More Butterflies

The past couple of days I've learned how difficult it can be to get a "good" photo of a butterfly in the wild.  If they're in the "right" location, I can sneak up on them in my stealth Prius and shoot them from the window.  But when I move to get out of the car... they're usually flitting away before I can push the door open.

So I've become a butterfly watcher, and when I'm quick and lucky - I snap a photo to help me figure out who they are.  And yes, lately, I've been keeping a list of the "who, where and when" of what I've spotted on the Wisconsin Butterflies website (an "eBird" for butterfliers in the Badger state).

Milbert's Tortoiseshell (1.5 - 2")  

caterpillar food:  nettles  

adults feed on sap, dung, rotting fruit and nectar

overwinters as a adult

 

Viceroy (2.5 - 3.36")

 caterpillar food:  cottonwood and willow

adults feed on dead animals, rotting fruit and nectar

overwinters as a caterpillar in a leaf they cut and roll into a tight tube, a hibernaculum

 

Red-spotted Purple  (2.25 - 4")  

caterpillar food:  cherries, poplars, oaks, willows, basswood

adults feed on sap, dung, carrion, rotting fruit and flowers

overwinters as a caterpillar in a hibernaculum

 

Great Spangled Fritillary (2.25 - 4")  

caterpillar food:   violets

adults feed on nectar

 overwinters as a newly-hatched caterpillar

Northern Crescent  (1.25 -  1.87") 

caterpillar food:   asters

adults feed on the nectar of dogbane, fleabane, and white clover

 overwinters as a 3rd stage caterpillar