Papilionidae-Tiger Swallowtail
What are your numbers where you are?
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
A Few Butterflies
The garden blogosphere has been a buzz with comments about the butterfly population this year. In my area of south central Kansas the population of large butterflies has been very rare. Specifically Swallowtails and Monarchs. We can speculate all we want and come up with wild or logical explanations but the truth is we will probably never completely understand. I will take things as they are and be glad for the ones I do get to view and photograph, and hope for a better population come fall! The following photos were taken over the last 3 to 4 weeks here in Kansas. Enjoy.
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Wooohooo! I'll take delight in yours until ours return. Love that first shot.
ReplyDeleteHello again, Greggo. Great images, I love to see the Swallowtails but I do like that last one too :-)
ReplyDeleteInteresting timing to ask about butterfly numbers. Here in the UK we have a count going until the end of the month. Numbers are dropping here too. I’ve just posted a short video of one that is of concern (taken in my garden).
I think all butterflies are gorgeous - then I see a monarch. Still my favorite.
ReplyDeletenellie
I enjoyed seeing your butterflies. I'm not familiar with the ones in the fourth and last photos.
ReplyDeleteThere haven't been as many butterflies in my yard as usual, but I have seen monarchs on a regular basis. I had 4 swallowtail caterpillars on the parsley just out my back door, that I kept forgetting to take photos of. They got very big, and then, they were gone. I am now seeing some swallowtail butterflies, and like to think they are the ones who had eaten my parsley. They are very shy so far, and fly off when I try to get photos. I am having fun watching them when I'm out without my camera.
I have only seen a few skippers so far. Maybe there will be more soon.
Those are great pictures! I don't have many butterflies at all this year...
ReplyDeleteWonderful Butterfly photos you caught.
ReplyDeleteCher Sunray Gardens
I was at a nature preserve today that in prior years was teeming with butterflies. Perfect day for them and I saw but a handful. Same in my own garden, few and far between. Your images of them are lovely, and they are hard to capture when there are so few.
ReplyDeleteI've had a big dark swallowtail in my garden the past week and have found 2 swallowtail caterpillars in the parsley and carrots. What I've had tons of this year are little whites and sulfurs as well as skippers and some teeny blue ones. I'm headed to the Botanic Gardens in DC very soon and am going to ask them if they have an idea of whats going on. Your pix are great! :o)
ReplyDeleteI saw a couple of butterflies this past weekend, but we don't usually get many in the hot summer months. We usually have to wait until fall (one of the reasons I look forward to fall). Your photos are very nice.
ReplyDeleteWe still have a lot still here in the tropics. Every time i come home to the province my hobby is chasing butterflies, of course to take their photos. You have nice photos there! thanks
ReplyDeleteApart from Cabbage Whites, and even those are few, I've seen hardly any Butterflies this year. The awful Summer weather we are having is I'm sure partially to blame.
ReplyDeleteHey! Awesome images. We have seen quite a few butterflies this year. Not nearly as many as last year. And no hummingbirds. Not sure what's up with that.....
ReplyDeleteBeautiful photos! The butterflies usually don't appear here in large numbers until July, but here we are in the middle of July and they are still few in number. My hope is that they're just late. We normally have a good variety of butterflies in our garden and we certainly have the plants to entice them to visit.
ReplyDeleteWow..butterflies can be soo gorgeous! Your photos are superb!
ReplyDeleteMy butterfly populations both in PA and ME seem to be up.
ReplyDeleteGreggo,
ReplyDeleteWow nice butterflies, Giant Swallowtails are pretty rare here, not found with in 100 miles of here. Your skippers both are Sachems. I'm seeing more butterflies everyday. Today 3 Horace's Duskywings usually 2 is a good number for them. And a super fresh Spicebush Swallowtail on the lantana today.
Greggo,
ReplyDeleteI forgot we had a Great Spangled Fritillary on coneflowers today, just like in your photo. Not seen them for about a month.
Swallowtails are in abundance here but are chasing the Monarchs away! I actually saw this behavior while trying to take a photo of the Monarch which was considerably larger than the Swallowtail.
ReplyDeleteglimpsesofglory-karen.blogspot.com/
Great photos! I've seen quite a few in my gardens. If they'd just sit still long enough for me to take their picture. My husband saw a couple of Monarchs fighting the way Robins do.
ReplyDeletegreat pics, greggo!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful photos! I've seen just a few Monarchs, which is typical for us this time of year, but not nearly as many swallowtails as in past years. What I really notice, though, is the smaller species--last year I had so many Buckeyes and Red Admirals, and I haven't seen more than one or two all season. I hope they're just late arrivals!
ReplyDeleteReleased 5 black swallowtails today. Have had for the last few days at least one monarch outside at some point, but mostly all guys (who do tend to linger longer). Only released about 6 monarchs, and have another 6 or so in jade green. Fewer insects all around, and this is the most flowers I've ever had. Polar opposite of last year in Nebraska!
ReplyDeleteTerrific pictures of the butterflies. None so exotic over here and the ones we normally get have abandoned us, such a very cold miserable summer which hopefully will improve in August.
ReplyDeleteGorgeous!
ReplyDeleteHey, I think I saw one like your fourth one and posted a photo of it yesterday. I haven't located my butterfly book yet so I can see if I can figure out what it is.
ReplyDelete