I hadn’t seen a Little Wood Satyr butterfly in a couple of years and this one was stunning. It landed on a leaf on the side of the Doane Rock Trail to Coast Guard Beach.
The Little Wood Satyr butterfly lives on woodland edges as well as salt marshes, which explains why we saw it there on that trail.
Gorgeous, isn’t it? I love its markings…
I saw a little flutter of blue along the trail and was hoping it was one of the early butterflies of the season here on Cape Cod, the Spring Azure. (Click on blog link for other photos.)
It was a Spring Azure and I was in for a treat as it flitted about the trail for quite a quite while we clicked away. You can see how vivid the blue is when the butterfly has its wings extended, and then how so dramatically different it is when its sings are folded.
Have you ever seen a Spring Azure butterfly? So pretty, don’t you think?
We saw our first butterfly of the season on the Beech Forest Trail. What a treat! It was a Mourning Cloak butterfly and it was just gorgeous! (Click on blog link for other photo.)
We saw a “flutter” on the trail but, by the time we realized what it was, it had flown away. We never expected to see a butterfly in April! By the time we finished our hike, we had seen about 10 of them on the sandy trail, in the trees and on the bushes.
“In their adult form, Mourning Cloaks showcase a rich maroon or brown hue when their wings are spread, bordered by pale yellow edges and accented with black and iridescent blue spots. The underside of their wings presents dull gray striations, maintaining the pale yellow borders.”
You can see by the 2nd photo how they camouflage right into their surroundings when their wings are closed. Have you seen any butterflies yet this spring?
