Butterflies

A beautiful Baltimore Checkerspot, Euphydryas phaeton, in a Michigan fen.

This will be a magnificent weekend to look for butterflies, at least in Ohio. It's supposed to be bright and sunny with warm temps, which means perfect conditions for these fair-weather insects.

Coral Hairstreak, Satyrium titus, on the aptly named Butterfly-weed, Asclepias tuberosa. I'll be in one the best places around for butterflies this weekend, and will certainly be on the watch. I find these creatures endlessly fascinating, and irresistable photographic subjects. I hope to return from this mission with some nice shots.

Swamp Metalmark, Calephelis muticum, nectaring on Shrubby Cinquefoil, Dasiphora fruticosa. Metalmarks are dazzling in a somewhat understated way, but their charms are revealed upon close inspection. This species is finicky in the extreme, occurring only in undisturbed fens with plenty of the host plant, Swamp Thistle, Cirsium muticum. Swamp Metalmarks were thought to have disappeared from Ohio, having last been seen in 1988. Until last year, that is, when Troy Shively discovered them in a small fen in west-central Ohio.

One never knows what they might find. The trick is to get out of doors, and learn a bit about what's around.

I'll be hoping for some nice finds this weekend. A Diana Fritillary or Great Purple Hairstreak would totally rock!