Category Archives: Fritillary

Meadow Fritillary’s Future?

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Filed under Butterfly Types, Fritillary, Raccoon Creek State Park, PA

Meadow Fritillary Butterfly at Raccoon Creek State Park

Facebook posts of Meadow Fritillary Butterflies are infrequent. Those who do put up those posts often add that Meadow Fritillary Butterflies seem to be slowly disappearing from their present habitat. They may well be fewer and fewer in number, and that is concerning.

Glassberg’s A Swift Guide to Butterflies of North America has Meadow Frits “LC-C {Locally Common to Common]” in the East. I’m now relocated to Georgia’s Piedmont, but during those hundreds of visits to Raccoon Creek State Park (southwestern Pennsylvania) I rarely spotted a Meadow Fritillary. When I did find one, it was exciting, and I’d stop what I was looking for, and quickly work to get shots of them. Those nearly 20 years has me agreeing that they are becoming rarer by the year.

That’s very discomforting. These small Fritillary butterflies so remind of little crafted jewels, especially because when seen, they are usually fresh, vivid and show little evidence of being bird-struck.

The likelihood of finding them in Georgia is slim, their range usually extends no further south than Tennessee. I do miss this little ‘pookies.’ What’re the odds that I’ll see them when I hopefully return to visit western Pennsylvania in late May to June, in Raccoon Creeks State Park’s 100+ acre Doak Meadow?

Jeff

I Finally Saw this Special Butterfly at Fort Indiantown Gap near Harrisburg Pennsylvania

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Filed under Fort Indiantown Gap, PA, Fritillary

Full dorsal view of Regal Butterfly photographed by Jeff Zablow in Fort Indiantown Gap Military Reservation, PA

Wanted to meet the elegant regal Fritillary Butterfly, and I waited years and year for the opportunity. When I finally first saw this special butterfly, at Ft. Indiantown Gap near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, I was moved, ecstatic and moved. Yes! It was as beautiful and I had anticipated it would be.

This male was happily nectaring on Butterfly Weed, and tolerated my approach. He evoked such rich memories. When I was a kid in Brooklyn, New York, I used to slip away from those street games, and head into the undeveloped ‘lots’ nearby. We lived on the edge of oncoming development, and in those 1940’s lots I found cottontail rabbits, butterflies and black widow spiders.

I learned some years ago that George Washington’s men marched through my very neighborhood, on their way to battle the British. They probably could have seen Regal Fritillaries. I never saw them there, in East Flatbush, for they were extirpated (gone) long before I arrived. Development and new neighbors are great, but when they come, butterflies . . . .

My mind at this moment? The lyrics of ‘When You Wish Upon A Star‘ sing When you wish upon a star, Your dreams come true (Walt Disney Music Co).

Never met most famous folks, but my dream did come true, for I met and photo’d the extraordinary Regal Fritillary Butterflies.

Jeff

Gone Are The Days . . . .

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Filed under Fritillary, Raccoon Creek State Park, PA

Great spangled fritillary butterfly photographed by Jeffrey Zablow at Raccoon Creek State Park

Moving from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Georgia was a Big change for me. Few back there thought I’d done the right thing. My family thought I’d kind of made a mistake. Me? There were things I miss, after those 27 years in the region that Steel built.

Folks here in Georgia ask often, Why did I move to Georgia. I was asked that 2 times today. My answer, Snow & Ice. I’d lost my tolerance of them. Walking Petra on a ‘Black Ice ‘ morning? Beyond dangerous to this guy who Loves going into meadow, fen, marsh, forest or medium mountain to shoot butterflies. I also, blessed still with bonafide street smarts, found myself more times than I liked, being sized up by unfriendly youth, as in “Think he’s going to be easy?” With the telepathic answer, “Yeah, this _______ ‘ll be easy.” Not yet carrying, I didn’t want to find myself on the front cover of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, busted-up by teenage youth.

Now in Georgia, I miss this, views of Great Spangled Fritillary butterflies on Butterflyweed, that June-early July sight that always pleased me. I also miss the usually futile search for tortoiseshells, mourning cloaks and rare commas.

We’re back from St. Simons Island, and Georgia, it is . . . beautiful, and its got its own inventory of spectacular butterflies.

Gone are those days, here are these days. Good, that.

Jeff

Variegated Fritillary At Nikki’s Lizella Nursery

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Filed under Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, MD, Fritillary, Locations for Butterflies

Variegated fritillary butterfly photographed at Black Water National Wildlife Refuge, MD

Went to Lizella, Georgia today, for our first visit to Nikki Taylor’s Dig and Design Nursery. After our 30 minute drive from North Macon, we pulled into her acres, and what did we find? Nikki has thousands, yes thousands of healthy, robust perennials for sale, all fairly priced. The selection was what you’re looking for: coneflowers, turtlehead, salivas (many), cardinal flower, agastaches, bronze fennel (to host Black Swallowtails), milkweeds, lantana (she has a variety that was swamped with butterflies, she agreed to make some of that beautiful lantana for us next year!) and more, much more. It’s the Best when a nursery owner is knowledgeable, schooled in her work, and generous with her time and pleased to answer your questions and more.

In flew a Variegated Fritillary ( Euptoieta claudia), it landing on a robust coneflower. I’ve not seen a Variegated this 2020 year, and it brought a big smile, for when they are fresh, as this one was, they are very, very easy on the eyes!

This Variegated fritillary butterfly was met at Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in Maryland. You’ll see 100 Gulf Fritillaries for every one Variegated you’ll be lucky to see, so seeing one? Vundebar!

Jeff

Flirting Gulfs

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Filed under Eatonton, GA, Fritillary

Gulf fritillary butterflies flirting, photographed by Jeff Zablow at "Butterflies and Blooms in the Briar Patch," Eatonton, GA

Each species of butterfly behaves differently moments/minutes before they join to copulate. Watching a male Monarch physically force a flying female down to the ground is a bit much, others come together gently, and with apparent total focus.

This pair of Gulf Fritillary butterflies were in the tall grass when I found them at the Butterflies & Blooms Briar Patch Habitat in Eatonton, Georgia. Studying the photo convinces that this male and female are gently preparing for action to produce a new generation of Gulf fritillaries. Not suite which is the female or which is the male. I am sure that those flashes of white, nicely reflecting the morning light, are bedazzling.

Splendor in the Grass, this.

Jeff