Great Year for Butterflies

Red Admiral

 This has been a great year for butterflies.

 It makes a "butterfly collector" like me giddy!

 (I collect photos of butterflies.

See my blog posted Aug. 1, 2010 

for the story about how I got into this 

hobby of mine and more photos.)

 Here are a few I've taken so far this spring.
Remember, you can click on any photo to see them close-up.

Summer Azure

Question Mark

You can tell this is a Question Mark (and not a Comma) 

because of the silvery-white "?" marking on the underside of its hindwing. 

Eastern Tailed-blue

Eastern Tailed-blue (female - with wings open)

The Eastern Tailed-blue looks a lot bluer when it's flying.

 It's wings are actually more light grey underneath and dark grey on top,

 but when it's flying it appears a lovely blue color.

Painted Lady

Here are a few that aren't the best quality, 

but are fun for me as they are ones I've never seen 

in this area before this year...

American Lady

The American Lady is quite similar to the Painted Lady, 

but it's wings (when opened) are more orange in color,
 and on the underside it has two big eyespots,
instead of four smaller ones, like the Painted Lady.

Common Buckeye

Talking about eyespots...
I've been trying to get a picture of this Buckeye for weeks!

He finally posed for me while I was out on a walk
 with Jeff a couple nights ago. 

All I had on me was my cell phone, 

and his wings were pretty chewed up by this time,

 but I was still happy to get the photo...such as it is.

Here are a few more from the last couple of years.

 These were all taken in our yard.

(Jeff is nice enough to plant flowers that attract butterflies.)

Dainty Sulfur on Purple Asters

Red-spotted Purple on Agastache

Orange Sulfur (female - pale morph)

Monarch

Hackberry Emperor

Painted Lady

And here are some I took up north.

Northern Crescent on Orange Hawkweed

These Crescents were quite prevalent when we were up there for our

 25th Anniversary last July. So when I saw the next little orange butterfly

 fluttering before me I thought, "I already have you." 

But he was persistent. So I told him, "If you sit down, I'll take your picture." 

And he did! 

I was thrilled to find out, he wasn't a Crescent after all, 

but a very rare Harvester Butterfly.

 I was so happy God sent him to me.

Harvester

Atlantis Fritillary

 This one is quite a bit larger than those other two orange butterflies. 

But it took me a long time before

 I found one who was willing to pose for me. 

 I don't have a fancy camera, so I have to get in really close to take them.

I'm talking 2 or 3 inches.

White Admiral

I played with the brightness/contrast on this one

 so you could see the red in it's wings. 

Just beautiful!

 It's probably my favorite picture. 

Sometimes people compliment my butterfly photos,

but the truth is, all I do is get in close and push a button. 

God is the artist. 

He does marvelous work, wouldn't you agree.

Viceroy