Butterly ID – Fritillary?
Location: Northern Wisconsin
September 3, 2011 11:07 pm
Good day. I took this pic on 8/27, and have been trying to identify what type of butterfly it is. I bought a guidebook and it seems to be a fritillary, but I’m struggling with just which one it is. Thanks for your help.
Signature: Laurie

Fritillary

Hi Laurie,
We still have problems trying to identify many of the Greater Fritillaries in the genus Speyeria to the species level.  We will post your photo and continue to research, but we hope to enlist the assistance of our readership with a proper identification.  You can also try browsing the species on BugGuide.

Hi Daniel,
Thanks so much for your response.  The more I tried to identify “which” specific fritillary, the more confused I became.  I’ve been looking into guides and websites specific to the region, but can’t reach a conclusion .  And I know another photo with the wings open would have helped.  The ones that seem closest to my pic are Atlantis, Aphrodite, Great Spangled, or Silver-Bordered but I’m not sure.
Thanks, again.  This may just be one of “life’s mysteries” and that’s OK.
Laurie

Nice research Laurie,
Our top choices were the Aphrodite Fritillary and Great Spangled Fritillary, but we didn’t feel confident enough with the identification to relay that information.

Thanks, Daniel.  My first two choices were Atlantis or Great Spangled but for no specific reason.  One of my guides talks about the forewing on the Aphrodite having an additional black dot, so I had moved that choice down the list a bit.  And the size of the Great Spangled seemed a bit large but otherwise close.   I know it’s nature and nothing is ever concrete.
I’m gonna post this pic to my bird forum and see what they think and I’ll let you know if they have any thoughts.
Laurie

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Do you what type of butterfly this it was on the butterfly bush. The outside wings look like bark and the inside wings had different shades of orange and brown.
Daniel Parsons to bugman
show details 7:21 PM (5 hours ago)
Do you what type of butterfly this it was on the butterfly bush. The outside wings look like bark and the inside wings had different shades of orange and brown.

Tortoiseshell Butterfly

Hi Daniel,
Though we have nothing personal against cellular telephones, we do not care to own one.  We wish Daniel would find a way to make the cell phone submissions utilize our standard form that requires that fields be filled in.  One of our fields is location, and we hate not knowing the location.

Milbert's Tortoiseshell

We have determined it to be Milbert’s Tortoiseshell based on BugGuide images.  Many of the Anglewing Butterflies have the undersides of the wings patterned like wood camouflage.

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butterfly or moth
Location: Benton, AR
August 23, 2011 7:03 pm
I say butterfly and son says moth. Searched through pics til I wore myself out last night. Interesting little critter who did a marvelous job of posing. How bout settling the question and tell us more about this specimen. Thanks,
Ron Dupree
Signature: I am usually right.

Red Admiral

Dear Ron,
You are correct, but we hope you don’t gloat over this.  In your son’s defense, lists that try to oversimplify distinguishing a butterfly from a moth often cite the wing position as a factor.  Generally, moths rest with wings open, like this Red Admiral butterfly, and butterflies generally rest with wings folded over the body.  This may have led to your son’s confusion.  The Red Admiral was one of author Vladimir Nabokov’s favorite butterflies, and he poetically called it the Red Admirable, though in Russia it is also known as the Butterfly of Doom because great numbers migrated in 1881, the year Tsar Alexander II was assassinated.

I won’t gloat……….much.  We enjoy good-natured kidding and, as the one who has been around a bit more than my son, I am usually right but always ready to be corrected.  In fairness, I noted the folded wing position a few times also.  Thanks for making our wildlife viewing more enjoyable.  You do a good service…..keep up the good work.

We wanted to come back to this positively gorgeous butterfly.  Dark butterflies often spread their wings in the sun to absorb heat.  Dark Nymphalids, the Brush Footed Butterflies, often hibernate.  Red Admirals might hibernate, but Mourning Cloaks definitely do.  Butterflies that rest with their wings open often do so to absorb warmth.

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A butterfly just emerged from its chrysalis outside the back door. I say, good start to the week.
Location:  Highland Park, Los Angeles, California
August 15, 2011
Any idea who this looker is?
I’m your Highland Park near-neighbor.
All best,
Josh

Gulf Fritillary

Hi Josh,
We were just in Highland Park Saturday and we need to run to Digicolor on York Boulevard as soon as we finish this posting.  You must have passionflower vines nearby.  This is a newly emerged Gulf Fritillary, one of the most common butterflies in Los Angeles, and its range has expanded considerably with the cultivation of its food plant, vines in the genus Passiflora, which have naturalized in Southern California.

Correct on the passionflowers! Thanks.

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