Monday, September 9, 2019

Wildflowers and Butterflies!


We've had a very hot summer but enough rain to make the wildflowers prolific in the forest!


And with wildflowers, come butterflies!


I think this is the prettiest Long-tailed Skipper I've ever seen!


 They are not that big but have such an unusual color!



The yellow flowers in this mosaic are Showy Rattlebox (Crotalaria spectabilis).


This is a Zebra Swallowtail Butterfly.


The flower he was on is the Blazing Star. 


The white flower in the mosaic is Dotted Horsemint. Can you see how the stem of the flower goes through the center of each bloom?


This pretty little lavender flower is a Blue Pea and they have been blooming all summer. 


 I won't try to id everything in this mosaic (I'm still learning!) but the solid black butterfly sure was gorgeous!

I’m joining Angie for Mosaic Monday HERE .

 



36 comments:

Author R. Mac Wheeler said...

awwww the color of life

magnoliasntea said...

What a beautiful assortment of butterflies. Love the flowers, too.
Thank you for sharing your photos!

Susie said...

Diane, I loved seeing the butterflies. I have seen more Monarchs this year. They had declined in the past few years around here, ow coming back...so thankful. I have never seen a Zebra Swallowtail outside of a butterfly tent at the zoo. The skipper is new to me. :) Blessings, so glad you are safe. xoxo, love, Susie

David M. Gascoigne, said...

Great butterfly images. It is great when they come to rest with their wings outspread.

Tom said...

...gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous.

Julie's Creative Lifestyle said...

Such pretty flowers and butterflies. Have a happy week sweet friend!

Arlene G said...

Butterflies are my daughter's favorite things. She loves to receive any gift which included a butterfly motif. You are most observant in nature Diane and I always see things in your photos that I would not take time to see if was taking a stroll on my own.

MadSnapper said...

I have not see a long tail skipper or a black butterfly like these. wow. what a find and the flowers are beautiful...

The Feminine Energy said...

Wildflowers & butterflies... nothing could be prettier to see, in-person or in a picture. Thank you for posting!! Love, Andrea xoxo

eileeninmd said...

Hello,

Pretty flowers! The Long-tailed Skipper and butterflies are beautiful.
Happy Monday, wishing you a great day and happy new week!

bj said...

Such awesome photos of some beautiful subjects......

Carla from The River said...

Hi,
The Zebra Swallowtail is my favorite.
99 HIKES!!! WOW.. I bet you will break a record this 2019!!!

It's me said...

Beauiful nature pictures ....love happy week Ria 💚🍀

Ann said...

Beautiful flowers and butterflies. You captured them well

Lowcarb team member said...

Lovely butterflies, and flowers, great photographs.

All the best Jan

Carol @Comfort Spring Station said...

gorgeous photos!

Red Rose Alley said...

Yes, he really is gorgeous. It looks like he has a turquoise body, so pretty. The Zebra butterfly sure is pretty too. And I love that lavender flower. Looks dainty and delicate. Oh, I wish I saw more butterflies around here, Diane. You are blessed with these sightings. : )

~Sheri

Vee said...

You are doing well with IDing so much. You introduced me to lots of new flora and fauna.

betty-NZ said...

Wow, you captured some beauties!!



My Corner of the World

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

I’m in utter awe of your ID skills with plants and butterflies! Brilliant. And great photos too . That black butterfly is stunning.

Angie said...

Diane - wow, wow, wow. I have many butterflies in my garden, but they all seem to be a variation of fritillary. No swallowtails or skippers. So I am blown away by these photos. I have never heard of or seen Horsemint - a wonderfully unique plant. Thanks so much for sharing this beauty with everyone at Mosaic Monday!

BeachGypsy said...

Beautiful beautiful pictures of the butterflies!! Love the wildflowers too and that you identify them for us---i have no idea what most of those are! We are so glad to be back home and the internet is now on and I'm trying to catch up with everybody! Hugs!

Lorrie said...

What fantastic butterfly photos you captured. I didn't see many butterflies in our garden this summer. The black one is so unique. Hugs to you, Diane!

Powell River Books said...

I'm going to miss all the flowers and summer critters. The hummingbirds are gone and have been replace by grasshopper. - Margy

Linda said...

Such pretty wildflowers! We have next to NONE at the ranch now and are bucket feeding our bees.

Jill Harrison said...

oh thank you for sharing your wildflower photos - so different to ours. We have had a dry winter, so it doesn't look good for summer. Have a great week and thank you for visiting my blog this week.

carol l mckenna said...

Beautiful nature shots ~ love the butterflies ~

Happy Day to You,
A ShutterBug Explores,
aka (A Creative Harbor)

Edna B said...

Gorgeous photos! I've never seen that Long-tailed Skipper before. It's beautiful. I love all the wild flowers. You have a wonderful day, hugs, Edna B.

Anonymous said...

You certainly have enough beauty in your backyard!! We had the same type of Summer so I wonder what kind of Winter we'll get...:)jp

Anne (cornucopia) said...

Beautiful flowers and butterflies.

Blondie's Journal said...

You do know your butterflies (and flowers)! This was a learning experience for me. As I plant more and more perennials, I'm seeing a lot of new-to-me butterflies, dragonflies and hummingbirds. Fascinating!

Jane

Su-sieee! Mac said...

Wow, a black butterfly! It looks like you live in an area that gets lots of butterflies. It's sparse for us in general, but I think this year we had more fluttering visitors. I hope they tell other butterflies to check out the flowers in our yard. :-)

Dianna said...

How beautiful! You got some lovely photographs.

Debbie said...

Your photos are all just beautiful!! you put together lovely mosaics.
Debbie
xo

riitta k said...

Amazing butterflies! Also the cards on your second post are adorable.

A Bit of the Blarney said...

There is something so incrediblely beautiful and captivating about butterflies. I only wish they were ore abundant! Wishing you well!!