Subject: Butt-High Butterfly
Location: Memphis, TN
August 10, 2017 9:55 am
Sorry to bother you again so soon, but I can’t ID this butterfly. It doesn’t quite match up with any of the orange and black butterfly images I’ve found. Most of those show white markings and/or less “raggedy” wing edges. I think the wingspan was 1.5-2″?
It was standing in the shadier part of our driveway not long after sunrise with its head and foreparts crouched down and its hindparts raised. The abdomen was curled so that its tip was vertical. Any idea why?
Thanks so much for this site.
Signature: Laurel

Tawny Emperor

Dear Laurel,
This is a Tawny Emperor, Asterocampa clyton, which we identified on BugGuide, and it appears to be dead.  The position of its antennae is not something we would expect on a living butterfly.  According to BugGuide:  “Adults take fluid from dung, rotting fruit, carrion. Like the Hackberry Emperor, this butterfly is ‘friendly’, and likes to perch on sweaty humans.”

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Subject:  checkerspot or frittilary
Location:  Helena National Forest, Montana
August 8, 2017 5:10 PM
There was also another butterfly from the same place and date I haven’t had the time to ID either, though it looks like checkerspot or frittilary. Attached, just for fun.
Signature: Tina Toth

Checkerspot

Hi again Tina,
We have created a new posting with the image of the Checkerspot you attached to your response to our identification of the Weidemeyer’s Admiral.  We believe it is in the genus Chlosyne, but there are so many similar species, we do not feel confident with a definite species identification.  We gladly welcome any assistance our readership can provide.

Thank you! It’s fun reading your posts and seeing bugs from all over the world!

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Subject: Butterfly sighting – Inyo National Forest
Location: Inyo National Forest – Golden Trout Wilderness
August 7, 2017 4:06 pm
Hi Bugman,
While hiking at about 9,000 feet altitude in the Inyo National Forest (Southern Sierra Nevada) we spotted several of this butterfly, mostly on the ground. Thought it might be one of the “Ladies” but the bottom side of the wings were very dark. It’s wingspan was around 2 inches.
Though we didn’t get pictures, we also saw a lot of Yellow Swallowtails, Cabbage Whites and one that looked like a Common Checkered Skipper (light brown wings with white oval spots) but has a wingspan of over 2 inches.
Signature: Jeff Bremer

California Tortoiseshell

Dear Jeff,
This pretty little butterfly with good camouflage when its wings are closed is a California Tortoiseshell, Nymphalis californica, which you can verify by comparing your individual to this BugGuide image.  According to BugGuide:  “Adults emerge in June and fly until fall, then overwinter. They fly the following spring until April or May, mating and laying eggs for the next brood” and “Males perch in the late afternoon to look for females.”

California Tortoiseshell

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Subject: Irish Moth?
Location: Tralee, Ireland (Kerry)
July 29, 2017 7:08 am
Photographing the roses in Tralee today, we came upon this beautiful colored and quite docile moth. Wondering if someone might help ID it for us? Thanks for all you do!!
Signature: Cheers!

Peacock

This is not a Moth.  This is a species of butterfly called a Peacock, Aglais io.  According to UK Butterflies:  “The Peacock is a familiar sight in gardens across the British Isles and is unmistakable, with quite spectacular eyes on the upperside of the hindwings that give this butterfly its name.”

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Subject: Checkerspot? Crescent? Neither?
Location: Tonasket WA
July 28, 2017 7:04 am
Wish I could have gotten the upper sides of the wings, but the darn thing flew so fast, didn’t want me near it and only fed with it’s wings up. The upper sides were a whole bunch of bright dark orange with black pattern lines. Sneaking up on some butterflies is right up there with Ninja skills! It’s on a Gloriosa Daisy, and quite hot here, 90’s during the day, but 50’s at night. We have a year round creek, well treed, about 1/4 mile from us. Our bushes and trees are chokecherry, service berry, pine, fir, wild roses and red and black currant. Willows and elms on the creek. Average rainfall is less than 20″ a year, and winters can get to 20 below. Last winter was a real cold one. I’m surprised anything made it.
My favorite part of this butterfly is it’s antenna! In the sun they looked like fiber optic wands. The white part really glowed. The closest I could see it looked like was a Silver Checkerspot, but the eyespots on the hindwing are really the wrong colors, and the range for the silvers is the east, not the west. And then I got led to the Crescents…
So I’m plenty stumped. Please feel free to edit my pic for posting. Thanks everyone (submitters and staff) for this wonderful site. Tremendously informative, often amusing and the pictures are a real treat.
Signature: Cathy

Painted Lady

Dear Cathy,
Your image is quite lovely.  This is neither a Checkerspot nor a Crescent.  This is one of the Ladies in the genus Vanessa, and had you been able to get an image of the open wings, it would have made our identification more definite.  We believe this is a Painted Lady, as you can see by comparing your image to this BugGuide image, and not a West Coast Lady and the difference is described on BugGuide as:  “The most obvious character that separates this from the very similar Painted Lady, is the large subapical bar near the front of the forewing, which is orange on this species [ed. note speaking of the West Coast Lady] and white in The Painted Lady.”  Though the wings on your individual are closed, the subapical bar in question does appear to be white.

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