One of the joys of gardening is seeing who comes to visit. In addition to planting for pretty, I also plant for pollinators--specifically butterflies. I have about a dozen butterfly bushes in my flower beds, and there is a reason for these plants to be so named. Each year, more species of butterflies fly, flutter and flit around my flowers. Keeping my camera at hand, I try to capture their images.
In today's post, I'll show just the visitors who have come by so far this year--and that I've been able to photograph. I'm sure there are some I missed. And there's still lots of summer left, and lots of time for new species to arrive. I have yet to see a Great Spangled Fritillary, which is a very pretty butterfly, but I think I love it because of it's name. You can see a photo of one of these creatures in
last year's butterfly post.
I'll start with the LBBs: little brown butterflies. At first glance, they look the same; but with a closer inspection, you start to see the subtle differences.
With the help of books and website, I can usually identify the various species that visit. But I'll be the first to admit I'm no expert; in the pictures below, you'll see question marks when I'm making an educated guess.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXF5icvrPds8Td7rWeBKtNvYpHG37N6_Dny_YY0JZSp2ZotrhW8uERdISqCh8c5huya90IwLXN3BGgI66OXg8bG9h0nbYM18nquyPbqVlUEbUJlXD8uEl6PXfXhsAzj1aO2J8Q5PQDOTBm/s320/IMG_6448.JPG) |
Little Wood Satyr |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6ktKucj38nWsPz-K0TW3ZAzh9QK-L1J7JyKEIDse9C1sRzU-QMZTJzXBFuebZ20YKENQb1C51x-0uZIEJCnMLVBqdgUOLh2_1HpS13RCJvwitz-ep4z4jxFbj6gPKDsveEhLBdpacbmgb/s320/IMG_8267.JPG) |
Northern Broken Dash? |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7eWwFvAtgkqk5jyiovPtE7ohGprb4UPR5k3lTU8_Sr_IXSnzVbbFH9uRFIRDzIcz2lgYfWizzB_pLwMiqbAU9ks07GcYMUiUrpSSd535G3v8k7fg69pXiZvMBZTr_hU_dc1fUWpJmonVh/s320/IMG_8455.jpg) |
Male and female Sachem? |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiVJ8hfAlIRzyYTXy3ngC2SdsoR9CWz-DESxgQZGkQcFPUBhbJqWU9C9WkcVe4DSlbxFDEnECwrVAaC6cnS-nkCZtus6LW3Sd31tDC-Jfg3edrW9FEG0BD3MJANprqd0Gnv48m8Czi6PUB/s320/IMG_8271.JPG) |
Sachem? |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJOw8Lds0tlSk7rFj2_Yu9hoGeLsG3TgHCV6LkPbmx-bw5NwZc9HjclaSkvNPw7huq7bKk2Ki3kyffOqWM4DmlqMH76HLOLD8Q3PCwTyj-S7pz5YBa59C-Aknd2XuhH2SvN52AoJSLVVDp/s320/IMG_8480.JPG) |
Fiery Skipper |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-oiK3VZLrWACkcITGYDfunaE3m153jJFyoUfN5yP9XZ_U0J7a7zI_wXGg0WhTZzOTWgUmtE5mniP9XMGJxTVg_v24PsXVD71ukCklsoeNGdusanBiMZlBqN_x0LNOzqkL8qLobzh2dhiu/s320/IMG_8276.JPG) |
Fiery Skipper |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLiVXg2CNQu2pxKM9LvGo1W6ieDelAheoYtHNHpLtPn5w-hItJthOn8tbWN88HQg0TQERZ7LbyX5WRBXtfY5mJvpUe0UQ6-0AZ3GHWaq5e-pRv2Dac4CUoxwoIfyeLRfZIb3hfld-B0CSD/s320/IMG_7701.JPG) |
Horace's Duskywing |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPlkJS-XLgWEEFiNcfKHy3w31NViH1eri5EYr3dEkuSyrB7dCHn2_NY7CXFcUmyh0H0vMUnjRsDkGJ3mnVewyF2QfQgbXA-Uh3Cmtd_CETm1MwGvAOj3LANMXYxREMfOr2824_1JK13X_i/s320/IMG_8277.JPG) |
Least Skipper |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFVmA_mRP6Cq-iY9EF1OMfqtFCgivMDf36ki7oIQGUPCe8PwJGn1rtiJYsp4J7RUDLvZaeSOwf3yh0ro0rO1l5YXd5YgJ4-a9x9GG7ywTN-laab92OKvT-n6_ZPbimubAwmhqj-PKibZJh/s320/IMG_7744.jpg) |
Silver Spotted Skipper: ventral view |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Fjt-KVQOC4Iff9_rYgNOp4XBgYAHArWMHiHLAEmMpPvXNfgSfPUbPvQaeC3G3gMlmY_2yXmiVQabOLgOFgzUsh14c2bmNPVDp0U_viUC7L0MonsCMlSBLjWTLGBMmwDrln8XklMOCI6h/s320/IMG_8310.JPG) |
Silver Spotted Skipper: dorsal view |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieP7uozDFmih5HCGpJ9DkZ0LeoQNUCP6fYKi6EghcGrgqL5UUT-jC9SMB3sIOMv7EuaP7kUU3SG3jutYznAP0h1poLEdzA9Byc9KESdAq12lraOCD9dmD1JcVIOwscjebwkCKnhKB-lVqo/s320/IMG_8470.JPG) |
Eastern Comma |
