A Yellow Swallowtail butterfly toured my backyard with me following along as he sampled Melissa Balm, Trumpet Vine and a Coneflower.
Backyard
July 9, 2025
Yellow Swallowtail, Sampling Backyard
Tag Archives: Insect
Common Buckeye on Fleabane
Several Common Buckeye Butterflies were visiting patches of fleabane along the dike at Donnelley WMA on Friday. This first one was looking a bit tattered.
The next one didn’t flit around quite as much, and gave me several views.
Donnelley Wildlife Management Area, SC
April 25, 2025
Zebra Longwing Butterfly
After seeing very few butterflies all summer I saw a Monarch, a Skipper, a Gulf Fritillary and this Zebra Longwing Butterfly all in the same day.
I have seen a few more Zebra Longwings since I took this, but no photos. Wow are they fast!
Magnolia Plantation & Gardens, Charleston, SC
August 11, 2024
Canna Lily Lunch
Two large grasshoppers were methodically munching on a Canna Lily. It was too hot to stay and watch them but I suspect that they didn’t stop until the bloom was gone.
Magnolia Plantation & Gardens, Charleston, SC
August 11, 2024
Gulf Fritillary Butterfly On Lantana
A tattered Gulf Fritillary found the last tattered bloom on a Lantana. This was just a few days after Tropical Storm Debby drenched the South Carolina low-country with 15 to 20 inches ( up to 0.5 meters) of rain. Any plant with delicate blooms took a beating.
Magnolia Plantation & Gardens, Charleston, SC
August 11, 2024
Skipper Butterfly on Swamp Sunflower
A batch of swamp sunflower blooms at my eye level made a lovely perch for this Skipper.
Magnolia Plantation & Gardens, Charleston, SC
August 11, 2024
Yellow Swallowtail, Dragonfly and Bee
I was concentrating on the Yellow Swallowtail butterfly circling a buttonbush, not noticing the dragonfly or the bee until looking at the photos later.
The bush was rooted down an embankment into a swampy area frequented by snakes and alligators so my angle options were limited.
The bee moved on…
The butterfly sampled all of the buttons while the dragonfly had a rest.
Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Charleston, SC
July 20, 2024
Palamedes Swallowtail on Thistle
Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Charleston, SC
June 14, 2024
Bee Working A Magnolia Blossom
A very busy bee checked out every part of this magnolia blossom.
He picked over the “matchsticks” that had fallen into one of the petals.
I’m not sure if he actually moved any of the flower parts…
…but he sure seemed to be trying.
Then he went to the center and knocked off a few more.
Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Charleston, SC
June 10, 2024
Shades of Yellow
It is still winter, but on this sunny day when it was nearly 70 degrees (21 C), a single Cloudless Sulphur butterfly visited a patch of fading daffodils.
Donnelley Wildlife Management Area, SC
February 21, 2024