Eastern Purple Coneflower
This Eastern Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) makes for a spectacular “ornamental” type of plant for boxes and plots! I put ornamental in quotation marks because it is far more than a decorative object or flashy looking flower. It is a native perennial that is very popular among our pollinators, and adding them to your garden – wherever it may be – will not only give it a lovely look but also a feeding frenzy of insects. On the day I took this photo I saw Black Swallowtails, Spicebush Swallowtails, Orange and Clouded Sulphurs, Cabbage Whites, a Viceroy, and...
Read MoreThe Viceroy
The Viceroy butterfly (Limenitis archippus) has probably fooled you before. It gets us all at one point or another. Monarch butterflies come to mind much more readily for nearly everyone even as their population has plummeted in recent years. In comparison to the Monarch the Viceroy has a smaller, leaner and more aerodynamic appearance to me. The key distinguishing feature is a postmedian black line across the veins on the hindwing which the Monarch lacks. The Viceroy also flies in a lazier, drifting fashion with the wings often spread horizontally, almost coasting along for small stretches....
Read MoreViceroy (Limenitis archippus)
It’s turning out to be a gorgeous afternoon once again across the Northeast. Here’s a Meet Your Neighbours visitor you may see in your garden on such a day – no, it is not a Monarch, look carefully! This is the Viceroy (Limenitis archippus), a smaller species that flies with a much more erratic gliding fashion, coasting along at a faster speed with the wings held horizontally and stretched out. In these photos you can also see the postmedian black line that runs along the veins of the hindwing. Once you have seen enough of their movements and behaviors you’ll be able...
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