The official start of autumn made me realize just how far behind I’ve fallen in sharing summer photos. Here are a few more butterflies.
Above, a tiger swallowtail nectaring on bee balm; below, a west coast lady on alfalfa. I wrote about another west coast lady last year and said 2017 was the only time I’d ever seen one. Well, now I’ve seen two. I found this year’s in exactly the same area.
Below is a detailed look at the west coast lady’s underwings. Its polka-dot eyes are reminiscent of the great spangled fritillary’s.
The yellow butterfly below is some kind of sulphur, likely an orange sulphur.1
Last but not least, I managed to get a shot of a second Milbert’s tortoiseshell — the only time I’ve ever photographed more than one in a single year.
Did you notice that all the butterflies, except the first, were on alfalfa flowers? I found each of them in a single alfalfa-covered area high in the Sandias.
Sulphurs all look the same to me, so you should maintain a healthy degree of skepticism about this ID in particular.
The magic & beauty of butterflies!🦋
I didn't know alfalfa had such pretty flowers. Thanks!