Big Baby Butterfly
May 25, 2010
I saw this guy when I was watering the flowers, he was so big and I could tell he just became a butterfly his wings were still drying. Hence why I was able to get a decent pic, since he couldnt fly that well/far. I was wondering what kind of butterfly this is, if I held him with wings spread he would be about the size of my hand. Plus I was able to take a good pic of a great specimen and thought I would share with ya’ll.
Caitlyn in Austin
Leander, Tx
Giant Swallowtail
Hi Caitlyn,
This beauty is a Giant Swallowtail, and the caterpillars, which feed upon the leaves of citrus trees and resemble bird droppings, are called Orange Dogs. The Giant Swallowtail is a native species and citrus is not. Prior to the introduction of citrus trees to North America, the caterpillars of the Giant Swallowtail fed upon native trees including Common Pricklyash and Common Hoptree. With the introduction of citrus, the range of the Giant Swallowtail has greatly increased to include Arizona and California.
Is this a cloudywing skipper?
May 18, 2010
I took the picture of this fellow in the middle of the day on May 2 while taking a walk in Silver Springs State Park (FL). I’m pretty sure it’s a skipper of some sort, but I haven’t been able to identify which one. The nearest image I’ve been able to find is a cloudywing (genus Thorybes) though I saw a Cogia (no common name) also seemed close. Can you tell me what it is?
Karen H.
Belleview, FL
Skipper
Dear Karen,
Trying to differentiate the Skippers in the family Hesperiidae from one another is no small feat, because according to BugGuide, they are: “Generally small, mostly orange or brown butterflies with short fat bodies, hooked antennae and rapid, skipping flight. Some species (chiefly Spreadwing Skippers, subfamily Pyrginae) hold their wings in a single flat plane, many others hold hind wings flat and forewings at an angle.“ We haven’t the necessary skills to properly identify the specimen in this photo, and indeed, examination of the actual specimen may be necessary because sometimes a photograph just isn’t sufficient for proper identification. There is a photograph posted to BugGuide of a Northern Cloudywing, Thorybes pylades, a species that despite its name ranges into Florida, and that image seems to match your individual quite closely. The genus Cogia, according to BugGuide, ranges in the western states, so we would eliminate that possibility.
Beautiful Butterfly
May 11, 2010
My 4 year old son and I found and caught this guy in my backyard. I’ve never seen a butterfly with these colors and markings before. He seemed to be having trouble flying, so we gently scooped him up and moved him onto a potted plant, where he’s been content to hang out for hours now. We’re in northern Florida near wetlands (St. John’s River). Can you help us identify?
Curious Dad
Orange Park, FL
Great Purple Hairstreak
Dear Curious Dad,
Though the Great Purple Hairstreak, Atlides halesus, ranges as far north as New York, Oregon and Illinois, according to BugGuide, it only breeds in the Southern states. Most of our reports come from Florida, though we have also gotten photos from Texas. The presence of the iridescent blue patch on the underside of the forewing identifies this as a male, though in two of your images, that patch is not visible.
Black butterfly with red spots on the bottom of its wings
May 2, 2010
I need to know what this butter fly is, i need the common name, the species, and the genus. it is for a project
thank you, kimmy
in monrovia canyon park in california
Montezuma's Cattleheart sighted in California!!!
Dear Kimmy,
This is quite an unusual sighting since this is not a native butterfly. Our first thought was that this must be an escapee from a butterfly pavilion, but upon searching through the Mariposa Mexicanas website, we believe we identified your specimen as a Montezuma’s Cattleheart, Parides montezuma. Since it is native to Mexico, it is entirely possibly that it has strayed to California under its own power, or possibly it may have been accidentally imported on a plant or other item that entered the country and bypassed customs. We are tagging your letter as an Invasive Exotic, though it is possible that the butterfly is naturally increasing its range.
Butterfly
April 26, 2010
Found this butterfly on a Magnolia leaf on 24 April 2010 . Can’t seem to find a photo of anything that looks like it apart from a green veined Butterfly?
Bugsie
Eastcoast (Wicklow) Ireland.
Orangetip
Hi Bugsie,
We haven’t the time to research the exact species at this moment, but this is an Orangetip, possibly genus Anthocharis, from the family Pieridae, the Whites and Sulphurs.
Update
Immediately upon returning from work today, we did the necessary research, and quickly identified the Orangetip as Anthocharis cardamines on the UK Butterflies website.
Mystery swallowtail
April 19, 2010
This has been a banner spring (2010) in Virginia for tiger swallowtails, our state insect. Both yellow and dark morphs have been crawling all over my azaleas, lilacs, and crabapples. But late in the day on April 6, this critter flew to my Sargent crabapple and caught my attention… and luckily my camera was handy. I can’t find any photos of swallowtails that have such prominent “eye spots” on the upper wing. The swallow-tails are blurry in the photo, but they were prominent; are there butterflies with swallow-tails that aren’t Swallowtails?
Winston
Louisa County, Virginia, USA
Tiger Swallowtail
Hi Winston,
This is a Tiger Swallowtail, which you point out has females that can be either light or dark, but occasionally an individual arises that can’t seem to make up its mind if it is light or dark, and an intermediate morph is produced. This is one of those rarities. We received another example back in August 2008, and it had more light coloration than your example, but it is similar. Thanks for sending this wonderful anomaly our way.
rss
I like This
