butterfly
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Butterflies Clinging On In A Stiff Wind
I was visiting my front yard, as I often do, and happened to notice something odd in one of the oak trees. On closer inspection, it turned out to be two Queen butterflies clinging on in a strong wind — the weather report said 16mph with gusts of up to 30mph and standing there I Continue reading
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What Do You Call A Group Of Butterflies?
On my way back from the mailbox one day, I saw a group of three Queen (Danaus gilippus) butterflies, and one other of a different kind, all on the Gregg’s Mistflower (Conoclinium greggii) in my front pollinator garden. That got me to wondering what is the collective noun for butterflies. I found several lists that include Continue reading
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Activity In The Front “Lawn” Frogfruit
There is Frogfruit (Phyla nodiflora) in the front lawn area, outside of the native flower meadow area. In that location, it’s mixed with Bermudagrass and lies close to the ground. There are a lot of blooms at the moment (they are short enough to escape the mower), and the quantity and diversity of insect visitors Continue reading
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Phaon Crescent
Frogfruit (Phyla nodiflora) is the host plant for Phaon Crescent (Phyciodes phaon) butterflies. For several weeks I have been seeing many of these small butterflies, although I haven’t spotted any caterpillars yet. There are nibbles on Frogfruit leaves, however. Maybe caterpillars are doing that? This butterfly also visits other nearby plants, although in this case on the Texas Continue reading
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Funereal Duskywing
This is a Funereal Duskywing (Erynnis funeralis) butterfly feeding on a Firewheel aka Indian Blanket (Gaillardia pulchella) flower. I’ve never noticed the caterpillars here, but their host plants include a couple of weed plants that are common in this area (vetch, burclover) so it’s not surprising that I’d see the adults. Continue reading
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Hairstreak On A Beebalm
I see a lot of these dainty little grey butterflies here. This is a Gray Hairstreak (Strymon melinus) nectaring on a Beebalm, Bee Mine Pink (Monarda didyma). For a long time, these butterflies confused me because I thought I was seeing pairs that were closely beside each other head to tail. However, the Hairstreaks all Continue reading
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Black Swallowtail Caterpillars
I often see Black Swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes) butterflies here, but they are difficult to photograph because they are constantly in motion, even when feeding. I have a few dill plants here, courtesy of a friend, and since they are a host plant for Black Swallowtails I wasn’t surprised to see what looked like egg-laying behavior Continue reading
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Phaon Crescent And Frogfuit
Frogfruit (Phyla nodiflora) is a native ground cover that loves to grow here. The flowers are tiny, visited by small bees and butterflies. Frogfruit is also the host plant for Phaon Crescent (Phyciodes phaon) butterflies, and I’m starting to see quite a few of them now. It’s hard to discern scale on these photos, but Continue reading
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Common Buckeye
Here’s a Common Buckeye butterfly feeding on a Firewheel aka Indian Blanket (Gaillardia pulchella). If you look closely in these next photos, you’ll see a bee as well. They briefly shared the same flower, but I wasn’t able to capture that. Continue reading
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An Abundance Of Firewheels
I have three areas defined in the back yard in which I sowed wildflower seeds last fall, and I am also allowing selected volunteer plants to stay as well. In the front two areas, the predominant plant that has grown is Firewheel aka Indian Blanket (Gaillardia pulchella), which has made a magnificent display and which Continue reading
About Me
Nature Lover.
Inquisitive Observer.
Student Gardener.
I invite you to join me on my journey to convert my sterile (from a nature point of view) new house lot to a healthy and diverse ecosystem, as I make discoveries, mistakes, and hopefully progress. I am not an expert or professional. The project started in February 2023 and the location is Seguin, Texas, USA.
Rewilding My Lot 