Three Butterflies wake from hybernation

Mourning Cloak

By the time spring arrives I am usually so desperate in my longing for a glimpse of color and signs of life outdoors, that I tend to notice more of everything than at any other time of year.  Take butterflies for instance, I never would have noticed them, if I wasn't actively looking for any sign of life other than the ordinary.

Last year I did some research and learned that the Mourning Cloak actually hibernates through winter.  Although I mistakenly assumed that it was the only butterfly to do so, it appears that at least two other species do the same.  The Green Comma and the Admiral, which I spotted just this week.

Green Comma

Admiral Butterfly

I find this fact to be absolutely fascinating and, since I am always eager to learn, plan to do some more research to find out just how many species of butterfly hibernate each year.  I also always assumed that all butterflies mate in the fall, only to die a few days later.  Obviously I am in error, and perhaps a butterfly's life cycle is much longer than I thought.  The species of butterflies that I present here, for example, mate in the spring.

I will let you know what I discover in another post.  In the meantime, if you have any knowledge on the subject feel free to comment below.

Enjoy,

Susan

Mourning Cloak: a Grand Surprise

Catching some rays

I sincerely hope everyone had happy holidays and that your New Year celebration was both peaceful and filled with joy.

The New Year, for some reason, always has me skipping ahead to spring and summer in my mind.  This year my focus seems to be on butterflies, although typically I do not see them very often.  Perhaps I have simply not been visiting the right locations.  However, usually when I do see them, they are fluttering past me at speed, are high above me, or simply disappear, leaving me with little opportunity to photograph them.  But this past year was actually an exception and I'm hoping that this coming year will be the same.

Butterflies: Just pictures

I don't often get to photograph butterflies.  The one time that I did, I was at a butterfly park which enclosed the butterflies in a fine mesh gazebo.   Most of the time I don't see very many butterflies and in the wild they simply don't  hold still often unless they are warming up in the sun, feeding on a flower or drinking water on the ground.   Their little wings beat so fast that I would need a faster shutter speed than my current setting allows and by the time I have changed the setting on my camera the butterfly is usually gone.  This year however, I really lucked out and got some fairly decent pictures to share.

Little Blue

Painted Lady

Gray Copper

 Fritillary

Mourning Cloak

Milbert's Tortoiseshell

As I learn about these butterflies, I will let you know what I discover about these beauties.  In the meantime...

 Enjoy,

Susan

Butterfly park

One of the main reasons, besides seeing my mom, that I looked forward to my trip to the Caribbean was the prospect of seeing and taking pictures of birds and wildlife. This particular stop on our Caribbean cruise, St Thomas Island, was to be dedicated to exploring the local shops, tourist market and the beaches. So of course I was looking forward to visiting the beach, rather than the shopping.  Imagine my surprise in discovering that at the port in St Thomas, the first thing I was told about was a butterfly park situated directly next to the docks and cruise ships.

St Thomas harbour