Return of the "Flying Flowers"

The first butterflies usually appear in my little section of Northwest Wyoming in late April. It is always a surprise to discover the bright splashes of color during days which are still often more like winter than summer. Almost always, the early arrivals are the Wyoming state butterfly, Sheridan's Green Hairstreak. They tend to disappear as quickly as they arrive and they are followed by a slow trickle of other species: Boisduval's Blue, Melissa Blue, then a Black Swallowtail or two, maybe a Crescent and a Checkerspot, gradually building in number and species until we get to mid-June and it suddenly seems like there are "flying flowers" everywhere! And once the Fritillaries and the Wood Nymphs arrive, the air is full of color and motion! 

Below are just a few of the species I see on a regular basis this time of year. 

Fritillaries on Sand Verbena

Northern Checkerspot on Blanket Flower

Ruddy Copper on Catamint

Grey Hairstreak

Juniper Hairstreak

Wood Nymph

Tiger Swallowtail collecting moisture

Butterflies and Wildflowers

One of the great things about growing old is that every year I realize how little I know. I figure that as long as I have so much still to learn, life will continue to be an adventure!

I have never found a reference book I really like for butterflies and moths of Wyoming and there seems to be little information on the web about these particular creatures in this area. We have lots of Fritillaries and Suphurs along with our share of Checkerspots and Wyoming Satyrs. We also see the occasional Painted Lady, Swallowtails and Question Marks but this year the biggest groups seem to be the Coppers and the Blues, both members of the "Little Butterflies" family. The range of colors of these tiny butterflies is amazing. Over the last couple days alone I have photographed at least three distinct patterns. 

Blue on Cota

Cota Flower

 The other discovery this year was Cota or Navajo Tea. I probably would never have noticed it if it wasn't for the Blues seeming to find it irresistible. At first I thought it was the remnant of a rayed flower but a little research convinced me the tiny yellow bloom is all there is. It is easy to overlook but the closer you study it, the more fascinating it appears.

Unlike butterfly books, I have a variety of wildflower references I find invaluable. Surprisingly, one I find extremely helpful is a book of flowers of the Texas Plains that I stumbled into a number of years ago. I have identified a large number of wildflowers on our property, including Cota, from the Texas book. These are plants that are usually not identified in books on Wyoming wildflowers.

Cota Plant

Blue on blooming sage

Blue variation

Question mark?

Although it seems the heat of the last few months has sapped the green right out of the environment at our altitude, spring is just beginning at higher elevations.

The wildflowers are in full bloom and that means the butterflies are plentiful and varied.

One of my favorites is the Question Mark butterfly, named for the distinctive shape of its wings.

Luminous

Today's Photo Friday theme is "luminous". Strictly speaking I suppose this image I took yesterday of a Painted Lady on an Aster doesn't really fit since it isn't emitting light, but it felt right to me so I am posting it! This shot was taken in the Beartooth Mountains near Fantan Lake. I love the crispness of the butterfly's eye!

Butterfly Eyes

I don't often think of butterflies as traveling in herds but that is sometimes how it seems. The Satyrs in particular seem to arrive as a large group once the rabbit brush starts blooming. Like everything else this year, the bright yellow flowers are about a month earlier than normal but somehow the butterflies seem to know that. This group is also known as the "Browns" and is a very large family, all of whom have amazing "eyes" on their wings.

Butterfly Beauty

 On Saturday I hiked up to Popo Agie Falls at the end of Sinks Canyon near Lander, Wyoming.

Along the way I captured two butterfly shots that I wanted to share.





The swallowtail is a little beat up but it was nice of him to land on a scarlet gilia!

Flying Artwork

Today's post is just a little eye candy from two shots I took yesterday. In the top photo you see a classic Checkerspot butterfly on a blanket flower. I remember as a child being told that orange and red don't go together. I guess no one told this guy - thank heavens!

Second up is a Nessus Sphinx moth. Even though these guys are nocturnal by nature, this fellow decided to take a short break in full sunlight on the side of the house.
The "normal" sphinx moth we see here is the White-Lined. This Nessus is a little far west of his usual range so we were especially delighted to see him!

I will be teaching a photography workshop in Lander, Wyoming on Saturday. Can't wait!

Spring

 On yesterday's hike I saw the first signs that spring really is going to appear this year!
The Wyoming Paintbrush are starting to appear along with some of the other early bloomers like lupine and loco weed, phlox and douglasia.

 We had a good view of a common visitor of the thrush family - the Townsend's Solitaire. Not as colorful as his cousin the robin, he is still beautiful in his own understated way.

The real tip off that warmer weather is on the way was the sighting of a number of Anise Swallowtails. I am always amazed at how butterflies and hummingbirds traveling through this arid environment manage to spot its scarce flora.

Technical note: I have been disappointed in the recent issues with Blogger and the fact that the posts of the last few days have disappeared. I hope the glitch is temporary and that the lost data will be retrieved soon!