Then there are the swallowtails, named for their distinctive long tails.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnu40BNMgNa1xAGjQITxuLZmiM-8ZWUtor8QDKqRbFCrliClZ0w_uN34IXU_9hVNYmi3uYW4fQ_AcL1sbqmU37xQjtGeKT_sbbMHYwtpz193IC4wBeFCFnZyztR0i8Z3yy2ziZ8ySj8LHE/s320/IMG_7862.JPG) |
Spicebush Swallowtail |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg6JWykD9Kblm7VPspZk3ZYeHpxqiLPMEReJTJ1-okr04L5mz7ixxvPl2FqS6bXOuVJKoDoJaVF-K4XghGL8CB5TpCmNNWcDQFUSY6nHDdv0cFlkkJf5TL-5F0hJIQp3TgaHrYTI8IQSHm/s320/IMG_6955.JPG) |
Black Swallowtail |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIPuHNzKUkTP2P-b6i4LuH-cUedlvg6KpTzjjBQupsxzDOoq2ydl_TaCnr4ku6HQzmOr1Y6WyKY6WMyn_nN0jwASQAIo0ChN_SD4oCKnLdNa60Z1ObhkLBvkpC0OTDWMMhQlwBCmQKCWxq/s320/IMG_6941.JPG) |
Pipevine Swallowtail |
Funny thing about eastern tiger swallowtails: not only do males and females look different, but the females also come in both yellow and black versions.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA6G6oyOaUx_MuOUmYHD9ucQU7Qy09mbH-DK_x4Zgdu-6XhURO6dq2duwL0AMbCd1VG4Z9VdWZNOi6Ufg6en2Lotsk6lZZa1r9o-H-MbbbVPZQrnTLITyrnAHg-9mbV-LVUR0B58E3oPxJ/s320/IMG_7653.JPG) |
Male Eastern Tiger Swallowtail |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSz4anJ2HEssPbdIMi-9nxv91_EKP96hvTCdx_5AsmSSHapZQi5Hv4JcHqT3D8nSvDYQ-mhZ6OoiOmtDwt-ZGKfmtIYb1kc-4aTdEjjrZmXGxHnyvzYLF2FvnEVknW14m6_NAA2Tj-uUY8/s320/IMG_7771.JPG) |
Female Eastern Tiger Swallowtail |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP0-C_AXIH2TtjH8IaohvsMRbpE3bn-fHfseCux7Tlexg3vvkPeRamesdnorlSgBsDbc9MAj8il13y91PXsUqH2JxaCB9y6b_e-Y6NZBmeLRGeEetvos8IEqBBOvzUJwOjTG9V3ODVCSzB/s320/IMG_7757.JPG) |
Female Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, dark form |
Other visitors to my garden include these beauties:
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV_db6MaC1St1j4-FitenHOVKwBlK-ugFb8JDDiibtBJobeeMJ9LnT-XpY9LIBD3lIbsFyfSfd3ssBS890us3K7OlBC1GgcRXcblvy0jhuZ6J3HqORQ3rTgBXdWYyMUFmxt5w6xJkVahfF/s320/IMG_7306.JPG) |
American Lady |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRjMeD5q6IDCwRu0-MCphO0mDxpNrvdGMPwVWZA2-P6sODrTO4jJB1CGfk5xnfHuWsAj2xxsW-HvIZq0lauKyYXzwxJaQmqqccTizYXCy8Gef8g6zEoV69gUd9OCXCrUvNRKJCTMb3pbB1/s320/IMG_5328.jpg) |
Cabbage butterfly |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_PgdvDmjUeOOjzX40cpw4EVORI9kd4m4Z47NcCnu_xv_1JkgOX044bVeYDlbkIC7HopISM9cUSCbYdxDWj9NbAbqLmDTGygQEoK8Bbui0umz0FCCH3tkc8W8XstsNODbI3DNiniGWHoHc/s320/IMG_6190.JPG) |
Common checkered skipper? |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOwbVzEQHEHtZEyngi6Tp0rhdemfN5fDzK_CKCKd2wj9TyYTsWl4uZZ-LMi9TxiNOWx3BBybSC6J7h8bCzzpT6HBQYlz_4Aa3JxnHU35YPH2RJgCg1osXay9ykNWC4ewV9UbMRsBHytOtg/s320/IMG_6637.JPG) |
Red Admiral |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlU_ik4gAAW_ZUBlE9miQdnc42vbzLSZIMUhd9K4oImnxi_SFmrfaW-g5uQtvtpVpc-rLq_SI9wWK2B9eUc5QOLmUgk4M6NQQPMf8APrIN9Rc0eNhM42xfxI9E4CnVJijiV0LDwGFybirJ/s320/IMG_7276.JPG) |
Orange sulfur |
One of my favorites--and the butterfly that is so easily recognized--is the Monarch. Bright orange and black--and incredibly photogenic--these beauties love to pose for my camera.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHEMaK4oWUT3fDJhzXlS6_om6y27gI6Drhmpd5NCPr3cr5WNMZbvomzzJH-YVzT3KokLi73bRA8wjjS5I_OeB422NACzlNyA6aGVwkQST4QOE_-PnJ8exvZJ0EzZ_flUF9Mx25dShvRNJn/s320/IMG_7517.JPG) |
Monarch |
One of the butterfly identification websites I use is
Gardens with Wings. I completely understand the reason for the name. With so many colors, butterflies look like flowers that have taken wing. Like this:
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8qXV7e1QIXjqqCYPOHeleFSK1gdomGh3UHZjnsDf7ZDM2cPaxvBjQRkB0LM3ShwY8SQcPNLVdePYcjz6JdWPS22zrx9mAecraeIpALSGoVKsINHSU6E6RD60NhWUDr0uhABC3zo7KETjA/s320/IMG_7707.jpg) |
Monarch |
And this:
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