This is a new one for me. Based on what I could find I believe it to be Hackberry Emperor Asterocampa celtis. Anyone else have a thought as to what it might be? Chased it all over the yard and got the best shots when it landed on my pants leg. It flits around all over the place relatively low to the ground.

Dave, I believe you are right. I've only seen a Hackberry Emperor once when I was in KY so I'll let some of the other experts on here chime in. Nice shots, by the way!

Looks like a hackberry to me too.
American Snout -

Dave, your butterfly is an exact match for the Hackberry Emperor pic in the Peterson Field Guide to Eastern Butterflies.

Dave, Beautiful shot of that Emperor! My Florida Butterfly Book lists it as Asterocampa celtisit - Hackberry Butterfly but the photo is identical to your picture. It sure is a pretty one!

J: Love that American Snout ... such an unusual looking B'fly but oh so cute!

Here are a few I spotted about 1/2 hour ago.

Zebra Longwing:


Sulphur of some sort, there are many in my B'fly book but I can't figure out which it is .... quite a bit smaller than the Cloudless Sulphur.


Giant Swallowtail:

Thanks for the sanity check on the Emperor. That Zebra Longwing and Giant Swallowtail are fabulous. I thought I saw a Giant today passing through the front yard but it didn't stay around long enough to get camera or a closer look.

Lin, you might have a Sleepy Orange there. Their numbers start to pick up later in the summer into the fall. Great photos!

Thanks Dave! I'm not seeing as many Butterflies around the garden this year but it sure is exciting when they do visit!

Mellie: Thank you! I just found it in my Fla B'fly book and indeed it is a Sleepy Orange; it's been hanging around the Senna obtusifolia which is a larval host plant so maybe it's depositing eggs; I'll be on the lookout for caterpillars.

Dave, that one looks like a Hackberry Emperor to me also! Nice one! Am loving all those pretty butterfly pics! I've now got a pair of Queens hanging together in the yard, so am hoping for eggs on the milkweed! The one with the ragged edge on one wing is female and the other is male.


I think this one is a Pipevine Swallowtail, although the color seems a bit off.

Maybe a Spicebush Swallowtail:

Stellar photos ALL of you! That was truly a feast for the eyes!
Thanks for posting such beautiful creatures.

Linda, Love those pretty Queens and I agree, although paler in color that second one sure looks like a Pipevine Swallowtail ... Lovely Spicebush too!

Stunning photos

Melanie!

Happy that you're here!

A really lousy photo of Polygonia Comma, Eastern Comma. It only gave me one shot and not a good one at that. I am almost too embarrassed to post this.

Don't be embarrassed Dave. It's really tough to get those guys to hold still & pose pretty. We all know!

Dave, hey ... that's a B'fly I've never seen so I'm glad you posted it, and I agree with Ann, you shouldn't be embarrassed ... sometimes these butterflies flit around so fast it's very hard to capture them in a photo! Many times I've taken (or should I say tried to take) a picture of a butterfly and I'm sure I got it until discovering a blur of a photo with a leaf or flower where the butterfly really was!

Heh, heh, heh, this Gulf Fritillary has been taunting me all day long. I watched it flit around; then it would light & I swear it read my mind; for every time I thought about taking camera in hand it would flit off to the far reaches of the property. Taunted me all day like that. Finally, about 4pm I got it!

Very nice Ann! I especially love the second photo; by the way, what is the flower?

Persistence wins again! Nice photo Ann.

I spotted this tiny Red-banded Hairstreak's this afternoon; little thing has badly damaged hindwings: