AN EDUCATION IN BUTTERFLIES

The garden is alive with butterflies, the result of all those caterpillars which have been feeding on my garden. Plants that have never seen a caterpillar before, like the American pokeweed...eaten to lacework.
I spent yesterday afternoon chasing them around the garden with my camera. Some are easy and some impossible to capture.
The monarch, Danaus plexippus, seen here feeding on the gomphrena 'fireworks' The monarch is the Texas state butterfly.

The Julia heleconian, Dryas iulia feeding on the lantana.

The beautiful queen, Danaus gilipus, feeding on Greg's mist flower.

Skippers galore. I think this one is a Southern Broken-dash, Wallengrenia otho,  feeding on gomphrena. Or is it a fiery skipper? That was my first ID.

A bordered patch, Chlosyne lacinia, well camouflaged on the yellow narrow leaf zinnia.

This one may be the marbled white, Melanargia galanthea. common checkered skipper , Pyrgus communis.

I am just beginning to realize that identifying butterflies is no easier than identifying birds. I planned to do some more camera sleuthing today but the wind made it impossible. I chased a yellow, an orange and a swallowtail around the garden but they never landed. Then I had to rescue 3 butterflies from the greenhouse. That took some time. Maybe I will add to my collection this week.

Just added his website which might help to identify butterflies from this area. It just made me realize how difficult it is to identify them. Butterfly Indentification for south Texas