, 2020
Gulf Fritillary
Gulf Fritillary was one of at least five butterfly species I saw on November 13Â at Donnelley Wildlife Management Area.
As the morning warmed up more of them appeared.
The bank between the dike road and the big pond which has a variety of wild flowers and scrubby vegetation was attracting a lot of action.
Finally, a closed-wing view, showing off the underside of the Fritillary’s wing. Look close and you’ll see some fly action on the yellow blossom.
Also seen November 13, 2020
Butterfly: Brown or White?
It’s all in your perspective, and maybe influenced by your specimen. The wide variations in nature are amazing.
I had searched for “Brown Butterfly” to identify this new to me butterfly and even used that to name my post. I didn’t find any matches.
It turns out it is identified using white as the primary color: the White Peacock Butterfly. If I had seen this second butterfly photographed later the same day first I might have searched differently. Or maybe not!
White Peacock Butterfly on Honeysuckle
After first seeing the butterfly from my post Brown Butterfly I spotted another White Peacock Butterfly at the other end of the dike. This second specimen does appear to have more white than brown as his primary color. My next post will compare the two.
In addition to the surprise of the butterfly I did not expect to see honeysuckle still in bloom.
The honeysuckle was quite fragrant and the butterfly worked it from all angles.
