Cat, we easily take for granted what we see everyday. But I try to remember they are special to other people and take pictures anyway. I told everyone about a man at the museum about 6-8 weeks ago who was out photographing butterflies in the garden and he was all "ooh and ahh" over the Gulf Frit. And he said it was his favorite butterfly. And I said, "Why? They're so common!" And he went on to say how he loved the silvery underwings and how could you not appreciate that? So I guess it's the whole "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" thing. And we shouldn't take things for granted just because we see them all the time. Cabbage Whites are actually pretty rare here which I suppose is a good thing. I'm very anti-invasive species even if they are butterflies. I have one sighting I reported to BAMONA that they said was a Cabbage White but I've never been quite convinced for some reason. Just doesn't look like the ones I've seen in WV, you know?
I am having a different experience this year with butterflies; there are plenty and the diversity is at least about usual, if not a little better. However, we had a much milder and wetter winter than usual and the rest of the country got a "Polar Vortex". So maybe that's part of it. Several species, like the Orange-Barred Sulphur, showed up way earlier than they usually do. So maybe I'm just hoarding all the butterflies down here?
