There are still quite a few butterflies flying around here on Cape Cod. I saw this Clouded Sulfur butterfly at Fort Hill, feeding on a Knapweed wildflower. I also saw many Cabbage White butterflies, some Painted Lady butterflies and one Monarch butterfly. I thought the Monarchs had migrated down to Mexico a few weeks ago.
It must be the warm weather and that the wildflowers are still blooming that is keeping them all around.
I have a garden of Zinnias in my backyard which the butterflies love. I saw something flying around the other day and went out with my camera. This Painted Lady butterfly was feeding on the pink Zinnia. He just put his head up and looked at me.
Amazing that you can see his little eyes and nose and mouth. Wow! Have you ever seen anything like that? It was like he was posing for the photograph. Ha!
I have been surprised at how many Painted Lady butterflies there are so late in the season.
Milkweed wildflower seeds are ready to blow wherever they want here on Cape Cod. You can see the pods are open and bursting with white fluff and attached seeds. The seeds will just disperse in the wind.
The Milkweed plant is the stable plant that the beautiful Monarch butterflies feed upon. There are a lot of Milkweed plants all over Cape Cod where you can see the Monarchs.
I saw this Milkweed plant at the Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary where you can see many Monarchs in the summer months. I also have seen many Milkweed plants at Fort Hill which is also a favorite place of the Monarch butterflies.
I wonder if the seeds will still be there the next time I visit the Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary.
Most of the butterflies are gone for the year but I saw this Yellowpatch Skipper feeding on a Knapweed wildflower. The colors of the skipper were shades of orange and brown. I had never seen one before.
Skippers, part of the butterfly family, are named for their quick, darting flight habits. Most have the antenna tip modified into a narrow hook-like projection which you can see in the photograph.
Have you ever seen a Yellowpatch Skipper?
This was a great view of a Painted Lady butterfly at the Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary. There are so many different species there which you can see in the gardens by the Visitor’s Center or out on the trails.
I loved this photograph as it is feeding on a Butterfly Plant in the garden. You can see some of its bright orange and black coloring as well as its camouflage coloring when its wings are closed.
Love its little face! What do you think?
It was such a treat to see this black Spicebush Swallowtail butterfly feeding on the Zinnias in my yard here on Cape Cod. It is such a pretty butterfly.
The Spicebush Swallowtail is a very large butterfly measuring 3 1/2″ to 4 1/2.” Its overall color is black with white and blue spots on its wings. It loves to sip nectar from a variety of flowers and frequents woodlands, meadows and gardens.
Have you ever seen a Spicebush Swallowtail?
