This is a great time of the year to explore the many species of butterflies and moths that can be found in Central Florida. Here are a few of the butterflies and moths I've seen over the past month at my favorite wildlife locations. The Queen is a commonly found the Viera Wetlands. I never tire of seeing this boldly colored, large butterfly.
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| Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta |
Last weekend, I saw quite a few Long-tailed Skipper feeding on the vegetation growing along the fence that borders the wetlands.
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| Long-tailed Skipper Urbanus proteus |
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| Long-tailed Skipper Urbanus proteus |
I encountered the next two species, the Eastern Pygmy-blue and the Ceraunus Blue, along Biolab Road on the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.
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| Eastern Pygmy-blue Brephidium pseudofea |
The Pygmy is the smallest butterfly in Florida and the Ceraunus is only slightly bigger. These two species are fairly similar, however, easy to distinguish by their hindspots.
Perhaps my favorite find of the month was this Polka dot Wasp Moth. It is also referred to as an "Oleander Moth" because of its love of oleanders. This colorful little creature has white dotted wings and a stunning metallic blue, bright orange abdomen. This species resembles a wasp, however, it is just a harmless moth.
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| Ceraunus Blue Hemiargus ceraunus |
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| Ceraunus Blue Hemiargus ceraunus |
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| Mangrove Buckeye Junonia evarete |
There were quite a few Mangrove Buckeyes along Biolab Rd as well as along Blackpoint Drive.
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| Polka dot Wasp Moth Syntomeida epilais |
These are stunning Tammy!
ReplyDeleteGreat detail in all of the shots! That polka dot moth is amazing.
ReplyDeletei LOVE the queens. so rich in color. glad i get to spot them here. the mangrove buckeye looks darker than the commons we get here. so pretty! would love to see the long-tailed skippers and blues! great shots!
ReplyDeleteLol Tammy; great post! I also posted on the Polka dot Wasp Moth when I did a post on Nerium Oleanders. Many gardeners destroy them because they defoliate Oleanders; pity! I love the Long-tailed Skipper. Great post!
ReplyDeleteGreat shots, Tammy!
ReplyDeleteTammy breathtaking looks at these little flying gems. The ventral shot of the Ceraunus Blue is particularily nice - showing the finest details of its wing scales. Years ago while on vacation, I think I saw a Queen and assumed it was a Monarch... still regretting that! Thanks for sharing the beauty of Florida with the rest of us! -DM
ReplyDeleteA lovely array of Butterflies and moths there Tammy, that Long Tailed Skipper is really smart :-)
ReplyDeleteJe vois qu'il y en a quelques uns comme chez nous aussi.
ReplyDeleteSyntomeida epilais est exceptionnel !!!!
Merci
tes photos sont superbes.
Great post.... they all have their own beauty but the one that catches my eye is the Ceraunus Blue.... stunning
ReplyDeleteGood timing Tammy as I have started to post a few moth encounters on my blog pages..... great minds think alike.
lovely pics... enjoyed all of them
ReplyDeletewat een heerlijke vlinderserie dit is genieten er zitten wel hele bijzondere voor mij tussen.
ReplyDeleteWonderful pictures Tammy....nice work again.
ReplyDeleteGreetings, Joop
http://joopzandfotografie.blogspot.nl
Great butterfly photos Tammy.
ReplyDeleteAll very sharp and full of detail.
Greetings Irma
Querida Tammy, como siempre unas imágenes bellÃsimas.
ReplyDeleteUn saludo desde Extremadura
Stunning.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful Shots - I especially like the long tailed skippers and the wasp moth!
ReplyDeleteJoe
Hi Tammy !
ReplyDeleteYou have become a really good macro photographer, great butterfly pictures you show up here. Have a fine photoweek !
Hola Tammy magnifica coleccion de mariposas para mi esta ultima es la mas curiosa y la mas bonita.Un abrazo
ReplyDeleteLovely picture Tammy.... Great shots, I can only envy :)
ReplyDeleteGreetings from Poland :))
Great job! as always I've been up to the same thing, photographing moths and butterflies. Awaiting the fall migration.
ReplyDeleteIt's starting to get cold in the mornings here. All our butterflies and dragonflies are disappearing for another year. :(
ReplyDeletexo Catherine
Amazing stuff... The polka dot wasp moth guy is crazy!
ReplyDeleteAmazing beauties here again Tammy!
ReplyDeleteThe Red admiral is quite familiar and common in France! Good to see we share some species! ;-)
On the other hand, the Long tailed skipper is unknown here, it really is magnificent!
Ceraunus Blue is such a lovely shot!
The Buckeye is one of my favorite butterflies but doesn't occur in Europe.
And... admiration for the Polka dot Wasp Moth, strange and gorgeous!
A great series of wonderful pictures, congrats, Tammy!
The season for dragonflies is slowing down here, the cold spell and the rains are not good for them, a pity... I bet it is still in full swing in Florida!
Cheers, keep well!
Great shots Tammy! I especially like the ones of the polka dot wasp moth. Can't say that I have ever seen one of those before.
ReplyDeleteVery beautiful blog ♥
ReplyDeleteI love butterflies!
I love birds!
Tammy, I see you are a master with the macro lens as well. A most stunning series of photographs! If I had to pick favorites, the Queen, Long-tailed Skipper and Polka dot Wasp really caught my eye. Probably because I have never seen these insects before. Excellent images!
ReplyDeleteHi Tammy.. Wonderful pictures.. Truly beautiful.. The firs butterfly is absolutely wonderful.. Regards
ReplyDeleteTammy, these are all awesome macro shots. Lovely collection of butterflies!
ReplyDeleteFantastic and exciting pictures you show here, enjoyed the whole series.
ReplyDeleteOttar
So beautiful! I'm so jealous of your Blues! I still don't have any good photos of them.
ReplyDelete