One of the many wildflowers growing along the drive at Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge.


April 14, 2022
Parts of Black Point Wildlife Drive were lined with thistle when I was there in mid-April. Most of the blooms had gone by, but a few were on a different schedule.
A few Skippers were taking full advantage.
Most of the plants looked like some variation of this.
Black Point Wildlife Drive
Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, FL
April 12, 2022
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.
A patch of thistle was growing at the edge of a parking area at Santee National Wildlife Refuge, Cuddo Unit. I suspect it was planted or at least encouraged by human intervention: it was a little too neat to be just wild.
An assortment of insects were working the thistle blooms, with a Black Swallowtail standing out.
The blooms were in all stages of development, some well on their way to releasing seeds for a new crop.