Northern Pearly-Eye Butterfly

14 06 2012

Northern Pearly Eye Butterfly at Raccoon Creek State Park

It rained the last night and the morning sun just rose a short while ago. Perfect conditions for our Northern Pearly-Eye Butterfly, basking in those warm rays of the sun.

They prefer it when it is moist and that’s why you usually find them close to moving water. We discussed in an earlier post that this is one of the few species that is active on moist, overcast days.

Enodia anthedon prefers wooded habitat, so we see that this is one that will be an infrequent addition to your image inventory. It takes lots of get-up-and-go to go out with a camera on a moist, overcast morning and then spend appreciable time in wooded habitat…filled with lots of biting critters and the rarely seen Northern Pearly-Eye, which flees like a lightning bolt when it sees, hears or smells you.

So, this image is appreciated.

Our earlier post of this species likens it to Secret Service operatives. We have once again reminded you why this is so true.

It never seems to nectar at wildflower. What does it subsist on? Flowing sap, scat and the minerals taken up from mud.

Jeffrey





Northern Pearly Eye Butterfly

23 05 2012

Northern Pearly Eye Butterfly at Raccoon Creek State Park

Excuse me? Where’s the butterfly? Oh, yes, there it is…why are you posting a photo with so much foliage and so little butterfly?

Well it’s August 29th and it has rained intermittently for several days at Raccoon Creek State Park in western Pennsylvania. The greenery is lush and the air is moist. Perfect conditions for Northern Pearly Eye butterflies.

Enodia anthedon prefers moist habitat in proximity to moving water. Our other post of E. anthedon shares the dorsal view of this masterpiece of browns, yellow and white spots.

I haven’t answered the opening question. Northern Pearly Eyes are akin to the U.S. Secret Service. They prefer to be in the background, they shun contact and you’ll only see them when conditions are right. They never (I’ve never) are seen nectaring at wildflowers, adding to the scarcity of encounters.

So on the August 29th, when we chanced to go out and scope butterflies, despite the very wet conditions, we groused to ourselves that the 37 mile drive has been unproductive…until we looked to the right, into the greenery and Wallah! this beauty of a secret agent.

The adrenalin pumped, exposures were made boom-boom-boom…and this image happily presented itself.

One never knows when setting out…

Jeffrey





Northern Pearly Eye Butterfly

15 05 2012

Northern Pearly Eye Butterfly at Raccoon Creek State Park

Ah, the Northern Pearly Eye Butterfly. Like the Will of the Wisp, one never can be sure when you will encounter one. This one was at Raccoon Creek State Park in western Pennsylvania.

It’s early morning and our individual (female?) is basking in the modest morning sunlight at the edge of the woods. She nicely shows the black and orange-tipped antennal club.

Enodia anthedon is unique amongst the butterflies that I encounter. E. anthedon regularly flies when the sky is overcast, even when a fine drizzle mists the air. Almost all other butterflies cannot be seen during such weather.

This is a fine looking Northern Pearly Eye, nearly perfect but for the small tears in the forewing tips. Birds? Snakes? ?.

A subsequent post will be of the ventral (underside) view, with its distinctive ‘pearly eyes.’

So, if you out on a trail at the edge of a woodlot, on a cloudy morning, and there’s a stream nearby, don’t be surprised if you happen upon a very demure, Northern Pearly Eye. Sometimes they stay, other times they speed away.

Jeffrey








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