Ailanthus Webworm Moth

This Ailanthus Webworm Moth was making its way among wildflowers when I saw it in early September.

Little Wood Satyr

This Little Wood Satyr alighted on some vegetation just ahead of me as I hiked through a marshy, open forest.  The strong, direct sunlight really lit up its wings.

Zebra Swallowtail Among Arrowleaf Balsamroot

Hiking past a large patch of Arrowleaf Balsamroot, I noticed a Zebra Swallowtail drifting from flower to flower collecting nectar and unwittingly spreading pollen in the process.

Great Spangled Fritillary 2

wildlifehub

I was hiking through a woodland meadow, wondering how many ticks I was feeding as I waded through chest high vegetation, when I spotted several butterflies sipping nectar from a patch of wildflowers.  This Great Spangled Fritillary was one of two feeding from a small group of flowers.

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Banded Hairstreak

This little Banded Hairstreak was busily drinking nectar when I encountered it in a forest meadow.  I didn’t seem to mind me taking photos.  In fact, it didn’t even seem to notice I was watching it.

Mourning Cloak

This Mourning Cloak butterfly stops to rest and feed in a patch of tiny, purple wild flowers.  I encountered it while hiking with a friend this spring in the Great Dismal Swamp near Suffolk, VA.

 

Weekly Photo Challenge: Color

A Zebra Swallowtail butterfly feeds on henbit and buttercups along the Washington Ditch in the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge near Suffolk, Virginia.

Pipe Vine Swallowtail

Searching for good photographic subjects on Big Walker Mountain, I happened upon a group of these large, blue and black butterflies.  My friend James Shelton, who is quite the amateur entomologist, tells me this butterfly is a Pipe Vine Swallowtail.