I was so surprised to see this beautiful Mourning Cloak butterfly flitting around our yard. I saw them frequently when we lived in Colorado, but I had never seen one here on the Cape.
A Mourning Cloak is a large butterfly with a wingspan of around 3″. Its color is predominantly deep maroon with a marginal row of violet-blue marks and yellow borders.
Have you ever seen a Mourning Cloak butterfly? Beautiful butterfly, don’t you think?
I saw this butterfly on my tree but didn’t know what it was. It is quite different with its wings folded up and extended.
The Question Mark is a large orange butterfly of about 2 and 1/2 inches with black markings on its fore-wings. I learned that it finds nourishment in tree sap which is why it was on the bark of my tree.
Have you ever seen a Question Mark butterfly ?
I saw this pretty Pearl Crescent flitting from one bush to another. I wasn’t sure what kind of butterfly it was, so I used my Leps App and found out that it is a Pearl Crescent. (Click on blog link to see other photo.)
It looks so different with the wings spread out and folded up. Pretty little butterfly, don’t you think?
You know that summer is really here when the Monarch butterflies are back here on Cape Cod. They are so beautiful with their orange and black distinctive colors. (Click on blog link for other photo.)
This is the first Monarch butterfly that I’ve seen so far this summer, yesterday morning at Fort Hill. It landed right on a Milkweed plant which is what they love to feed on.
Have you seen a Monarch butterfly yet this year?
I’ve seen so many of these beautiful Eastern Tiger Swallowtails flitting around in the woods and the meadows. This one finally landed right on the trail in front of me. (Click on blog link to see other photo.)
I took 2 photographs so you could see the difference between the upperside and the underside of it. Have you seen one this year yet?
I saw a tiny little flurry in the wind and thought perhaps it was a butterfly. I watched it land on one of the flowers of a nearby shrub. It was so tiny… not much bigger than my little fingernail. I got a couple of photos and then it flew away. (Click on blog link for other photo.)
As I was walking down the road I saw a little flurry again and wondered if it was that little butterfly again. And then … it landed on my jeans. I slowly got my camera out and clicked once and then it flew away again.
I had never seen a Common Spring Moth before, have you?
