Common Buckeye Butterfly
Meet the Common Buckeye (Junonia coenia) butterfly, and while this one is a bit worn here at the end of the season, it has some incredibly good looks nonetheless.
Read MoreSwarthy Skipper (Nastra lherminier)
Thanks so much to everyone who joined us for the butterfly walk at Stratford Point today! Thankfully the Swarthy Skipper (Nastra lherminier) made an appearance several times with several individuals around. Plenty of Monarchs and the uncommon Cloudless Sulphurs plus Gray Hairstreaks and much more delighted over 45 attendees. With such a large group it was hard to all follow the discussion or every butterfly but we hope everyone enjoyed some of the great sightings. Come back soon! You never know what you might find, like the rare Long-tailed Skipper I enjoyed a couple days ago for a brief few...
Read MoreSnowberry Clearwing Moth (Hemaris diffinis)
There are still clearwing moths on the wing, and in the last couple of weeks I have actually seen a number of Snowberry Clearwing Moth (Hemaris diffinis) like this one. When there are so many individual flowers to feed on they are all the more difficult to photograph with fast movement back and forth…here, there and everywhere! I thought the reflection of the sun being visible here in those rapidly beating wings was especially cool. Sightings like this underline the importance of having pollinator plants that are blooming and full of nectar during all parts of the warm season. Spring,...
Read MoreButterfly Weed Party
Below is a photo of an absurd scene that became normal this August on any Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa) that I could find – look at all those butterflies! The fiery orange flower is a native milkweed and extremely attractive to a wide variety of species looking for some nectar. We have an Orange Sulphur, Crescents, and the iconic and wonderfully matched Monarchs all feeding here. Just how many Crescents can we fit on one bloom? Take a look at this Monarch as it is showing some signs of wear and tear. This individual likely took a long journey to us and now it will mate, lay eggs,...
Read MoreBroad-winged Skipper (Poanes viator)
The uncommon skippers are starting to pop up more and more as butterflies fill the fields and meadows here in the late summer. This Broad-winged Skipper (Poanes viator) is a species of marshes and wet areas, though in this case it provided great views in a garden.
Read More
