rss Monarch Butterfly Ovipositing on Mexican Milkweed
Location: Hawthorne, CA
October 11, 2011
Hi Daniel,
Here are my Monarch photos. I’m thinking that I definitely had ovipositing going on in the photos that contain Mexican Milkweed?
Anna
Monarch Butterfly Oviposits on Milkweed
Thanks for sending us more photos of the thriving Monarch Butterfly population in your home garden Anna.
Bug Love – Sulphur Butterflies
Location: New Canaan, CT
October 10, 2011 8:51 pm
Saw a large group of these Alfalfa Sulphur Butterflies on Zinias at the New Canaan CT Nature Center. There was a lot of mating going on. The male has solid brown rims around the edges of his wings and the female has spots in her brown wing edges. Aren’t they beautiful?! These and Cabbage Whites are the only butterflies I have seen for the last 2 weeks. I think the weather has shooed all the others away.
Signature: Hellywell
Alfalfa Sulfurs
Dear Hellywell,
Your photos of frolicking and courting Alfalfa Sulfurs or Orange Sulfurs, Colias eurytheme, are positively charming. Our editorial staff has fond memories of the Sulfurs flitting around the clover in the fields in Ohio, a sight that is sadly nonexistent in Los Angeles.
Alfalfa Sulfurs
Mom in Ohio claims that zinnias are the best garden flowers for attracting butterflies.
Alfalfa Sulfurs
Moth or Butterfly
Location: Delaware, Ohio 43015
September 29, 2011 5:51 pm
Hello! I have seen this creature before but I can not find any info on it anywhere. I think it’s a moth, but I am not sure. This picture was taken 8/4/2011 in Delaware, Ohio. It was about and inch or so long from wingtip to wingtip. She is lovely and I would like to know the genus and species.
Thank you,
Signature: Heidi Lange-Herzog
I have confirmed it’s a butterfly and not a moth. I’m sure you didn’t need me to tell you that though. Thank you. Heidi
Tawny Emperor
Hi Heidi,
Though you indicated you have confirmed that this is a butterfly, you did not indicate if you learned the species. This appears to us to be a Tawny Emperor, Asterocampa clyton, based on this photo posted to BugGuide.
Red Spotted Purple Butterfly
Location: NC
September 27, 2011 10:47 pm
My daughter found the caterpillar of this lovely butterfly. I was surprised what a beautiful butterfly emerged out of the chrysalis.
Signature: Jeanette
Red Spotted Purple
Hi Jeanette,
Many people believe the Red Spotted Purple is the most beautiful North American butterfly, and we will not argue with them. We are not certain we have ever chosen our favorite, but the Red Spotted Purple would surely be a contender. We hope this individual was eventually released because the insect habitat is no place for adult butterflies that should be flying free.
Oh yes, it was released quickly! We usually keep our moths and butterflies for only one or two days to observe and then let them go. The Red Spotted Purple defiantly has my vote for the most beautiful!
Question Mark Butterfly (Polygonia interrogationis)
Location: Naperville, IL
September 25, 2011 11:07 pm
Hi Daniel~
I think this is a winter form question mark butterfly (as opposed to a summer form). I read that they rarely take nectar, but this one couldn’t seem to get enough of this pink delight buddleia. It flew from flower to flower and hung around for nearly 30 minutes while I snapped away.
All the best,
Signature: Dori Eldridge
Questionmark
Hi Dori,
Your photos are really quite lovely. The closed wing view nicely showcases the silvery questionmark on the hind wings. We agree that this is the fall or winter color form of an individual that will most likely pass the winter in hibernation. According to BugGuide: “Adult: underside of hindwing has unique silver “question mark” shape. Upper forewing has extra black dash not in the similar Eastern Comma. (2) Upper hindwing of summer form is mostly black with short tails; winter form is orange/black with longer violet tipped tails. (1) Wing are very angular in outline.” Here is a photo from BugGuideof the darker summer form for comparison.
Questionmark: Winter Form
Crab Spider? eating a skipper?
Location: Charleston, SC
September 19, 2011 12:15 pm
This was photographed just outside of Charleston, SC in a monastery called Mepkin Abbey. I found these two in small purple flowers growing along one of their many paths.
Signature: Steven
Crab Spider Eats Skipper
Hi Steven,
Your photo of a Crab Spider in the family Thomisidae feeding on a Skipper in the family Hesperiidae is an excellent addition to our Food Chain tag. This is at least the fourth entry we have received documenting this particular predator/prey combination. Crab Spiders are hunting spiders that do not spin a web, and several species are typically found hiding well camouflaged in blossoms awaiting hapless pollinating insects including Skippers. Skippers are butterflies that are typically considered to be a transitional family between butterflies and moths, and they get their common name from their quick, darting flight.
aussietrev Northern Jezebel
Location: Queensland. Australia
September 19, 2011 10:14 pm
Hi guys,
Thought you might like to add this Northern Jezebel to your archive. Flitting through my vegetable patch dining from a radish let go to flower, they make a stunning sight.
Signature: aussietrev
Northern Jezebel
Hi Trevor,
Thanks so much for providing us with such a lovely photo of this beautiful member of the family Pieridae, the Whites and Sulfurs. According to the Butterfly House website of Australian species, the Northern Jezebel is Delias argenthona, and it is found in parts of New Guinea and Australia. We cannot help but to wonder how this lovely species as well as its relatives have gotten the lascivious common name of Jezebel, and since we don’t have the time to research the matter, we are going to let our imaginations run wild. Whenever we hear the name Jezebel, we immediately think of the classic black and white film starring Bette Davis as a headstrong Southern Belle who creates a scandal when she wears a red dress to a ball. Red is a rare color among the members of the family Pieridae, so the almost garish markings on the Northern Jezebel and other members of the genus are most distinctive, and could have been a contributing factor in the selection of the common name. You can see the red dress scene from Jezebel on YouTube.
what’s this butterfly called
Location: South western ontario near michigan border
September 11, 2011 7:07 am
Hello,
I stumbled upon your site just yesterday and spent at least an hour and half browsing the archives. I really should have been cleaning but this was waaaaaaaaaaaay more interesting. Loved the site so now I am writing to learn about three of the specimens that I saw in my yard.
I had rescued two butterfly bushes from the bargain bin last fall at our local nursery. They were a mere five dollars each. This season they grew fabulously. Full and covered with dozens of blooms all summer. Due to these two bushes I have found a new hobby. Trying to capture (on camera) and identify the dozens of butterflies that have been gracing my yard with their presnece. The other day I took this picture on my i phone(not a great shot but will ahve to do). My co-worker informed me it was a fritillary. I looked it up on line and I think it is more likely a question mark butterfly. I did not photograph the underside of the wing but from the top, it looks very much like one and nothing like a fritillary. Perhaps you can clear this up.
Not sure if image two is a painted lady? Image three I think is a species of hummingbird moth.
Thanks
Signature: Shelley
Questionmark or other Anglewing
Hi Shelley,
The butterfly in question is not a Fritillary. Your belief that it is a Questionmark is a strong possibility, though we would not rule out that it might be another one of the Anglewings, including the Comma. The butterfly you believe is a Painted Lady is the closely related Red Admiral.
Red Admiral
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