Butterflies 2

Red Admiral [Vanessa atalanta]. Schuylkill County, Pa. 11-7-24

Female Huron Sachem [Atalopedes huron] on the last of Coneflowers. Schuylkill County, Pa. 11-3-24

Common Checkered Skipper [Burnsius communis]. Schuylkill County, Pa. 10-22-24

I wanted so much this year to find a Common Checkered Skipper [Burnsius communis] with their beautiful blue center hairs. and contrasting black and white wing pattern. I just gave up hope for this year when one appeared in my back yard on October 22 feeding on the few remaining clover flowers in the yard. It was amazing to watch it move from flower to flower spread out across the yard, like it already knew where each was located. Schuylkill County, Pa. 10-22-24

Buckeye Butterfly [Junonia coenia]. Dauphin County, Pa. 10-18-24

Pearl Crestcent [Phyciodes tharos]. Dauphin County, Pa. 9-9-24

Eastern Tailed Blue [Everes comyntas]. Dauphin County, Pa. 9-6-24

Red Banded Hairstreak [Calycopis cecrops]. Dauphin County, Pa. 9-6-24

White M Hairstreak [Parrhasius m-album]. Dauphin County, Pa. 9-6-24

Cabbage White [Pieris brassicae] on Goldenrod [Solidago]. Dauphin County, Pa. 9-6-24

Sachem Skipper [Atalopedes campestris] Schuylkill County, Pa. 9-6-24

Buckeye Butterfly [Junonia coenia]. Dauphin County, Pa. 9-6-24

Common Wood Nymph [Cercyonis pegala]. Dauphin County, Pa. 9-6-24

Zabulon Skipper [Lon zabulon]. Dauphin county, Pa. 8-6-24

Red Banded Hairstreak (Calycopis cecrops). Schuylkill County, Pa. 8-22-24

Horace's Duskywing [Erynnis horatius]. Dauphin County, Pa, 8-6-24. On Heal All [Prunella valgaris]

Horace's Duskywing [Erynnis horatius]. Dauphin County, Pa, 8-6-24. On Heal All [Prunella valgaris].

Least Skipper [Ancyloxypha numitor]. Dauphin County, Pa. 7-24-24

Edwards' Hairstreak [Satyrium edwardsii]. Dauphin County, Pa. 7-1-24

Spicebush Swallowtail [Papilio troilus] on Common Milkweed [Asclepias syroaca]. Dauphin County, Pa. 7-1-24

Great Spangled Fritillary [Speyeria cybele]. Dauphin County, Pa. 7-1-24

American Lady [Vanessa virginiensis]. Dauphin County, Pa. 7-1-24

Tiger Swallowtail [Papilio glaucus]. Dauphin County, Pa. 7-1-24

Summer Azure (Celastrinaneglecta). Dauphin County, Pa. 7-1-24

Spicebush Swallowtail [Papilio troilus] on Penstemon Digitalis. Dauphin County, Pa. 6-7-24

Spicebush Swallowtail [Papilio troilus] on American Eldeberry [Sambucus canadensis]. Dauphin County, Pa. 6-10-24.

Common Ringlet [Coenonympha tullia]. Luzerne County, Pa. 6-7-24.

Least Skipper [Ancyloxpha numitor]. Luzerne County, Pa. 6-7-24.

Spring Azure [Celastrina ladon]. Dauphin County, Pa. 4-23-24, On a huckleberry flower

Spring Azure [Celastrina ladon]. Dauphin County, Pa. 4-23-24 , On a huckleberry flower

Brown Elfin [Callophrys ausistinus]. Dauphin County, Pa. 4-23-24.

A tiny Brown Elfin [Callophrys ausistinus], on a huckleberry flower. Dauphin County, Pa. 4-16-24.

Least Skipper [Ancyloxypha numitor]. Dauphin County, Pa.

Dun Skipper [ Euphyes vestris] on Blue Mistflower [Conoclinium coelestinum]. Dauphin County, Pa.

