Margaret!
Nice shots GrammaChar.

A monarch in the garden is cause for celebration. Also an excuse to take too many photos!

I have been working in the garden the past 2 days and it has been crazy windy, yet I have seen quite a few butterflies, mostly small ones, except one beautiful Western Swallowtail today, but with so much wind it flew toward the willow tree, then it was gone.

At least you saw them, Margaret. Butterflies is better than no butterflies, even without pics!

Had to share this one. It's so perfect, so lovely! I never tire of their beauty.

Skipper of some sort?

That swallowtail on lantana is GORGEOUS!!!

Beautiful Tiger swallowtail

And given Leslieray's location, it's a Western Tiger Swallowtail which we don't see very often!

Char, that's a Duskywing and they are in the Skipper family. The family they're in is known as the Spread-Winged Skippers because they actually tend to sit with their wings open where you can see them. They can be very hard to tell apart. Even BAMONA has told me that.

I've watch this thread and always enjoy it. Thank you all. I take lots of picks but there not so good for one reason or another but this one cooperated not to mention this was one of about fifty trying to catch it just right. You all know how that goes. Somehow manage to get two thumbs up from Josephine? Didn't know that was possible.

Well, it is a beautiful butterfly and I love those Tiger Swallowtails

No swallowtails here this morning. But did see another monarch. Don't know if this is the same one from yesterday or a new visitor. My favorite part of these photos is the little worm....

Well, technically it's a Looper caterpillar, but people do like calling them inchworms.

Char, your skipper looks like what is called a Sooty Wing (Pholisora catullus) here (indigenous from Texas to Wisconsin to east coast north of peninsular Florida). Is that the same as a Duskywing?
I liked the 'in flight' pic especially.
Haven't seen a Monarch yet, nor Swallowtail for that manner. Of coarse my garden field of vision has been mostly downward the past couple of weeks, pulling weeds.

Yes, there are species called Sootywings that are in the same family as the Duskywings.

It's pouring down the rain here!

Here's some pictures from yesterday. I'm taking things real slow today in preparation for my field trip to Orlando tomorrow. I hope I get some good pics!

Gulf Frits are somewhat fewer but there's still a lot of them. They chased away the Giant ST that was flying around. I tried telling it that it's way bigger than a Frit, but maybe it just didn't feel like being hassled.



Zebra Longwings are also flying around. Some with big globs of pollen on their proboscis. Oh hey, there's a Soldier Bug in that second photo.



I had the caterpillars out there so I could feed them. I tried to arrange the Tersa Sphinx Moths into an educational photo. See, when they pupate, they change color to a light brown. So from the top you have a green kind, a brown kind, and the bottom is a green kind who is now about to pupate. A couple of the cats lost the tips of their "horns" so I've taken to calling them "stubby".



I had a Long-Tailed Skipper that was surprisingly obsessed with the Pentas. They usually go for the Porterweed. Notice the pretty turquoise on its back!



Tiny Cassius Blue on its host plant, Plumbago.



And back in my bedroom, it never takes long for the Pipevine Swallowtails to eat the stem.

A different skipper?

LOVE the long-tailed skipper, Melanie. And I like that name "Looper".

GrammaChar thank you for the extraordinary photos of the Monarchs on mistflower. Really have to get me some of that stuff. Reminds me of ageratum. I love your little duskywing too.

Leslieray you're exactly right. That is a beauty! What I especially love about them is the way those long, soft looking hairs come from the side & overlay the body. I always want to pet it. it looks like it would be so soft & fuzzy.

Melaine had a nice variety today. The ZLW on the porterweed photos are really nice. I'm jealous of your long tailed skipper. Do you know I haven't seen a single one yet this year???? Usually they are as common as fleas. I'm getting worried. We have plenty of butterflies though. They are loving my wildflower fields. Saw my first Tiger Swallowtail of the year today. They seem to float like leaves. I've been seeing Zebra Swallowtails but they haven't slowed down long enough for a photo op. Plenty of Gulf Frits around. I got 3 Asclepias tuberosa last fall - lost 1 over the winter - 1 is starting to bud up. I check them every day for Monarch eggs - so far no luck.

I know you're going to have a fabulous time tomorrow Melanie! Can't wait to see photos.

GrammaChar said:A different skipper?

Yes, but I don't know what kind.