July 5, Sunday...Butterflies on the Brukner Butterfly Transit

While I was taking photos at John and Jacquie's wedding, my butterfly loving friends were taking photos on the Brukner Nature Center's Butterfly transit.

Red Admirals were the most abundant species just as they were the previous week,  Twelve of them were within the transit parameters.

Three photos featuring the Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta) Wingspan: 1.75-2.50 inches (4.4-6.4 cm)

The Great Spangled Fritillary's wings are looking worn on the edges.  This is one of six that the group saw.  Like the Red Admirals, it is nectaring on Purple Coneflowers (Echinacea purpurea).  These flowers are a favorite source of nectar for a variety of butterflies.

Great Spangled Fritillary (Speyeria cybele) Wingspan: 2.9-3.8 inches (7.1-9.7 cm)

It is always nice to get a clear photo of a Cabbage White.  They are a common butterfly but they tend to flit about,  landing only among plants where it it difficult to get a clear view of them through the camera lens.  Because this one has two spots on its forewings, we know it is a female.

Cabbage White (Pieris rapae) Wingspan: 1.5-2.0 inches (3.8-5.1 cm)

The Wild Indigo Duskywing is a dainty butterfly with a lovely muted pattern which shows up nicely on a sunny day.

Wild Indigo Duskywing (Erynnis baptisiae) Wingspan: 1.3-1.7 inches (3.3-4.3 cm)

This monsterous face belongs to the Spicebush Swallowtail larva.

Larva of the Spicebush Swallowtail (Papilio troilus)  Wingspan: 3.5-5.0 inches (8.9-12.7 cm)

Because we are looking for larva we sometimes find other small creatures.  Ruth took this photo of a Northern Spring Peeper (Pseudacaris crucifer crucifer) with her iPhone.