Diana Fritillary
Someone had sent in a picture some months ago of a Diana Fritillary and you put in on your web site. If I remember correctly, you mentioned that this was a rarely seen butterfly. While I spent a leisurely day at Wilson Creek Gorge in North Carolina, I feel fortunate to have spotted this butterfly and was able to photograph it. It is truly beautiful! Thought you and others might enjoy seeing it. Looking forward to your new web site. Happy to contribute,
Patrick Crone
Hi Patrick,
We are so lucky to receive your gorgeous photo of a female Diana Fritillary, Speyeria diana, a rare species with local populations. BugGuide states: “A spectacularly dimorphic species. Males are brown with an orange border. Femaleas are blue and black members of the Pipevine Swallowtail mimicry complex” meaning that the two sexes look nothing alike. We also know that you are requesting an identification on a Geometrid Moth, and that will take a bit of research. Since we are in charge of a hiring committee at our job, we need to go to work several hours early on this pre-dawn, rain-soaked, Los Angeles day, and we don’t have time to provide an answer at the moment.