A Zebra Longwing Butterfly was flitting ahead of me beside a flower garden that appeared devoid of flowers. This one red bloom finally caught the butterfly’s attention.
We’ve had several nights below freezing so I was quite surprised to see a butterfly at all.
Except for that one small tear in his wing he looked in good shape but there weren’t many flowers in the immediate area for him to feast on.
Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Charleston, SC
December 24, 2023
A single Morning Glory blossom was open along the causeway on a recent cold morning.
A Spotted Cucumber Beetle and a Bee worked it over, inside and out.
I don’t know if this beetle ate the holes in the flower or if something else already had a snack.
The beetle wasn’t one bit bothered being followed around.
Donnelley Wildlife Management Area, SC
November 19, 2023
Condensed from Wikipedia: Diabrotica undecimpunctata, the spotted cucumber beetle or southern corn rootworm, is a species of cucumber beetle that is native to North America. The species can be a major agricultural pest insect in North America, causing damage to crops in the larval and adult stages of their life cycle. These beetles consume over fifty different types of crops and wild plants, including corn, peanuts, beans, apples, cherries, clovers, lettuce, and potatoes.
A Gulf Fritillary feeding on statice at the edge of a marsh.
Donnelley Wildlife Management Area, SC
September 2, 2023
I’ve referred to this type of butterfly as a Black Swallowtail before, but have learned it is probably a Palamedes Swallowtail.
Either way, this one put on a nice show for me while he was getting some sustenance from statice growing at the edge of a pond.
I was able to shift a little and get a different background that was all vegetation.
Donnelley Wildlife Management Area, Green Pond, SC
August 27, 2023
A stand of Lantana was thriving in a shady spot next to a small pond.
This Swallowtail was all over the flowers.
Why fly when you can walk?
Magnolia Plantation & Gardens, Charleston, SC
August 20, 2023
I was taking advantage of the shade of this tree on a recent hot morning when I spotted this very small dragonfly.
No bigger than a quarter {0.955 inch (24.26 mm)}, he was content to hang out in the shade, too.
Ashley River Park, Summerville, SC
August 1, 2023
This post has been hanging out in my drafts, waiting for something I’ve long forgotten.
July 2018
ACE Basin
Black and Yellow Swallowtails feeding at a robust stand of Butterfly Bush
Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Charleston, SC
May 2, 2023
An Ebony Jewelwing Damselfly perched on a leaf with a potential Mayfly snack on the underside.
A few minutes before I had watched another one of these damselflies chase a Mayfly. They both exhibited serious flying skills and that time the Mayfly prevailed. Here, I wondered if the damselfly knew the Mayfly was there.
Francis Beidler Forest, SC
April 7, 2023
