Garden butterflies

[Meadowlark]

With the summer season beginning to fade I'm expecting to see some "new" varieties come through. Today, several of these Dorantes Longtail (Urbanus dorantes) were present on the lantana bushes. Southeast Texas is about the northernmost this one ranges as it is prominent in Argentina, Central America, Mexico etc. You can see in the photo below why it is called "longtail".




Meanwhile my milkweed garden is coming along nicely. The goal is to attract possibly some Monarchs as they migrate south through Texas to Mexico for the winter. In the foreground the Swamp milkweed is shown and next over from it the Orange Butterfly milkweed, with the Calico Aster in the background double protected from rabbits which love to graze on it. These plants were started back in July and have weathered the hottest part of the year. Soon I will plant seeds of several more milkweed varieties to get established for next spring.

 

[Meadowlark]

Another new variety today, the silver-spotted skipper (Epargyreus clarus), is easily recognized by the distinctive silver spot on its hindwings. it has a erratic and rapid flight pattern making it difficult to capture in a photo., but succeeded today.

 

[Meadowlark]

The long-tailed skipper (Urbanus proteus) resembles the Dorantes skipper shown earlier but the tail is not as pronounced, and the head is larger. It is found throughout tropical and subtropical South America south to Argentina.

 

[Meadowlark]

The clouded skipper (Lerema accius) is commonly found in the Southern USA and its range extends through Mexico and Central America to Colombia. Lantana seems to be one of its favorite plants.

 

[Meadowlark]

Wow an explosion of Gulf Fritillary in action today. Wonder if the Hurricanes in the Gulf are having an influence.

 

[Zigs]

Excellent Mr Lark

 

[Meadowlark]

Drum Roll please...new variety captured on photo today running with the abundance of Gulf Fritillary.

Introducing the The Variegated Fritillary (Euptoieta claudia) ...with its vibrant colors and distinctive flight pattern, embodying the rich tapestry of the butterfly kingdom. This species is found across the Americas.

 

[Meadowlark]

Another new to me variety today, very small and very difficult to "catch" en photo.


Introducing the Little Wood Satyr Butterfly (Megisto cymela). It has distinctive markings (eyespots two on each forewing and two on each hindwing)....but its low flying pattern makes a difficult photo capture plus its size at about 1 inch across doesn't help.

 

[Tetters]

I can't see the butterfly clearly, but this picture made me wish the lantana flowers could be treated as perennial here. They flower through from springtime to autumn - that reminds me we have some frost forecast so Ziggy said

 

[Anniekay]

I can't see the butterfly clearly, but this picture made me wish the lantana flowers could be treated as perennial here. They flower through from springtime to autumn - that reminds me we have some frost forecast so Ziggy said

You might take some cuttings and have them "perennially".

 

[Tetters]

You might take some cuttings and have them "perennially".

Yeah I know, and I'm tempted, but I promised myself I would try and stick with really tough stuff that looks after itself. Anyway, there is very little greenhouse space left now - there are ruddy cactus plants all over the place

 

[Meadowlark]

I can't see the butterfly clearly, but this picture made me wish the lantana flowers could be treated as perennial here. They flower through from springtime to autumn - that reminds me we have some frost forecast so Ziggy said

Apologies for the photo. The subject was highly elusive plus I'm just not a polished photo taker. Those butterfly are sometimes hard to get on photo...but I'm having a lot of fun looking for and identifying new ones and greeting old friends. I'm surprised more people don't follow these wonderful creatures.

@Tetters , I'd sure recommend making the effort on Lantana cause the rewards are excellent. All summer long the best blooming plant in the garden.

 

[Tetters]

Apologies for the photo. The subject was highly elusive plus I'm just not a polished photo taker. Those butterfly are sometimes hard to get on photo...but I'm having a lot of fun looking for and identifying new ones and greeting old friends. I'm surprised more people don't follow these wonderful creatures.

@Tetters , I'd sure recommend making the effort on Lantana cause the rewards are excellent. All summer long the best blooming plant in the garden.

I didn't mean for that to be a criticism, and apologies were most definitely not needed
I can see the butterfly, and it's not one I would recognise. I just wish we had seen a lot more of these lovely creatures this year - in fact the only wildlife I've seen an abundance of is the ruddy slugs and snails.

 

[Meadowlark]

After months of waiting with anticipation and planting milkweed to attract, the endangered Monarch butterflys put on a show this afternoon on a bed of zinnias here at Meadowlark Ranch.

The monarch butterfly, (Danaus plexippus), is known for its large size, its orange and black wings, and its long annual migrations. Monarchs are concentrated in North, Central, and South America but can also be found in Australia, Hawaii, India, and other locations.

What a thrill to see these magnificent creatures, which are probably just passing through on their way to Mexico. I was impressed by their docile demeanor...very calm and unafraid of me unlike most other varieties I have seen.

 

[Meadowlark]

I've read that the Queen butterfly is a close relative to the above Monarch also fancies zinnias and the company of Monarchs. Queen butterflies have a broad geographical distribution across North and Central America, stretching from Brazil and Peru up to the southern United States.

What a day for butterflys...on parade.

 

[Tetters]

You are indeed very fortunate to see these lovely creatures. Flowers are so important on the garden scene. Although we do not eat them, they have equal merit. They help the general plan along, and they also add to our mental well-being.

 

[Meadowlark]

Yes, agree @Tetters . I've done a lot of big time fishing and the thrill those Monarchs gave me yesterday was equivalent to landing a trophy fish.

 

[Sheal]

A few months ago I read an interesting article on Monarch butterflies in the National Geographic magazine. Not only about their life cycle but the amazing distances they fly when migrating. It's also possible now to track their flight paths.

 

[Meadowlark]

.... It's also possible now to track their flight paths.

Do you have a link for that possibly?

On this Earth, they rank as one of the very top creatures ever in my book.

 

[Sheal]

The link below may help you @Meadowlark. I read the magazine in magazine form not on the internet so I won't log in or subscribe.

To save monarch butterflies, these scientists want to move mountains

Climate change could wipe out monarchs' winter habitats by 2090, but an ‘assisted migration’ strategy aims to build new environs they could call home.

www.nationalgeographic.com