Sunday, July 26, 2015

Butterflies and a Mystery Flower

We continue to get assorted butterflies stopping in the garden, sometimes staying still for long enough that I can get a picture.

I've spotted the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail several times over the spring and summer, but this time it sat for a minute on the Milkweed for me.

This tiny creature is one of the several species of Hairstreaks that we can see, all with tiny 'tails' on the hind wings, those tiny protrusions on the lower left.  This one is a Striped Hairstreak, identifiable by the blue-gray spot capped with reddish orange.

This is a Fritillary, probably the Great Spangled Fritillary, though it's hard to tell without a good look at the open wings.  It only stopped for a few seconds, and I was lucky to be there with my macro lens and get 3 quick shots like this one, cropped about as much as I can afford to, before it fluttered off.

And this is my mystery flower.  It came up among other 'weeds' in the sandy soil on top of our septic bed.  It's only about one foot tall or less, and only about 1-1.5 inches across.  I simply can't find a match in my wildflower guide.  Neither the large yellow centre buttons and short yellow rays, nor the leaves (below), match anything I can find.

These are the leaves.  It's a bit like a Tansy, or a Ragwort, but these leaves are truly tiny, only about an inch long each, and there appear to be no different basal leaves which many meadow wildflowers have.  Can anyone help?

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18 comments:

  1. You are so lucky to be getting those lovely butterflies in your backyard!

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  2. I love seeing butterflies. These are especially pretty and nicely captured! Love the flowers too!

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  3. You've got some great butterfly shots. Patience pays off.

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  4. Gosh, I wish I could help with that pretty yellow sunflower-like beauty, but I can't. That doesn't mean that I didn't enjoy your pictures and post to the max. I only wish I knew more about these flowers. I'll be watching to see if anyone does identify them :-)

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  5. Beautiful butterflies! I have not seen that mystery plant before..looks cheerful! :)

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  6. Goldfields Lastehnia californica?

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    1. It looks like you might be right. Lasthenia californica. They grow about 10 inches tall, have narrow leaves and flowers similar to what appears here. They do grow in grasslands and openings in woodlands...when they have a bit of moisture in the early spring.

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  7. Sorry for the typo..Lasthenia californica

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  8. Don't you love a mystery plant??!!
    I understand the trick with the butterflies. They are so hard to photograph, they never rest...

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  9. Stunning shots. I'm afraid I'm useless at identifying all but the most obvious flora and fauna!

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  10. These are great shots. Photographing butterflies is not easy!

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  11. Beautiful shots of the butterflies. Your mystery plant is really pretty.

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  12. Wonderful butterfly photos!
    Mystery plant is very pretty. Hope you get an ID.

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  13. Pretty butterflies but your flower is a mystery to me. I hope you find out what it is. It's quite beautiful.

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  14. Your shots are all great. i like the butterflies with all their nectar collecting.

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  15. Beautiful!
    Hope to see you at http://image-in-ing.blogspot.com/2015/07/variations.html

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