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Australian Caper Gull

Australian Caper Gull
Mon, Nov 3, 2008 at 1:17 AM
Hi guys,
Had my first photo opportunity with this Australian Caper Gull (Cepora perimale scyllara ) when it got interested in the Basil in my garden. There are a few of them around but they are usually very flighty and hard to get close to. Hope you like it.
aussietrev
Queensland, Australia

caper gull australia trevor 300x261 Australian Caper Gull

Australian Caper Gull

Hi Trevor,
Once again, thanks for contributing a new species to our expanding selection of Bugs Down Under.  We are linking to a James Cook University website with additional information on the Australian Caper Gull, a butterfly in the family Pieridae that includes Whites and Sulfurs.

Posted 05 November 2008 § Whites and Sulfurs ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged:
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Common Buckeye

Butterfly ID?
Sun, Oct 26, 2008 at 4:03 PM
I photographed this butterfly sunning on the deck by the pool in early Sept. At first it looks quite plain, but some of the detail is stunning! I guess I am going to have to invest in some good insect id books to go with my new camera!
Sara Edwards
NW Tennessee

buckeye sara 300x195 Common Buckeye

Common Buckeye

Hi Sara,
This beautiful butterfly is known as the Common Buckeye.  We hope its human namesakes, all those Ohio voters in the Buckeye Swing State, get out to vote.

Posted 27 October 2008 § Brush Footed Butterflies ‡ Comments (1) °

Pipevine Swallowtail

What is this blue and black butterfly?
Sun, Oct 26, 2008 at 12:23 PM
I live in Central FL (Orlando area) and saw a black and blue butterfly on one of my sunflowers. It had orange and white spots under his wings. I have looked on a TON of butterfly sites and cannot figure out what kind of butterfly it is. I’d love to know!
Kate
Orlando, FL

pipevine kate top 300x251 Pipevine Swallowtail

Pipevine Swallowtail

Hi Kate,
Your butterfly is a Pipevine Swallowtail, Battus philenor.  Peter Glassberg, in his book Butterflies through Binoculars The West, writes:  “As butterfly gardeners plant more pipevines, the range of this species will probably  expand.”

pipevine kate under 270x300 Pipevine Swallowtail

Swallowtail

Posted 26 October 2008 § swallowtails ‡ Comments (1) °
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Mating Big Greasy Butterflies from Australia

Greasy Sex Picture
Tue, Oct 21, 2008 at 9:19 PM
Probably got your attention now icon smile Mating Big Greasy Butterflies from Australia , out bird watching and came across these mating Big Greasy Butterflies. Only had the 400mm telephoto on so not as detailed as I would have liked but thought you might like it for the bug love pages. Do many butterflies mate in this face to face position?
Regards the Moths of Australia website, Don is one of my inspirations in the bug world and I emailed him for an ID of the plume moth. He liked the picture so much he asked if he could add it to his page
aussietrev
Queensland, Australia

big greasies mating trevor 300x226 Mating Big Greasy Butterflies from Australia

Big Greasy Butterflies Mating

Hi again Trevor,
This is a beautiful photo of mating Big Greasy Butterflies, Cressida cressida.  While the common name is somewhat offputting, it is nonetheless a lovely butterfly.  The Big Greasy is also known by the more attractive name Clearwing Swallowtail.

Posted 22 October 2008 § swallowtails ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged: ,

Question Mark

Question Mark Butterfly?
Sun, Oct 19, 2008 at 11:09 AM
We found a cacoon stuck to my daughter’s sand pail handle so I brought it in so we could see what came out of it. This is what came out. SO PRETTY. We had to catch it so we could let it go outside. Not sure what kind it is? I’m thinking question mark, we have a book but it looks purple in the book. Is this still the same?
Aubrey
North Texas

questionmark aubrey 300x226 Question Mark

Question Mark

Hi Aubrey,
Your identification of this Question Mark is absolutely correct.  Differentiating the various species of “punctuation mark” butterflies can be quite difficult.  We are still having major problems with our Time Warner internet connection, and our signal is very very very slow.  Consequently, we can only post a few letters.

