Thanks Claudia, yes I know about the fruit attracting butterflies but it also attracts other critters and the community where I live advises against feeding wildlife other than birds. As it is now when I forget to take the feeders in at night, the raccoons raid them and sometimes destroy the feeders or end up dragging them off. I sometimes put oranges out for the birds and the squirrels devour them! I have a few different butterflies that visit my garden but I just don't ever remember seeing that beautiful Red-spotted Purple. It may be around; I may have just confused it with another Swallowtail.

There were a herd of these small ones on the Lilies just now. Are they juveniles?


(so steamy out there, my lens kept fogging up!)

Lily acrobatics

Janice: Great shots! Those two in the first photo may be the Red Admiral. The last three pictures are Swallowtails but I'm not sure which; maybe the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail.

I think the first two are Silver Spotted Skipper.
http://www.dallasbutterflies.c...

Josephine: You are right! I should have enlarged the picture, those two definitely look to be the Silver Spotted Skipper:

http://www.jeffpippen.com/butt...

And, I found this page and the Swallowtails may be the Appalachian Tiger Swallowtail which is smaller than the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail:

http://www.jeffpippen.com/butt...

Thanks Lin!!

Yes, it does look like the Skipper. Thanks for the link, Josephine!!!

Wish I got a better shot.

We cross-posted , Lin!

Thanks for the links!!

This Spicebush Swallowtail emerged from its chrysallis today. It was one of 2 caterpillars I'd brought home to raise, from a native nursery near Kerrville. The other one still waiting to emerge. I'm hoping maybe that species will come back to this area.

Congratulations Linda ... it's a real beauty!

Beautiful Linda.

Lin...I understand about attracting other critters I live out where we have wildlife too.

Linda, very cool finding spicebush cat to raise!!

LOL Claudia, I live in the city but we have raccoons, armadillo and opossum that traipse around the yard at night.

I took this in June but haven't had time to post it or any that I took then; so here goes.
This one was hard to catch being still long enough for me to get a shot

And the top view


And there was this one



And this one



I may have posted this one before

Ann: Great photo's; Love them all!

Great shots Ann!!

Good ones Ann.

Thank you Lin, Janice & Dave.

There have been lots of zebra longwings, yellow sulfurs, & some smaller goldish colored ones flitting around but I'm never in a position of late to snap shots of them. I will get them yet.

How easy can it be to take a picture of the Eastern Spicebush butterfly when it lands right at your feet, and there you are with camera in hand. Also, it just stayed there until I snapped the photo, and when I moved, it flew away. Second photo is of a moth(?) --don't know, somebody help me out with this one--on our blue plumbago. Unfortunately, this one was not as cooperative as the butterfly, had trouble getting the shot. I really wanted to catch it with wings wide open, but this was the best I could do.



Eastern Spicebush Butterfly




Moth (?) ib blue plumbago