Golden skippers and purple asters....

Lots of Skippers and lots of purple asters.  Little "fighter planes" parked on the fall flowers.

 I can't identify them, but I like photographing them.

 Both the bee and the skipper took over the center of a flower :-)

 A couple of different kinds

 A side view for a change.

Skipping through the flowers.....is that how they get their name?

Butterflies, turtles, mantis, swallows......

My wetlands walks are beginning to all look the same...butterflies, turtles and praying mantis.  I took these photos a week ago, but never posted them.  They are so much like what I've taken the last few times I've been at the wetlands.

 It was nice to see this Gray Hairstreak.  It was even willing to pose open for me.

 I saw several of the Buckeyes.

 This one was new....a Variegated Fritillary, I think.  I chased it down the path, but it never gave me a very good shot.

 Only saw one praying mantis this time, but it had a victim in its clutches.

 Painted Lady

 Unidentified Skipper :-)

 Sulphur.....the photo below gives sort of a see-through view of what the wings look like if it would ever open up for me!  I never manage to catch them in an open position. They like to hide the pretty side :-)

 This Swallowtail was in my own front yard, but I was happy to see it!  

 Swallows above the creek at the wetlands.

 And lots of turtles :-) The tree reflections made it interesting and rather dwarfed the turtles.

This log opening just caught my eye. 

I'll probably go to the wetlands again tomorrow....maybe I'll find something new, but if I don't there will always be turtles :-)

Sedum and the bees and skippers....

Sedum is always a joy when it blooms in the early Autumn.  It attracts so many bees and little butterflies, especially the skippers.

This large sprawling clump is loaded with bees.  If you click to enlarge, you can see that there are 1-2 on every flower head!  That is just one clump.  I have more on the other side of the walkway.

 The bees are busy all day long in these flowers.

Here is a larger bee getting his share.

 The Silver Spotted Skipper (or the White Elephant Skipper, as we like to call it....if you look at its marking).

 One of the smaller skippers in "fighter plane" position.

 No idea on names of these skippers.

I enjoy the beauty of the Sedum all by itself, but knowing what a magnet it is for bugs and butterflies makes it even nicer.  We had these flowers along the fence of the house where I grew up and I was always taught to call it "Live-Forever".....which it does!  Does anyone reading this call it that?  I didn't know it's proper name until later on.  It is so easy to grow.  You can break off a flower and stick it in a pot and it will root and grow.  One of those nice and easy plants for gardeners like me :-)

The "playground bully".....

OK....in this case it is the "turtle log bully", but this guy really cracked me up as I watched the head of the turtle to his right.

 "Out of the way, get out of the way. This is my log!"

 "Scoot over....I need more room!"

"Did...you...hear...me????"

"I'm talking to you!"

I guess it's pretty nice to have your own "house" to retreat into when the "bully" shows up!
I still haven't managed to identify what type of turtle the one on the left is.

 The one in the middle has an old cracking up shell.

 The big one on the right has no markings on its head.  I sure wish I knew more about turtles, but haven't found a good site on-line yet.

Ahhh.......