We drove to Henderson yesterday to see what was happening on some of the gravel roads in the slough area. On the way back we drove down the "butterfly road" because we had been seeing lots of butterflies everywhere else we went.
We always stop at one little bridge that goes over a creek to look for Ebony Wing Damselflies, but we saw something different this time.....
.....I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw all of these butterflies! They really like damp ground and this was an ideal spot! I didn't try to count them....too many. You can see three groups of them here and there were singles scattered here and there, also.
They seem to be mostly Tiger Swallowtail females...the yellow ones, and Spicebush Swallowtails....the black ones. There were several Admirals closer to the water.
Fairly even mix here.
Mostly Tigers in some groups and some were very yellow and others were pale and almost white.
I call these two "butterfly buddies". The Tiger landed and immediately cozied up to the black butterfly.
At least 7 Tigers here.
I wouldn't have used this shot....but look near the dark rocks along the creek....a frog! I wish that I had seen it and would have taken a better shot. I didn't even know it was there until I looked at this photo....
......this is a Red-Spotted Purple Admiral.....with frog friend :-)
Another Admiral in a tree.
But I like this one that picked the Sycamore leaf to lie on :-) It just sat there opening and closing its wings. Is this where butterflies go to sleep at night? It was around 5 and we were heading home, so I will never know.
.....I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw all of these butterflies! They really like damp ground and this was an ideal spot! I didn't try to count them....too many. You can see three groups of them here and there were singles scattered here and there, also.
They seem to be mostly Tiger Swallowtail females...the yellow ones, and Spicebush Swallowtails....the black ones. There were several Admirals closer to the water.
Fairly even mix here.
Mostly Tigers in some groups and some were very yellow and others were pale and almost white.
I call these two "butterfly buddies". The Tiger landed and immediately cozied up to the black butterfly.
At least 7 Tigers here.
I wouldn't have used this shot....but look near the dark rocks along the creek....a frog! I wish that I had seen it and would have taken a better shot. I didn't even know it was there until I looked at this photo....
......this is a Red-Spotted Purple Admiral.....with frog friend :-)
Another Admiral in a tree.
But I like this one that picked the Sycamore leaf to lie on :-) It just sat there opening and closing its wings. Is this where butterflies go to sleep at night? It was around 5 and we were heading home, so I will never know.I'll show other stuff we saw in the Henderson area tomorrow. I'm sure glad someone turned down the temperature so I can get outside with the camera again! It's been great the last few days!
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18 comments:
What a lovely sight Mary. We were staying on a 1,000,000 acre ranch next to the Great Victoria Desert in Western Australia and on one of my exploratory walks around the complex, I found a similar sight with hundreds and hundreds of butterflies inhabiting one certain sort of weed bush.
They are stored on my external hard-drive so maybe one day when I have time - famous last words, I may root them bout.
Great shots, especially the last one. I know how hard it is to get an open wing shot.
How wonderful to experience this Mary, I never have as yet. I believe they might be after salts on the ground, but don't quote me on that! Your Swallowtail type butterflies are just gorgeous! Looking forward to what else was at Henderson....
Arija: I hope you find the photos..that sounds spectacular!
Jenny: They are very pretty butterflies and seeing so many together was so interesting I kept wanting to drop a pebble over the edge of the bridge to see if they would all fly away at once...but resisted the urge.
Mary, It's wonderful to see so many butterflies in one spot! I have photographed some Red-Spotted Purples on rocks or concrete, but I've never seen one on a flower!!You have the neatest places to go looking for pictures!!!
Wow. I wouldn't know which one to photograph first Mary. Amazing and lovely shots.
What an amazing sight. I would have probably filled up a card,just shooting more pictures.I love this variety.Thanks so much for sharing them.
BLessings,Ruth
It looks as if you stumbled upon a butterfly convention. These are truly amazing photos for the number and variety of butterflies. The frog is a nice bonus.
Butterflies everywhere.... I've never seen so many varieties in one area. Wow--looks like you struck gold... And that little frog was probably enjoying being with his Butterfly friends.
Hugs,
Betsy
This is a truly wonderful post, Mary.
The strange thing is that I have just posted a Clouded Yellow butterfly here on my 'Wild and Wonderful' blog
- and if I'm not much mistaken, I think it's the same as the lovely butterfly on your banner...
Sometimes it seems like I all I do is take butterfly photos lately...it's been a busy butterfly year. This was unusual for me, however and interesting to see. That mud must have been really loaded with minerals.
what great captures. there's so many. i wish i could find a spot like this to photograph butterflies. if i want to take lots of them like this i have to drive an hour or so to get there, sigh. don't you love it when you get surprises like the frog in your picture that you didn't see previously? hope all is well.
really nice blog. have a great night.
I'm trying to figure just how long it will take me to get to your house! I need a Butterfly fix, and this isi the place! Fantastic shots Mary
B.
Mary how did I miss this post...Its amazing and of course you know I am jealous!!
When I was a kid my Mom had to drain the rinse water from the wash tubs into the driveway and there would always be a big bunch of swallowtails landing there!!
My husband and I took a drive up the road for photos today and I swear your photos could be what I saw exactly. Same setting, road type, same Butterfly types etc. I didn't take any pictures of the clusters of them though. I told him later I should have because typically there aren't that many gathered in one exact spot. It's interesting that you have the exact thing going on up there right now. I did not see a frog today through. But I would have liked to. ;) I did photograph the butterflies sitting on the thistle, etc. Eventually I'll post them, as I get caught up.
What a sight Mary! Lucky you!!!
Such a beautiful post, Mary! And I guess it was a breathtaking view! I wonder what attracted all those butterflies..
Naquillity: Yes, I love suprises like the frog :-) I've never seen this many butterflies gathered in one spot before. They like the minerals in the mud and gravel and this must have been a great spot!
Becky: Mike says it would take you 9 hours to get here:-) That probably doesn't include rest stops! I've seen more butterflies than normal this year. I took more butterfly shots yesterday.
Grammie G: That's intersting about them coming to the rinse water. We often have wet spots in our gravel driveway after rain, but the butterflies never congregate there.
Debbie: You didn't take photos??? I was so amazed by them, that I couldn't stop shooting. We do seem to see a lot of the same things.
Eve: Thanks! It was pretty cool.
Aluajala: It's the minerals in the damp soil and gravel.
I have never seen Swallowtails gathered like that! I have always seen the Cabbage whites and the yellow sulphurs...never these in this number. And I have never seen the Red Spotted Purple Admiral....
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