Posted 20 October 2008 § Brush Footed Butterflies ‡ Comments (0) °

Nais Metalmark

nais metalmark
Sat, Oct 18, 2008 at 7:40 PM
it’s me again,
this was another first for me this summer and i was so thrilled to see and to photograph this little beauty. i didn’t know what it was at first and i had fun looking thru my books to find it. it’s small and didn’t stay still hardly at all, but i managed to get a dorsal and ventral photo’s, which is what i love to do when the bitterflies let me. i just love how he’s using his antennae to check out the flower in the ventral view.
hope you can use these in your archives.
as always, thanks for all your help,
venice

nais metalmark venice 300x273 Nais Metalmark

Nais Metalmark

Hi Venice,
Your contribution of the Nais Metalmark, Apodemia nais, is greatly appreciated.  The green eyes help with this species identification.

nais metalmark ventral venice 257x300 Nais Metalmark

Nais Metalmark

Posted 19 October 2008 § ‡ Comments (0) °

Parnassian Butterflies

phoebus parnassians
Sat, Oct 18, 2008 at 7:25 PM
hi daniel,
attached are male phoebus parnassian photo’s taken this past july. the one with the little dark hook like lines on the rear wing i believe is a high elevation parnassian.

parnassian venice 259x300 Parnassian Butterflies

Parnassian

the other two photo’s are also a male parnassian but according to glassberg they are low elevation. however i took the photo’s at roughly the same elevation (9,000 feet)but on different days.
enjoy, venice

parnassian low el venice 300x229 Parnassian Butterflies

Parnassian low elevation

Hi Again Venice,
We are always reluctant to post location photos for Parnassian Butterflies since they are endangered and since collectors are quite rabid about catching them.  The Phoebus Parnassian, Parnassius phoebus, is highly variable, and isolated populations are often quite different from other populations.  We would hate to have your mountain decended upon by Japanese and German butterfly collectors, but we are thrilled to post your gorgeous photos.

parnassian 3 venice 292x300 Parnassian Butterflies

Parnassian

Posted 19 October 2008 § ‡ Comments (0) °

Uhler’s Arctic, we presume

wonderful UFO b-fly
Wed, Oct 15, 2008 at 8:24 AM
hi daniel,
what a wonderful new format on your website. thanks for doing that. and here i am again with a question. i got this UFO butterfly picture that i thought you might be able to id, or know someone who can. the photo was taken last june 25, 6 miles north of nederland colo. this b-fly got away from me so fast i was surprised i even got this photo.
in my quest for identification, i have searched thru my books and i also took the photo down the mountain to a butterfly pavilion. they didn’t know who this was either.
i appreciate any help you might offer, and i appreciate your work always. i’m on your website all the time, it is such fun.
thanks so much,
venice kelly

uhlers arctic venice 300x275 Uhlers Arctic, we presume

Uhler

Hi Again Venice.
We have done copious amounts of research on this and are confident that we can supply you with something akin to an answer. First, all indications are that this is one of the Satyrs, in the Nymphalidae subfamily of Satyridae. We believe this to be one of the Arctics in the genus Oeneis. Our edition of Jeffrey Glassberg’s Butterflies Through Binoculars The West indicates: “chasing arctics over rocks at 12,000 ft. in order to get a good look at them is not for the faint of heart.” The species we are most set on is Uhler’s Arctic, Oeneis uhleri. Glassberg writes that they are “usually with four or five small, dark eyespots spread along the HW submarginal line. HW usually with ‘strata’ pattern, like sedimentary rock. Habitat: Dry prairies, ridgetops, and other dry, open, grassy situations. Abundance: Mid May-mid July. Food: Grasses. Comments: Flight is generally high off the ground, but slow, making them easy to follow.” We then turned to the www and found the following websites and information. The USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center website for North Dakota Butterflies has photos that look quite close, and lists a flight time that agrees with your sighting. The Butterflies and Moths of North America website lists you in the range and the flight times also agree. Repetitive information and photos that don’t seem to match your specimen can be found on the Butterflies and Skippers of North America website. We eagerly welcome all challenges to this identification.

Daniel,
OMG! thank you so much. i can’t tell you how happy i am to finally know who this guy is. i have been so lucky this season, to have photographed and identified 63 species of butterflies (and a few that i hadn’t id) mostly with in a mile of my mountain home. i still have a couple more i’ll send along to you sometime.   i’m glad you liked the green comma too.  thanks again soooo much, i just love your art project.
cheers, venice

Posted 16 October 2008 § Brush Footed Butterflies ‡ Comments (0) °

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