More Butterflies

These are more of the butterflies that have been fluttering around our garden, along with lots of bees and other insects.  At this time of the season I look at the presence of all these bugs as a sign of a healthy garden!


There are small Northern Crescent butterflies everywhere!  I stand in the garden and see a dozen in the air or on flowers around me.  It's probably our most common butterfly now, and it's bright coloured to boot.

For the first time the other day I found a Red-spotted Purple, though I'm not sure there's much purple.  It is one of the few butterflies with noticeable blue markings though.

There were several White Admirals at the same time, fluttering so near they almost bump into me.  The little guide to Ontatio butterflies I use says that these two are just subspecies of the same butterfly, but they look very different to me!

There were so many White Admirals that I was getting multiple butterflies in one shot - the lower one looking a little tattered.  As you can see, the blooms on our Ninebark shrub are a big attraction for both species.

 
For a time these two were literally bumping into each other as they moved from bloom to bloom.  And you get a good look at the red spots on the underwing of the White Admiral here.  My butterfly guide proposes the name Red-spotted Admiral for both of these considered as a single species.

Another Northern Crescent, this one feeding on Valerian.  A tall flower with a strong scent, Valerian is very popular among the butterflies, so a good plant to have to attract them.  These little orange butterflies were fluttering all around me.

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