Peck's Skipper [Polites peckius] on Blue Flag Iris [Iris veriscolor]. Luzerne County, Pa. 7-26-23

Tiger Swallowtail [Papilio glaucus] on Butterfly Weed [Asclepias tuberosa]. Dauphin County, Pa. 7-10-23

Judging from its tattered left wing this Great Spangled Fritillary must of had a close encounter with an unknown predator [Speyeria cybele]. Dauphin County, Pa. 6-19-23

Great Spangled Fritillary [Speyeria cybele]. Dauphin County, Pa. 6-19-23

Great Spangled Fritillary [Speyeria cybele] enjoying Butterfly Weed [Asclepias tuberosa]. Dauphin County, Pa. 6-19-23. This is the earliest that I have seen this Butterfly and this plant blooming

Juvenal's Duskywing [Erynnis juvenalis]. Schuylkill County, Pa. 4-24-23

Wild Indigo Duskywing [Erynnis baptisiae] Showing the amazing proboscis all curled up [above and below]. Dauphin County, Pa. 9-15-22

Wild Indigo Duskywing [Erynnis baptisiae] "Working the Goldenrod". Dauphin County, Pa. 9-15-22

A Spicebush Swallowtail [Papilio troilus] Butterfly in the act of pollinating Platanthera ciliars. You can see, attached to the eye pollinarium, which it has unknowingly removed from the flower. The pollinarium, the male part of the flower, contains the pollinia which will hopefully brush up against and come into contact with the stigma [the female part of the flower] of the next flower it visits.

In this series of pictures we see a Spicebush Swallowtail [Papilio troilus] Butterfly in the act of pollinating Platanthera ciliars. You can see, attached to the eye pollinarium, which it has unknowingly removed from the flower. The pollinarium, the male part of the flower, contains the pollinia which will hopefully brush up against and come into contact with the stigma [the female part of the flower] of the next flower it visits.

This set of pictures shows Spicebush Swallowtails [Papilio troilus] pollinating Orange Fringed Orchids [Platanthera ciliaris]. You can see pollinarium [the male part of the flower] attached to the butterflies eyes in some of the pictures. When the butterflies leave the flower they pull the pollinarium [which is full of pollen] from the flower out of the anther sack, which is now stuck to it's eye. Then moving to a second flower brushes the pollen [on the tip of the pollinarium] onto the stigma [the female par] of the flower. In this way pollination has been achieved.

These pictures show the pollination of Orange Fringed Orchid [Platanthera ciliaris] by a Spicebush Swallowtail [Papilio troilus]. As the Butterfly sticks its proboscis deep into the flowers spur, its eye comes into contact with the anther sack, and the viscidium, which is sticky [picture 1]. When it leaves the flower it pulls the pollinarium [the male part] from the flower out of the anther sack, which is now stuck to it's eye [picture 2]. When the Butterfly enters a second flowers the end of the pollinarium, which is made up of tiny grains of pollen, brushes up against the stigma, the female part of the flower, and deposits the pollen [picture 3, grains of pollen on the stigma]. In this way pollination has been achieved, the truly amazing world of orchid pollination.

My first time encountering this butterfly [above and below], it mimics the Monarch Butterfly-it does so because Monarch's are poisonous to predators like birds, in part because of it's diet of Milkweed as a caterpillar. Viceroy Butterfly [Basilarchia archippus]. Northeast, Pa. 7-27-22.

Spicebush Swallowtail [Papilio troilus] on Butterfly Weed [Asclepias tuberosa]. Dauphin County, Pa. 7-21-22

Great Spangled Fritillar [Speyeria cybele] on Butterfly Weed [Asclepias tuberosa]. Dauphin County, Pa. 6-30-22

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail [Papilio glaucus] covered in pollen from a Day Lily. Dauphin County, Pa. 7-16-22

Spice Bush Swallowtail Butterfly [Papilio troilus] on Orange Fringed Orchid [Platanthera ciliars, [yellow form]]. Southeast, Pa. 7-31-22. You can just see Pollinarium struck to the butterflies left eye.