sunny morning | Winged Beauty Butterflies

Twin-spot Skipper Butterfly photographed by Jeff Zablow at Harris Neck National Wildlife Refuge, GA

We met at the butterfly garden at the Harris Neck National Wildlife Refuge at the Georgia coast. It was early morning, a sunny one, and Gulf fritillaries, Longtail skippers, Cloudywing skippers and others were mobbing the mostly abundant flowers. I was glad to see them, but I wanted to meet new butterflies there.

This one was perched on this little plant, and I looked, and looked, and I could not make it! I came to realize that it’s a new southeastern butterfly for me. Bingo!! How much do I Love seeing new butterflies? This —————————– much!!

A coastal butterfly, found along the Atlantic coast all the way around Florida to eastern Texas, this Twin-spot Skipper butterfly was a fine-grade of chocolate brown.

Glassberg’s A Swift Guide to the Butterflies of North America characterizes it as “U-LC” that is Uncommon to Locally Common.

Every year I see new ones. I love that. Travel to see new ones, for I love butterfly “Bingo!”

Jeff

Pseudophilotes Vicrama butterfly, photographed by Jeff Zablow at Ramat Hanadiv, Israel

Blues are found all around the globe. Here in the northeastern U.S. the Eastern Tailed Blue is well known, and a companion to those who hike trails. Stop and look, and they are just a treat, perched on a tiny leaf, all serious and earnest in whatever it is they are doing. Don’t look and don’t stop, well you’ve missed a cutie/sweetie, for sure.

Here in March 2016 I share a blue that I’ve rarely seen in Israel, the Eastern Baton Blue (Pseudophilotes vicrama). His upper wing blue is peaking out for us. We were on a trail at Ramat Hanadiv’s reserve, very close to the Mediterranean Sea. The trail had a gentle slope, and we shared a sunny morning. He perched on his favorite leaf, scoping for females who might fly by, me scoping for butterflies . . . .

The neat little bloom in the right foreground, what is that one?

Jeff